This Book Covers A Vast Canvas From The 4Th Century A.D. Which Coincided With The Rise Of The Sathvahans, South Of The Vindhyas And Stretching Up To The 16Th Century A.D. Which Witnessed The Decline Of The Vijayanagara Kingdom. The Objective Of This Book Is Mainly To Focus Attention On Certain Hitherto Neglected Areas Of The South Indian History And Exploring The Myth That The Presence Of The Vindhyas, Supposedly Caused A North-South Divide. The North Remained Mostly Isolated From The Culturally Rich Southern Peninsula.

Ideal for students of regional studies as well as for travelers and historians, this book offers much insight into the key economic, social, and political developments that have shaped both the individual countries of South Asia and the region as a whole.

5,000 years of history—from the Bhagavad Gita to Bollywood—fill this masterful portrait of the world’s most populous nation and a rising global power. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. India—a cradle of civilization with five millennia of history, a country of immense consequence and contradiction—often defies ready understanding. What holds its people together—across its many cultures, races, languages, and creeds—and how has India evolved into the liberal democracy it is today? From the Harappan era to Muslim invasions, the Great Mughals, British rule, independence, and present-day hopes, John Zubrzycki distills India’s colossal history into a gripping true story filled with legendary lives: Alexander the Great, Akbar, Robert Clive, Tipu Sultan, Lakshmi Bai, Lord Curzon, Jinnah, and Gandhi. India’s gifts to the world include Buddhism, yoga, the concept of zero, the largest global diaspora—and its influence is only growing. Already the world’s largest democracy, in 2023, India became the most populous nation. Can India overcome its political, social, and religious tensions to be the next global superpower? As the world watches—and wonders—this Shortest History is an essential, clarifying read.

The study of specialized craft production has a long tradition in archaeological research. Through analyses of material remains and the contexts of their production and use, archaeologists can examine the organization of craft production and the economic and political status of craft producers. This study combines archaeological and historical evidence from the author's twenty years of fieldwork at the imperial capital of Vijayanagara to explore the role and significance of craft production in the city's political economy of the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. By examining a diverse range of crafts from poetry to pottery, Sinopoli evaluates models of craft production and expands upon theoretical and historical understandings of empires in general and Vijayanagara in particular. It is the most broad-ranging study of craft production in South Asia, or in any other early state empire.

In A History of South India, first published in 1955, K.A. Nilakanta Sastri provided a comprehensive account of the history of South India. Tracing the history from prehistoric times to the fall of the kingdom of Vijayanagar in 1565 AD, the book incorporated the results of the author's own researches and brought together material previously scattered in separate studies to present a coherent narrative. Over the years the book has achieved a near-classic status. The Illustrated History of South India, an adapted and illustrated version of the original book, aims to sensitize young readers to the country's historic past and rich cultural heritage, and the need to preserve it. Key chapters discuss the coming of the Aryans, the Mauryan Empire, the rise of Vijayanagar, social and economic conditions, literature, religion and philosophy, and the art and architecture of South India. The volume includes an Introduction by renowned historian R. Champakalakshmi, written especially for this edition, and a Prologue by eminent historian P.M. Rajan Gurukkal. Interspersed with photographs and line drawings, including maps and genealogical charts, this illustrated edition will be invaluable for students and teachers of history, in particular, history of South India, as well as general readers. India, which over the years has achieved a near-classic status, this illustrated edition provides a comprehensive account of the history of South India from the prehistoric times to the fall of the kingdom of Vijayanagar in 1565 AD. This volume includes a new Introduction by renowned historian R. Champakalakshmi, and a Prologue by eminent historian P.M. Rajan Gurukkal.