This Short Monograph Is Just Not Yet Another Book On The Controversial Clan Of The Aryas. It Has The Distinction Of Being An Unbiased, Factual Statement, Which Has Been Lacking, Despite The Fact That It Has Been One Of The Favourite Topics Of The Vedic Scholars And The Indo-Europeanists. It Is Written With A Clearcut Objective Of Knowing The Facts About The Aryas, Her Comments Try To Guide The Reader As How To Understand Them. This Book Thus Had A Limited Aim. Bare Facts Are Documented And Not Stretched To Suit The Exigencies Of A Theory. The Author Has No Theory To Propound. But At The Same Time No External Framework Is Accepted. The Romantic Dreams Woven By The Earlier Generations Of Scholars Are Not Found In The Rgveda, The Main Source Of Information. And Therefore It Is Possible To See To What Extent It Was Just The Play Of Fancy. With These Facts, The Author Reconstructs The Historical Events, With Supporting Archaeological Evidence.

The paintings reproduced in this beautiful volume were created in the second half of the 18th century in the Dogra Pahari region of North India, mainly in what is now Himachal Pradesh. Apart from their martial qualities and rich folklore, the several schools of Pahari art have been a major contribution of the Dogra-Pahari people to the grand mosaic of Indian culture. Professor B.N. Goswamy has with great competence traced the historical and geographical back-ground in which these painting were produced. I would only add that they combine the beauty and freshness of the mountains with the rare delicacy and grace of the people living in the area.

Pahari painting has long been acknowledged as one of the great achievements of India in the realm of art. The Pahari painter, however, has always been relegated to an indeterminate, anonymous background, seen mostly as a craftsman following pre-determined patterns. This book recovers these artists. Presented here is neither merely a history of Pahari painting nor yet another study of the art of the northern hill states, but a search for the makers of the images. The authors have chosen from the best work of fourteen Pahari masters, spanning three hundred years, from as many as twenty museums and private collections across the world. They have gathered as many facts as possible in an effort to bring the artists into sharper focus. From the vast number of paintings available, those included have been carefully selected in an effort to illuminate the range of each master's work and the processes of thought that may have been behind their art.