A Major Activity Of The Sahitya Akademi Is The Preparation Of An Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature. The Venture, Covering Twenty-Two Languages Of India, Is The First Of Its Kind. Written In English, The Encyclopaedia Gives A Comprehensive Idea Of The Growth And Development Of Indian Literature. The Entries On Authors, Books And General Topics Have Been Tabulated By The Concerned Advisory Boards And Finalised By A Steering Committee. Hundreds Of Writers All Over The Country Contributed Articles On Various Topics. The Encyclopaedia, Planned As A Six-Volume Project, Has Been Brought Out. The Sahitya Akademi Embarked Upon This Project In Right Earnest In 1984. The Efforts Of The Highly Skilled And Professional Editorial Staff Started Showing Results And The First Volume Was Brought Out In 1987. The Second Volume Was Brought Out In 1988, The Third In 1989, The Fourth In 1991, The Fifth In 1992, And The Sixth Volume In 1994. All The Six Volumes Together Include Approximately 7500 Entries On Various Topics, Literary Trends And Movements, Eminent Authors And Significant Works. The First Three Volume Were Edited By Prof. Amaresh Datta, Fourth And Fifth Volume By Mohan Lal And Sixth Volume By Shri K.C.Dutt.

This 5-Volume, Encyclopaedic Study Of India S North-East Is The Result Of The Author S 11 Years Of Service Extended Over Three Tenures In The Region, Followed By 6 Years Of Library Research After His Retirement. Being The First Of Its Kind, Given Its Contents And Sheer Size, Over 2,500 Pages, It Is A Unique Book.Writing On The North-East Is Not An Easy Exercise, Given Its Diversity (Ethnic, Racial, Religious And Linguistic), Size, History And Geography. If India Is Microcosmic World, The North-East Is Microcosmic India. Of The 5,653 Communities In India, 653 Are Tribal Of Which The 213 Are Indigenous To The North-East. Of The 213, 111 Are Found In Arunachal Pradesh Alone. Illumined By An Equally Amazing Linguistic Diversity, It Is Home To 325 Of The 1,652 Languages Spoken In India. Yet Again, North-East S Total Population Of 3,84,95,089 (2001) Constitutes 2.69 Per Cent Of India S 1,02,70,15,247, While Its Area Of 2,55,088 Sq Km Is 7.75 Per Cent Of India S 32,87,263 Sq Km.

Indian History Is One Of The Most Ancient Histories Of The World In Terms Of Human Civilization. Here Flourished Many Cultures, Civilizations, Religions And Particularly Spirituality. That Is The Reason Why India Is Called The Homeland Of Rishis, Munis, Saints And Faqirs. It Is Also The Only Nation On The Earth, Which Accommodates Varieties Of People And Cultures Even To Date. This Miraculous Harmony And Unity In Diversity Stands India Apart From The Rest Of The World.Spirituality Aside, Indian Land Can Also Be Boasted Of Producing Giants Of Literature, Science And Technology. Rich In Minerals, Beauty Of Landscape And Other Geographical Features Have Always Attracted Foreign Attention Since The Very Early Times. As A Result, Consecutive Attacks By Armies , And A Long Period Of Foreign Occupation Present Modest Work, Consisting Of Thirty Volumes, Namely, Encyclopaedia Of Indian History Is Holistic In Approach. It Coves Particularly And Extensively A Wide Range Of Aspects Of Indian History, Particularly, Land, People, Culture And Civilization.Definitely, The Work Would Prove To Be A Veritable Mine Of Information Among All Quarters Of Its Concern.

This Book Deals With The Medieval Period Of Indian History. Most Of The Historians Consider This Period As The Dark Period Of Indian History. According To Them, Ancient Period Was The Glorious Period Of Indian History. During This Period Foundation Of Indian Culture And Of Social Structure Was Laid; But During Medieval Period India Did Not Make Much Progress. In Spite Of Historians' Opinion, It Can Be Said That During Medieval Period Also Progress Was Made And Several Buildings Were Constructed During This Period. Great Development Was Made In Art, Painting And Literature. Hindi Literature Made Great Progress During This Period, As Such, Kabir, Tulsi, Surdas, Jayasi, Rahim And Raskhan Are Still Considered Among The Greatest Writers Of Hindi Literature.Urdu, Punjabi And Other Regional Literatures Made Great Progress During This Period. Sikh Religion, Bhakti Cult And Sufism Also Made Great Progress During This Period.This Book Deals With All Aspects Of Medieval Indian History In Detail To Meet The Requirements Of The Students And The Common Readers.The Book Is Divided Into Three Parts. First Part Covers Saltanat Period From 1206 To 1526. Second Part Deals With The Mughal Period From 1526 To 1760 A.D. In Detail. Third Part Covers Period Upto 1857 In Brief. Bhakti Movement, Society And Culture, Art And Architecture, And Economic Aspects Have Been Described In Details In A Very Simple And Lucid Style.

Written Lucidly And Critically, The Book Highlights The Prominent Trends In Thought And Institutions Of Medieval India. A Special Feature Of The Book Is That It Takes In Its Purview Not Only The North Indian Trends, But Covers The Thought Currents And Their Expressions In Institutions As Prevalent In Medieval South India As Well. Throughout The Book One Finds A Common Line Of Thought Running, As A String Through The Beads, Showing The Process Of Gradual Synthesis Of Muslim And Hindu Ideas And Institutions. It Is A Well-Written Work In Which One Finds A Proper Balance In Treatment Between Different Parts Of India. Mughal Kingship, For Example, Receives As Much Attention As Kingship Under Vijayanagara And Its Offshoots; The Mansabdari System Under The Mughals Gets Equal Importance With The Maharashtra Dharma And Maratha Confederacy. The Book Is Of Great Value To The Research Scholars, Students And General Readers Alike.