Academic literature on the topic 'Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture'

The article is devoted to the development of Indology at the University of Hamburg and analyzes the contribution of Hamburg Indologists to the study of ancient and medieval India and the study of modern languages and literature of India in the discipline’s development in the sister city of St. Petersburg. The authors note that the development of Indology has a long history in Germany and the uniqueness of the Hamburg school is observed. Germany had more than forty Indology departments in the 19th century, much more than Great Britain then had. The teaching of Indian languages in Hamburg began in 1914 in the classrooms of the university’s predecessor, the Hamburg Colonial Institute founded in 1908 and dissolved in 1919, soon after World War I. The University of Hamburg started as new and progressive institution of education in Weimar Germany, and continued for the next hundred years, where the teaching of Sanskrit, studying ancient medieval monuments of Indian literature, philosophy, and religious texts reached a global level thanks to outstanding Indologists, such as Walter Schubring, Ludwig Alsdorf, Albrecht Welzer, and Lambert Schmithausen. The article also considers the contribution to the development of Indology in Hamburg by current Professors Eva Wilden, Michael Zimmermann, Harunaga Isaacson et al. Thanks to the activities of these professors and their colleagues from Russia and India such as Tatiana Iosifovna and Ram Prasad Bhatta, the study and teaching of the languages and cultures of India within the framework of the Center for Culture and History of India and Tibet of the Institute of Asia and Africa now includes the study of Tamil language and literature as well as North Indian languages and literature.

Commission 41 has been involved in one colloquium and one symposium since the last report:IAU Colloquium 91 on “The History of Oriental Astronomy” was held in New Delhi, November 13-16, 1985, preceding the XlXth General Assembly. Members of the scientific organizing committee were S.M.R. Ansari, E.S. Kennedy, D. King, R. Mercier, O. Pedersen, D. Pingree, G. Saliba, Xi Ze-Zong and K. Yabuuti. The colloquium was co-sponsored by the International Union for the History and Philosophy of Science, and by a number of organizations in India: the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, and the University Grants Commission, New Delhi. The local organizing committee, chaired by G. Swarup, made possible a number of local excursions, including a conducted tour of the great stone open air observatory, built in the city by the enlightened Maharadjah Jai Singh in the 18th century. The colloquium brought 84 participants from 19 countries. 46 papers were presented of which 10 were invited, covering aspects of astronomy in the far east and middle east since the earliest civilizations. Papers from Colloquium 91 have now been published in book form: History of Oriental Astronomy, G. Swarup, A.K. Bag, and K.S. Shukla, editors, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, 1987. Contributions are divided into three broad categories: ancient astronomy and its characteristics, ancient elements and planetary models, and medieval astronomy. Within these are papers on the characteristics and achievements of early astronomy in the eastern half of the world, including inter-regional development and mutual influences, ancient data relating to eclipses, supernovae and comets, medieval astronomical developments, instruments and early observatories, and the interplay between observational and theoretical astronomy. A short introductory paper by the revered historian E.S. Kennedy opens the book, as it set the stage for the colloquium in New Delhi: “We find (astronomy) originating a few centuries before the Christian era in two disparate cultures, Mesopotamia and the Hellenistic world. From the Mediterranean it passed to India, there to flourish. Thence the centroid of activity moved westward, residing in the lands of Islam during medieval times, more recently in Europe. Now astronomical research is carried out throughout the entire world.”

Yoga, Ayurveda, and Siddha represent the ancient science of healthy living originated in India. Some of the oldest texts from around 5000 years back, such as Vedas and Upanishads, provide evidence of such lifestyle. Many seals and fossils from Indus Valley Civilization authenticate the practice of Yoga in ancient India. According to yogic tradition, Shiva, one of the Hindu Gods, is the first yogi (Adi yogi) and the first teacher (Adi Guru). The meticulous practice of Yoga is widely believed to play a major role to overcome mental and physical suffering and leads to self-regulation, and finally to self-realization or liberation. Since the Pre-Vedic period around 2700 B.C., people started practicing Yoga. Later on, Patanjali Maharshi (between 3rd to 6th centuries BC) systematized and codified knowledge of Yoga through his Yoga Sutras. Later, with the help of many sages and masters, Yoga spread through different traditions, lineages and Guru-shishya parampara. Various Yoga schools viz. Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, Raja, Dhyana, Patanjali, Kundalini, Hatha, Laya, Jain, Buddha, Hatha etc. which follow their own practice, principles and tradition. However, they all lead to the same goal. The history of modern Yoga started in 1893 when the Parliament of Religions was held. After that many yogacharya, teachers and practitioners tried to spread Yoga, not only in India but worldwide (1). One of the milestones in the history of Yoga has been the adoption of the International Day of Yoga. The Honorable Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi addressed the world community on 27th September 2014 in 69 sessions of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) (2). The proposal was approved on 11th December 2014 by 193 members of UNGA to establish 21 June as “International Day of Yoga”. Six months later after passing the resolution and confirmation to establish IDY, the first IDY held in 2015. Several Yogic events were organized and publicized throughout India as well as abroad and got national and international publicity that Yoga has originated from Indian culture. The essential and pivotal role of Yoga in education, pedagogy, curriculum, as well as clinical research has been realized well across the globe (3). To achieve the same, AYUSH Ministry was established November 9, 2014 (http://ayush.gov.in) to facilitate research and educational activity in Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy. The existence and excellence of Yoga-based researches in the premier Institutes of India is another milestone towards the implementation of yogic sciences in the academic sphere. Several Yoga departments and centers in the premier Institutes and central universities of India, their existence and establishment, is the result of the consultative meeting on Yoga Education in Universities held in Bangalore on 2nd January 2016, chaired by the Hon’ble Minister for Human Resource Development in the presence of Vice-Chancellors from Indian universities. It was resolved to set up a Department of Yogic Art and Science in the Universities and constitute a committee on Yoga Education in universities to look into various aspects pertaining to setting up of these Departments. Further, collaborative efforts were made to support Psychology, Philosophy, and Yogic Science at different collaborating organizations, by utilizing their respective expertise, knowledge, resources and infrastructure (https://www.nhp.gov.in/list-of-yoga-institutes_mtl). The aim of such centers was to understand deeper knowledge of Yoga philosophy and Yoga therapy based on classical Yogic texts. For the last several years, S-VYASA University has been doing research on evidence-based Yoga & its application, to prevent diseases and to promote positive health (https://svyasa.edu.in/Research_Publications.html). Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsathana (S-VYASA), established in 1986, is a pioneer Institute in the field of Yoga Research. It is the first and foremost Institute with a broad vision of scientifically evaluating yoga, its applications, and policies led by Dr. H R Nagendra.

The paper features the interaction of archaeological science and textbooks on archeology. It successively examines the history of textbooks on archeology in Russia published for higher education institutions of history, from the XIX century to the present. The author stresses the importance of textbooks in the formation and development of archeology as one of the main subjects of university historical education. Archeology and its textbooks play a key role in the reconstruction of important historical events of the three million years of human history, especially in cases when archaeological materials are the only source. Archeology discovered civilizations of the Ancient East, e.g. China, India, Iran, as well as Archaic Greece and ancient Rome. The paper states the significance of the archaeological heritage of Russia. Since 1970s, only two universities in Russia, Lomonosov Moscow State University and Kemerovo State University (Department of Archeology), have been publishing university textbooks on archeology to be used in universities nationwide. The list involves nine publications prepared by Kemerovo State University. These textbooks are unique from the point of view of the content and methodology of the presentation. The article focuses on the interaction of archaeological science and university textbooks. This concerns the explanation of global historical events, e.g. the early colonization of Eurasia, ethnogenesis in the Middle Paleolithic Era, human migration to America in the Upper Paleolithic, the formation of cultural in the early Holocene, revolution of the producing economy in the Paleometallic Era, etc. The author describes the effect of archeological textbooks on the formation of the conceptual foundations of modern archeology as a historical science. The section "One History – Two Sciences" features the shortcomings of modern Russian historical science, in particular, the lack of alternative to the concept of formational explanation of history in school and university textbooks. History is currently being demonstrated exclusively as a social-class development process, which makes it impossible to understand the role of the fundamental foundations of historical development, as well as the role of discoveries, innovations, achievements in the field of material culture and productive economy. As a result, the human achievements of the past, which are indicated in archeology textbooks, do not find proper application in explaining the historical processes in Russia and Eurasia in modern history textbooks.

Indian subcontinent has a rich heritage of biodiversity because of its variable geo-climatic conditions. Several exotic plant species survived since ancient period and became an integral part of Indian flora. Nay, they now seem to be iconic plants and are being venerated. They are valued by the Indians for their esteem, culture and welfare. Select 20 exotic notable species are studied from the standpoint of their origin, distribution, culture and ancient Sanskrit literature. Diverse information about them is adduced from architecture, art, archaeological sites, etymology (philology), anthropology, ancient Sanskrit and religious scriptures. Some of them were once thought introduced by western rulers in the then India few centuries ago. This belief can be easily negated based on the present investigation. They appeared to have been brought in India during pre-Columbian period. They also appear to be indicators of Indian contacts with various parts of the Old World and interestingly even New World.

<p>Pali plays a vital role in the history and culture of India. It preserves the Indian culture in a systematic way. Hence an attempt of understanding the Indian culture without Pali cannot fulfil the complete purpose. In fact Pali was an important source for understanding ancient Buddhist culture and philosophy which are integral part of Indian culture. In ancient India there were Buddhist universities and people from many countries used to visit India to learn the Indian culture including Buddhist philosophical expositions. Indian languages and literatures were highly influenced by Pali language and literature.</p>

The history of Indian music is as ancient and eternal as mankind. Its Sankarancha is considered Vedic. The music and culture of our country is as ancient as the ancient civilization and culture of our country.Indian music originated from the deities of Samadeva and its infancy was spent in the meditation of the taphbhoomi of the sage sages and the sacred groves of the Yajnavedis. This is the reason why the Indian mystics have described Naad as God, and Naad has always worshiped the universe. भारतीय संगीत का इतिहास उतना ही प्राचीन और अनादि हैं, जितनी मानव जाति। इसका सभारंच वैदिक माना जाता है। जितनी प्राचीन हमारे देश की सभ्यता और संस्कृति है उतना ही विस्तृत एवं विषाल यहाँ के संगीत का अतीत है।भारतीय संगीत का उद्भव सामदेव की ऋचाओं से हुआ है तथा इसका शैषव काल ऋषि मुनियों की तपोभूमि तथा यज्ञवेदियों के पावन घ्रुम के सान्निध्य में सुवासित होकर व्यतीत हुआ। यही कारण है कि भारतीय मनीषियों ने नाद को ईश्वर के समान कहा गया है, तथा नाद ब्रह्य की सदैव उपासना की है।

- Leonard Y. Andaya, H.A. Poeze, Excursies in Celebes; Een bundel bijdragen bij het afscheid van J. Noorduyn als directeur-secretaris van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. Leiden: KITLV Uitgeverij, 1991, 348 pp., P. Schoorl (eds.) - Anne Booth, Adrian Clemens, Changing economy in Indonesia Volume 12b; Regional patterns in foreign trade 1911-40. Amsterdam: Royal Tropical Institute, 1992., J.Thomas Lindblad, Jeroen Touwen (eds.) - A.P. Borsboom, James F. Weiner, The empty place; Poetry space, and being among the Foi of Papua New Guinea. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991. - Martin van Bruinessen, Ozay Mehmet, Islamic identity and development; Studies of the Islamic periphery. London and New York: Routledge, 1990 (cheap paperback edition: Kula Lumpur: Forum, 1990), 259 pp. - H.J.M. Claessen, Timothy Earle, Chiefdoms: power, economy, and ideology. A school of American research book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. 341 pp., bibliography, maps, figs. - H.J.M. Claessen, Henk Schulte Nordholt, State, village, and ritual in Bali; A historical perspective. (Comparitive Asian studies 7.) Amsterdam: VU University press for the centre for Asian studies Amsterdam, 1991. 50 pp. - B. Dahm, Ruby R. Paredes, Philippine colonial democracy. (Monograph series 32/Yale University Southeast Asia studies.) New Haven: Yale Center for international and Asia studies, 1988, 166 pp. - Eve Danziger, Bambi B. Schieffelin, The give and take of everyday life; Language socialization of Kaluli children. (Studies in the social and cultural foundations of language 9.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. - Roy Ellen, David Hicks, Kinship and religion in Eastern Indonesia. (Gothenburg studies in social anthropology 12.) Gothenburg: Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis, 1990, viii 132 pp., maps, figs, tbls. - Paul van der Grijp, Pierre Lemonnier, Guerres et festins; Paix, échanges et competition dans les highlands de Nouvelle-Guinée. (avant-propos par Maurice Godelier). Paris: Éditions de la Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, 1990, 189 pp. - F.G.P. Jaquet, Hans van Miert, Bevlogenheid en onvermogen; Mr. J.H. Abendanon en de Ethische Richting in het Nederlandse kolonialisme. Leiden: KITLV Uitgeverij, 1991. VI 178 pp. - Jan A. B. Jongeneel, Leendert Jan Joosse, ‘Scoone dingen sijn swaere dingen’; een onderzoek naar de motieven en activiteiten in de Nederlanden tot verbreiding van de gereformeerde religie gedurende de eerste helft van de zeventiende eeuw. Leiden: J.J. Groen en Zoon, 1992, 671 pp., - Barbara Luem, Robert W. Hefner, The political economy of Mountain Java; An interpretive history. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990. - W. Manuhutu, Dieter Bartels, Moluccans in exile; A struggle for ethnic survival; Socialization, identity formation and emancipation among an East-Indonesian minority in The Netherlands. Leiden: Centre for the study of social conflicts and Moluccan advisory council, 1989, xiii 544 p. - J. Noorduyn, Taro Goh, Sumba bibliography, with a foreword by James J. Fox, Canberra: The Australian National University, 1991. (Occasional paper, Department of Anthropology, Research school of Pacific studies.) xi 96 pp., map, - J.G. Oosten, Veronika Gorog-Karady, D’un conte a l’autre; La variabilité dans la litterature orale/From one tale to the other; Variability in oral literature. Paris: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1990 - Gert Oostindie, J.H. Galloway, The sugar cane industry: An historical geography from its origins to 1914. Cambridge (etc.): Cambridge University Press, 1989. xiii 266 pp. - J.J. Ras, Peter Carey, The British in Java, 1811-1816; A Javanese account. Oriental documents X, published for the British academy by Oxford University Press, 1992, xxii 611 pp., ills., maps. Oxford: Alden press. - Ger P. Reesink, Karl G. Heider, Landscapes of emotion; Mapping three cultures of emotion in Indonesia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Paris: Editions de la Maison des Sciences de l’Homme. 1991, xv 332 p. - Ger P. Reesink, H. Steinhauer, Papers on Austronesian linguistics No. 1. Canberra: Department of linguistics, Research school of Pacific studies, ANU. (Pacific linguistics series A- 81). 1991, vii 225 pp., - Janet Rodenburg, Peter J. Rimmer, The underside of Malaysian history; Pullers, prostitutes, plantation workers...Singapore: Singapore University Press, 1990, xiv 259 p., Lisa M. Allen (eds.) - A.E.D. Schmidgall-Tellings, John M. Echols, An Indonesian-English Dictionary. Third edition. Revised and edited by John U.Wolff and James T. Collins in in cooperation with Hasan Shadily. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1989. xix + 618 pp., Hasan Shadily (eds.) - Mary F. Somers Heidhues, Olaf H. Smedal, Order and difference: An ethnographic study of Orang Lom of Bangka, West Indonesia, Oslo: University of Oslo, Department of social anthropology, 1989. [Oslo Occasional Papers in Social Anthropology, Occasional Paper no. 19, 1989]. - E.Ch.L. van der Vliet, Henri J.M. Claessen, Early state economics. New Brunswick and London: Transaction Publishers, 1991 [Political and Anthropology Series volume 8]., Pieter van de Velde (eds.) - G.M. Vuyk, J. Goody, The oriental, the ancient and the primitive; Systems of marriage and the family in the pre-industrial societies of Eurasia. New York, Cambridge University Press, (Studies in literacy, family, culture and the state), 1990, 562 pp. - E.P. Wieringa, Dorothée Buur, Inventaris collectie G.P. Rouffaer. Leiden: Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, 1990, vi 105 pp., 6 foto´s.

Abstract The beginnings of archaeology in Egypt and in India are the subject of this paper. In both countries, antiquities were carried away by the powerful. Moreover, the hubris of the colonial powers ruling both countries made it inevitable that not only antiquities, but knowledge about the past, were appropriated in different ways. For modern Egyptians, the Pharaonic past was remote in culture and distant in time. The people themselves were until fairly recently prevented from learning the Pharaonic writing, once it was deciphered, by various ways and means. In contrast, in India the colonial administration relied on Indian scholars to teach British personnel the ancient languages, texts, and religion. In neither country was the history of the ancient period taught in schools until the foreign rulers had left. But Indian archaeology became involved in Indian identity and in the framing of the nation as Hindu, and thereby acquired an ugly twist. Self-identification in Egypt in the earlier twentieth century, on the other hand, was possibly more with the Arab world than with the pyramid builders.

Before the mid-1980s Lambayeque style artifacts were often mislabeled in museums, private collections and catalogues as representative of the Chimú style. This “Chimuization” (Zevallos Quiñones 1971) of Lambayeque style objects was symptomatic of long-standing confusion between the two sets of material culture, which are now better defined thanks to ongoing archaeological projects in the north coast regions of Peru where the objects were produced. The semblance between these artistic traditions, which was responsible for their initial classificatory muddling, is often mentioned anecdotally in works concerning the late Middle Horizon and Late Intermediate Periods of Andean prehistory during which the styles flourished. The exact nature of the relationship between them, however, awaits a thorough, directed study. This dissertation aims to address this lacuna in pre-Columbian art historical scholarship by means of a comparative iconographic analysis focused on a specific type of figural imagery that was ubiquitous in each corpus and associated with institutions of divinely sanctioned rulership. The primary sample of images compiled and reviewed by this project is limited by medium to those found on ceramic vessels. Ultimately, however, iconographic representations and objects of ritual use in various media are positioned as different facets of the same overarching aesthetic concept, offering one possible model for interpreting the visualization of divine rulership in ancient cultures more generally.

This section addresses the question of the modern writing of early Indian history from James Mill’s history to the themes that are of interest today. Two major schools were initially involved in interpreting the Indian past. One was that of the Orientalists, who were largely scholars of the ancient languages such as Sanskrit and Persian. The other was of philology. They were also interested in Indian religions and Hinduism in particular. Most were admiring of Indian culture, but the degree of reservations varied from scholar to scholar. Those who came from the Utilitarian school of thought were largely critical and described Indian civilization as static and given to a system they called Oriental Despotism. Inevitably this brought in notions of kingdoms and empires in relation to nationalist history, the role of caste in history and the background to concepts that were then current in India such as ahimsa/non-violence, and tolerance.

After the recurrent spells of weak monsoons, a big part of the country’s population, are affected by a severe drought obliging India to walk towards a water-stressed future. The drought has dried up wells and other water reservoirs already stressed by overuse resulting into crop failure to a reasonable extent of more than 60 per cent. The current water management systems particularly in rural areas are poorly equipped to deal with the issue in significant part because they do not promote distributed water collection, water conservation, and water reuse. Providentially, a combination of often forgotten traditional water practices and more recent innovations in water use and management can help resolve this growing water crisis. These include rainwater capture, water recycling and reuse, and innovative technologies to purify water. India’s history is witness to how well-planned cities of our ancient civilization were equipped with outstanding systems of water harvesting and drainage. These ancient structures synergized with well validated water practices were the strong support systems during the times when the modern infrastructural marvels did not exist, but they were more than efficient in managing the water resources even at the time. Today the traditional water practices and ancient but ignored water sources of the country are yearning to discharge the ancient traditions to revive the glorious history of their past for the dire need of the hour. If water strategists aim to spread the message of water conservation to the common people and want to ensure that every drop of water is conserved, then the proven and scientifically validated Indian traditional water culture will have to be revived. Coincidently, customary water bodies have always been subject of reverence for Indians, reviving these traditional water bodies by involving locals could be a strategy that every region needs to adopt. Stepping up these revival options will indispensably require change in legal and regulatory framework but will perceptibly offer policy makers a better chance to meet present demands and future needs in an increasingly water-constrained India.

The article provides an overview of archaeological discoveries that had, by 1963, added to the study of India’s ancient past. The picture was a pan-Indian one and included pre-Harappan deposits at Kalibangan, the ochre-coloured ware culture in the Indo-Gangetic divide, the mud ramparts of chalcolithic Daimabad in Maharashtra and the pit dwellings in neolithic Kashmir. Many early historic cities like Kausambi, Sisupalgarh, Dharanikota and Nagarajunakonda also find a place here.

China and India are the two world's most populous Asian countries. Together they constitute about 40% of the total global population. Both the Asian countries have remarkable similarities. India and China boast of having a very ancient and rich civilization and they have a strong and growing economy. For developing countries like India and China tourism presents a wonderful opportunity to earn much needed foreign exchange. Compared to China, the ancient and unique Indian culture is still very much alive. In spite of all these attractions and ethnic charm, tourism industry in India is still underdeveloped in contrast to many other neighboring countries. Tourism in India is still in a stage of infancy. China has emerged much ahead of India in terms of tourist arrivals. China has been successfully tapping its rich tourism potential. China is the 3rd most frequented country of the world after France and U.S.A. This paper has tried to explore the reasons of tourists' preference of China over India by taking into cognizance varied experiences and perceptions of tourists in both the countries and comparing them. A total number of 180 comments of 60 foreign travelers who visited China and India respectively and posted comments on www.virtualtourist.com were studied. It emerged from the study that India and China both the countries thrive on culture and history. People are intrigued by Indian and Chinese philosophies. Although the flying distance between the two countries is no more than eight hours, foreign tourists prefer to visit China over India as India carries a negative image among foreign tourists in terms of hygiene, safety, and infrastructure.

‘Public memores’ are an imporant aspect in preserving a place’s culture and heritage. Actions of the government and society many times define/redefine identities of places, impacting collective memory of people in perceiving places. Conscious efforts are required to make and keep public memories alive. Insensitive and uninformed Urban Planning can lead to erasing history and heritage not just physically but from public memories as well. This Paper discusses the issues of Fading Urban Memories by taking case studies of two historic towns in the South Indian State of Telangana. Most of the Small & Medium Towns in Telangana, India, developed over the last two centuries from their historic core areas of the Capitals of erstwhile Samsthans/Zamindaris, land revenue admistration units/sub-regional authorities under the British and the Princely States’ Rulesin India till Independence in 1947. These Samsthans/Zamindars/ Jagirdars were ‘Chieftains’ of their own territories and ruled from ‘Palaces’ located in their Capital city/town. The palaces and historic areas of old Samsthan/Zamindari settlements represent local histories whose significance, memory, heritage needs to be preserved for posterity. Gadwa and Wanaparthy were two such towns, which developed mid-17 Century onwards becoming present day Municipalities of different Grades. The Department of Town and Country Planning, Govt. Of Telangana, prepares Master Plans for development of Municipalities. The surviving Fort/Palaces is marked by their present land use in the development plans, unrecognized for thier heritage status, thus posing threat to heritage being erased from collective Urban memory. The case studies presented in this paper are from the ongoing doctoral research work being done by the author at School of Planning and Architecture, Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad, on the topic of ‘Planning for Conservation of Samshtan/Zamindari Palaces of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh’.