This volume of the Gazetteer of India was first published in 1965 and the public response has been very encouraging. Since then, major changes in the political map of India have taken place. The idea is to provide to the general public, especially the university students, low priced publications containing valuable, authentic and objective information on these subjects ( Physiography, People and Languages) by well-known experts in their respective fields.

The Himalayas have captivated the imagination and interest of humankind for centuries. The more we explore, the more we learn. India's rich history, society, and culture, are deeply influenced by the world's tallest mountain range. After all, before modern travel, the Himalayas were the most important gateway to India, for people, goods and ideas. This rare and invaluable record of the youngest mountain range in the world is back in print after a century. The extensively detailed information on every district, food habits, customs, influences, as well as the people and their vocations will provide a new perspective to a whole new generation of young readers. The aim of this publication is to make Atkinson's rich data accessible once again to researchers so that we can continue to refer to this rich source of information in our continued work to conserve the rich natural resources and ecological heritage of the Himalayas which stand frighteningly threatened by fast paced and largely unplanned development.

The phenomenon of caste has probably aroused more controversy than any other aspect of Indian life and thought. Susan Bayly's cogent and sophisticated analysis explores the emergence of the ideas, experiences and practices which gave rise to the so-called 'caste society' from the pre-colonial period to the end of the twentieth century. Using an historical and anthropological approach, she frames her analysis within the context of India's dynamic economic and social order, interpreting caste not as an essence of Indian culture and civilization, but rather as a contingent and variable response to the changes that occurred in the subcontinent's political landscape through the colonial conquest. The idea of caste in relation to Western and Indian 'orientalist' thought is also explored.

This book is a general understanding about the Indian topography in Ancient, Mediaval and modern India.