The peoples of Southeast Asia have a long history of cultural commonalities. From Sumatra to Vietnam, the inhabitants built wooden houses on poles whether they lived in flooded coastal plains or in the highlands. Their diet consisted mainly of rice and fish. They believed in common folk deities such as the rice-spirit. They chewed betel and engaged in pastimes such as cockfighting and sepak takraw. How did such features come to spread across an area of 4.5 million square kilometres? Southeast Asia – for all its diversity of ethnicity, language, religion – can best be understood as a region that has been knit together by a network of trade routes over land and sea. This revelatory new book traces the diffusion of cultures across Southeast Asia from the last few centuries BCE, by looking at trade goods such as Indian beads, Vietnamese Dongson drums, Chinese ceramics, and spices from the Indonesian archipelago. The authors take us through a host of ancient port cities, such as Srivijaya, whose fortunes were intimately tied to these trade routes, pointing out striking similarities in architecture, writing systems, and everyday customs. Richly illustrated with maps, drawings and full-colour photographs, Between the Bay of Bengal and the Java Sea is an illuminating slice of history that reveals in beautiful detail the longstanding mercantile links and cultural kinship among the disparate peoples of Southeast Asia.

The Ming World draws together scholars from all over the world to bring China’s Ming Dynasty (1368-1662) to life, exploring recent scholarly trends and academic debates that highlight the dynamism of the Ming and its key place in the early modern world. The book is designed to replicate the structure of popular Ming-era unofficial histories that gathered information and gossip from a wide variety of fields and disciplines. Engaging with a broad array of primary and secondary sources, the authors build upon earlier scholarship while extending the field to embrace new theories, methodologies, and interpretive frameworks. It is divided into five thematically linked sections: Institutions, Ideas, Identities, Individuals, and Interactions. Unique in its breadth and scope, The Ming World is essential reading for scholars and postgraduates of early modern China, the history of East Asia and anyone interested in gaining a broader picture of the colorful Ming world and its inhabitants.

The ebook 'Quick Geography for Competitive Exams' captures, in a concise and easy to remember methodology, the physical geography, India and world Geography. The book further comprises of Mind Maps, Infographics, Charts, Tables.The emphasis of the book has been on conceptual understanding and better retention which are important from the point of view of the exam. This ebook has been designed to cater to aspirants of various competitive exams like Civil services, Banks, Railways, UPSC and PSC exams and Quiz Competition across the country. The ebook will also be useful for GD, Interviews etc. Table of Contents Physical Geogrpahy Indian Geography World Geography

The thoroughly revised & updated 3rd edition of the book The Fundamentals of GENERAL KNOWLEDGE provides a comprehensive updation of all sections. The USP of the book is the use of Infographics, MindMaps, Tables, Charts etc. to present information so as to make it the MOst Student Friendly book for students. It comprehensively covers Geography, History, Polity, Economy, Business, General Science, Ecology & Environment, Art & Culture, Sports, Healthcare, Communication, News & Media, Education & Career, IT & Computers and Technology. The book has been prepared keeping in mind the importance of the questions asked in previous years' competitive exams papers and is useful for aspirants of UPSC, SSC, Banking, Insurance, Railways, Engg Services and AFCAT etc. Some other Salient Features: • India Panorama - provides a lot of details of every state/ UT along with National Symbols, Space Programs of India, Defence & Security, Atomic & Nuclear programs, Heritage sites, Superlatives, First in India etc. • World Panorama - provides details of every continent, major countries - their languages, emblems, currencies, Superlatives, First in World, Sobriquets, Important dates, people, places etc. • Most Famous People of All Time • Technology has been covered with application in all the possible fields - education, space, business, sciences, defence, infrastructure, telecom, sports, printing, transport, Banking etc. • Latest Update - provides the various important people, event, issue and ideas of latest times.