Notes by Nitin Shastri on Ancient Indian History for Mass Communication and Journalism Course at

Garware College

[email protected] 7378843665/9422010467
Introduction to Ancient Indian History
Sources:
Sources helps historians to reconstru ct the events that took
place thousands of years
ago:

Group 1 Group 2

Archaeological LiterarY
a Excavated sites that show an cient architecture
a) Religious Literature
and monuments
b) Accounts written by foreign
travellers
b) Coins c) Literature produced by lndians
cInscriptions :The oldest inscriptions deciphered
so far from 3rd century B.C The oldest inscriptions
deciphered so far from 3rd century B.C. which is
from Indus Valley Civilisation, yet to be deciphered.
We have to depend upon these sources as the lndians were not very keen in keeping
records in writing.

Main Excavated sites that throw light on AncientIndian history

Indus Valley Civilisations sites in different parts of the country

Udaygiri Caves , Khandagiri Caves, Hathi gumpha in Orissa

Patna, Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali, Pawapuri, Barabar - Bihar

Sarnath - Uttar Pradesh

Sanchi - Madhya Pradesh

Ter, Paithan, Chandrapur, Ajantha - Maharashtra

Avantipur - Kashmir
 Coins:
Punch Marked Coins

The Indus valley civilisation of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa dates back between 2500

BC and 1750 BC. There, however, is no consensus on whether the seals excavated

from the sites were in fact coins. The first documented coin age is deemed to start with

'Punch Marked' coins issued between the 7th-6th century BC and 1stcentury AD.
These coins are called 'punch-marked coins because of their manufacturing
technique. Mostly made of silver, these bear symbols, each of which was punched on

the coin with a separate punch. Issued initially by merchant Guilds and later by
States, the coins represented a trade curren cy belonging to a period of intensive trade

activity and urban development. They are broadly classified into two periods : the first

period (attributed to the Jan ap ad as or small local states) and the second period
(attributed to the Imperial Mauryan period). The motifs found on these coins were

mostly drawn from nature like the sun, various animal motifs, trees, hills etc. and

some were geometrical symbols.

Dynastic Coins

Dating of regular dynastic coin issues is controversial. The earliest of these coins
relate to those of the Indo-Greeks, the Saka-Pahlavas and the Kushans. These coins
are generally placed between the 2nd century BC and 2nd century AD. The silver coins

of the Indo -Greeks, with Greek gods and goddesses figuring prominently, apart from
the portraits of the issuers. These coins with their Greek legends are historically

significant, as the history of the Indo-Greeks has been reconstructed almost entirely
on their evidence. The Saka coin age of the Western Kshatrapas are perhaps the

earliest dated coins, the dates being given in the Saka era which commences in AD 78.
The Saka era represents the official calendar of the Indian Republic.

Earliest Kushan coinage is generally attributed to Vima Kadphises. The Kushan coins
generally depicted iconographic forms drawn from Greek, Mesopotamian, Zorastrian

and Indian mythology. Siva, Buddha and Kartikeya were the major Indian deities
portrayed. Kushan gold coins influenced subsequent issues, notably those of the

Guptas.
 Satavahana
The Satavahanas were the early rulers of the
the Krishna. region between the rivers, Godavari and
They were also referred to as the Andhras. They soon
control, both the brought under their
Western-Deccan and Central India. The dates
of their
power are contentious and coming in to
are
variously put between 270 BC to 30 BC. Their coins
were
predominantly of copper and
lead, however, silver issues are also known.
These
coins carried the motifs of
fauna like elephants, lions, bulls, horses, etc. The silver
coins of the Satavahanas
carried portraits and bilingual legends, which were inspired
by the Kshatrapa types.
Western Kshatrapa

The term Western

Kshatraps alludes to the set of rulers who ruled Western India
between the 1stand 4thCentury AD. The legends on the coins were generally in Greek
and Brahmi. Kharoshti too was used. The Western Kshatrap coins are reckoned to be
the earliest coins bearing dates. The common copper coins are the 'bull and hill and
the 'elephant and hill types.

Other Coins

In the interregn um between the fall of the Maurayans and the rise of the Guptas
various tribal republics in the Punjab and monarchies in the Indo-Gangetic plain
issued coins. Most coins were issued in Copper. The coins of the Yaudheyas were

influenced in design and motif by the coins of the Kushans. They followed the weights

of the Indo-bacterian rulers.

Gupta age : the Golden age of India

Gupta coinage (4th-6th centuries AD) followed the tradition of the Kushans, depicting
the king on the obverse and a deity on the reverse; the deities were Indian and the

in Brahmi. The earliest Gupta coins are attributed to Samudragupta,

legends were

lI and Kumaragupta and their coins often commemorate dynastic

Chandragupta
like marriage alliances, the
succesS1on as well as significant socio-political events,
coin of Chan dragupta 1, Asvamedha type,
horse sacrifice, etc (King and queen type of
of royal members
etc.), or for that matter artistic and pers onal accomplishments
(Lyrist, Archer, Lion-slayer etc.).
 Main Inscriptions during Ancient India
Junagarh Rock inscription Second Century AD -Sanskrit
-

The Junagarh Rock inscription of Rudradaman is considered

chaste Sanskrit, written in mid second
as an
early example oi
century AD. It men tions that one of
Chandragupta Maurya's governors,
Pushyagupta, was responsible for building a dam
on
Sudarshan a Lake near Girnar in Kathiawar. From another
Skandgupta we came to
inscription of
know that this very dam was
almost 800 years after it was repaired during his reign,
built.

Mahrauli Inscription/ Garuda Pillar

The Mahrauli Iron Pillar

was origin ally placed on a hill near the Beas in Punjab and
was
brought to Delhi by a
King of Delhi. This pillar credits Chandragupta with
conquest of the Vanga Countries by his battling alone against the confederacy of the
enemies united against him. It also credits him for
conquest of Vakatkas in a fight that
ran across seven mouths of Sindhu. This pillar was established by Chandragupta-ll
(375 AD -

415 AD) of Gupta dynasty as

Vishnupada in the honor of Lord Vishnu.

Allahabad Pillar Inscription (Prayag Prasasti)

This was issued by Samudragupta (335 AD 375
-

AD) and was composed by Harisena.

It is written in very simple and refined Sanskrit in Champu kavya style. It lists

achievements of Samudragupta.

This lnscription 1s a eulogy of Samudragupta and mentions about the conquests of

Samudragupta and boundaries of the Gupta Empire. As per this inscription,

Samudragupta defeated 9 kings in North, 12 Kings in South, reduced all the Atavika
states to vassalage. It also mentions that more than five states in the frontier states

surrendered and accepted his suzerainty. He had close contact with the kingdom of

Ceylon and South East Asian colonies. The eulogy of Harisena describes him as hero

of 100 battles. He performed Ashvamedha Yajna, this has been testified by a seal of

Samudragupta bearing a Horse. This was probably first Ashvamedha after

Pushyamitra Shunga. He is depicted in his coins playing Veena. He allowed the king of

Ceylon to build a monastery at Bodhgaya. Anoth er term used by Harisena for him is
 Kaviraja, which testified him as a patron of poetic arts and a poet himself

Samudragupta also assumed the title of Vikramanka.

Nasik Inscription -Satavana era

The achievements of Gutamiputra Satkarni were mentioned in Nasik Inscription that

were composed by his mother Gautami Balasri. The Nasik Prasasti describes

Akara and
Gautamiputra as the ruler of the Aparanta, Anupa, Saurashtra, Kukura,
Avanti and defeated the Saka King Nahapana and restored the prestige of his dynasty

by reconqueringa large part of

the former dominions of the Satavahanas.

Nane ghat Inscription - Satavahana Era

detailed
are the major sources that gives
The Nasik and Nanaghat inscriptions
The Nasik inscription was made by
information about the Satavahana empire.
issued by Naganika.
Balasari and Nanaghat inscription
was
Gautami

Asokan Pillers:
and from Bangaladesh
from Kashmir to Deccan Platue
Asokan Piller are found throughout the country

to Afghanistan.
that a r e n o w Scattered
was to erect the pillars
artistic programs
One of Ashoka's first
to 50 feet in
the Mauryan empire.
The pillars vary from 40
throughout what
was
another
of stone-one for the shaft and
are cut from two
different types
height. They of stone. Laborers
almost always cut from a Single piece
for the capital. The shaft was

and Chunar, located

in the
Mathura
the stone from quarries in
cut and dragged about 50 tons
each.
empire. The pillars weigh
of lndia within Ashoka's
northern part first pillar was
are in fragments. The
survive and many
pillars
Only 19 of the original
discovered in the 19th cen tury.

Lotus and lion

Most of the
Buddhist doctrine.
the
ce of the pillars unders cores
The physical appearan also topped by a n inverted
animals. Each pillar is
by sculptures of
were topped flower rises
pillars of Buddhism (a lotus
which is the
most pervasive symbol became
lotus flower, surface-thus the lotus
unblemished on the
bloom
water to of
irom the muddy she, living
with the challenges
as he or
the Buddhist practitioner
an analogy for was able to achieve
and rebirth,
the endless cycle of birth
everydaylife and
 Enlightenment, or theknowledge of how to be released from
following the Four samsara, through
Noble Truths). This
flower, and the animal that
surmount it, form
the capital, the
topmost part of a column. Most pill ars are
a bull in either seated topped with a single lion or
or
standing positions. The Buddha was born into the Shakya or
lion clan. The lion, in
many cultures, also indicates
royalty or leadership. The animals
are always in the round and carved
from a
single piece of stone.

a) Religious Literature

Religious texts are the most easily available materials for

writing ancient histories of
India. One can get enough information about the society, their life-style, names of the
old kings, societies, beliefs and customs from these works. These texts can also be
grouped in different
categories.
Vedas are the most oldest among all the Hindu
religious literature.
There are four Vedas -

Rigeda, Samaveda, Jojurveda and Atharvaveda.

Rigveda is oldest among the lot. The probable date of composition of that
Veda is around 1500 - 1000 BC.

ii) There are also related vedic texts which are called Brahaman as, Aranyakas
and Upanishads.
ii) Puranas were written in a later period after the Vedas.
iv) There are also other smriti literature texts like Vedangas and
v) Epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. These two great Indian epic is also
a good source of ancient Indian history.

The Buddhist and Jain religious books are also important in this context. We should
mention Buddhist works like Jataka tales, Tripitaks and other such books often
Comments about contemporary society, politics, economy etc. There are also

numerous Jain texts too.

 b) Literatu re:
The literature of ancient
poets like Kalidasa, Visakhad
glimpses about
atta and Bhasa gives us realistic
that period. Grammar
books of Panini and
information about that era. Historians Patanjali also contain
have greatly benefited by Kautilyas
"Arthasastra", a book about
state smanship and polity.
There are some books of
history too like "Rajtarangani" by Kalhana which is
book of
history of the
Kashmir region. It describes
many kings and dynasties that ruled in that
area for thou sands of
years. Bilh ana wrote about the deeds and
achievements of his
patron Western Chalukya king
Vikramaditya his
in
"Vikramankadevacharita". Another
important old historical book is "Prithviraj raso" by Chand Bardai. These books are
important for writing the history of that time, but there is
these "histories".
some inconsistencies in

Some notable Books and their Authors

Title Author
Subject
Astadhyayi Panini
Grammar
Mahabhasya Patanjali Grammar
Mrichhakatika Sudraka
Drama
Mudrarakshasa Visakhadatta Drama
Rajtarangini Kalhan
History
Swapanvasdattam Bhasa
Drama
Buddha charita
Asvaghosa Buddhist
Natyashastra Bharata Art

Abhigyan Shakuntal am Kalidasa

Drama
Vikramorvashiya Kalidasa
Drama
Raghuvan sh am Kalidasa
Poem
 Panch tantra
Vishnu Sharmaa
Fables
Arthasastra
Kautilya
Kadambari Polity
Harsh Vardh an
Drama
Harshacharita
Banabhatta
Biography
Vikramankadeva Charita Bilhan
Biography
Brihat Samhita
Varaha Mihir
Polity
Aryabhatiyam Aryabhatta Mathematics
Lilavati
Bhaskaracharyal Mathematics
b) Accounts written by
foreign travelers:
Many foreign traveler who visited India
during different time for various
purposes likeeducation, commerce, religious adventure etc. have written their
,

experiences and about what they witnessed during their visit 700 BCE to
( 500
AD.) Some of them had written about their
experien ces in India. Such travel
monologues are valuable sources of ancient Indian
history. These accounts contaun
valuable information about kings, dynasty, society, economy and military of the then
India.

Ctesias: The Persian king Artaxerxes had Greek

a
physician and historian named
Ctesias who served at his court from 400 to 398 BC. He wrote
a record
detailing the
views that the Persians held of India around 400 BC. This book
is called Indica (not to
be confused with Indica by
Megasthenes). It includes descriptions of the Indus River,
god-like people, ferocious and mythical creatures, philosophers, artisans, and
unqu antifiable gold (a fountain which is filled every year with liquid gold, from which a
hundred pitcherfuls are
drawn), among other riches and wonders. It also carries an

excellent account of the native tribes of India of the time

- Cynocephali (hunter
gatherers), Pygmies, Calys trii (men with a head of dog). Ctesias relates these fables as
perfect truth, adding that he himself had seen with his own eyes some of the things he
describes. The book only remains in fragments and in reports made about the book
by
later auth ors.
Voyages oi
Nearchus: Nearchus
was one of the
officer in his mentors of Alexander who was also an
army and later became the
admiral of Alexander's ileet. During
invasion of lndia, he was
one of the two
commanders of the Shieldbearers, a heavy
iniantry unit. He is known for his celebrated
voyage from the Indus River to the
Persian Gulf
following the Indian campaign of Alexander the Great, in 326-32+
Nearchus wrote an
B
account of his journey down the Indus River called Indike. This
text is now lost, but its contents are known from information included lndike by
Arrian of Nicomedia and The
Geography by Strabo of Amasia.

Indica by Megasthenes:

Megasthenes was an ambassador of Seleucus I Nicator of the Seleucid dynasty to

Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra and visited the Mauryan court somewhere

between 302 and 298 BCE. He also wrote account of India and also that
an
of1
Chandragupta's reign in his book titled Indica that has also been lost, but is partially
available, mostly in the form of quotations, in the form of derivative works of later

Roman historianssand authors like Diodorus, Strabo, Pliny, and Arrian. Megasthenes

Indica describes India's geography, history, flora and fauna, econ omy, society and
administration during the Roman period.

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea:

Author unknown till date. The provenance of this book is unknown and it was

supposedly written between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. It describes navigation and

trading opportunities from ancient Roman-Egyptian ports like Berenice and

Southwestern Indian ports like Barygaza (present-day Bharu ch in Gujarat) in goods
like wine, copper, tin, flint glass, gold, slaves, silk and ivory. It is undoubtedly a first-
hand narration by someone acquainted with the area and is nearly matchless in
providing preci se insights into what the ancient European world knew about the lands

around the Indian Ocean.

A Record of Buddhistic Kingd oms by Faxian

Faxian (Fa Hien) was a Buddhist monk who travelled from China via Central Asia to

India. He stayed in India for 6 years, from 399-414 AD seeking better copies of
Buddhist books that were not available in China at the time. He visited places like
Lumbini and
Patliputra. Faxian's visit to India
occurred during the reign of
Chandragupta II. However, he mentions
known for his nothing about the Guptas in his book. He is
famous travelogue A
Record of Buddhistic
-

Account by the Chinese

Monk Fa-Xian of his Travels in
Kingdoms, Being an
India. Post the ancient era,
there were visitors like
Xuanzang in the 7th century, Al-Beruni in the 11th century,
Marco Polo in the late 13th
century, who wrote about India in their travelogues
The spread of Buddhism in China resulted in an influx of pilgrims from China to
ancient India, the birthplace of Buddha. Fa-Hien or Faxian came to India during the
time of Gupta ruler Chandragrupta II. His account is one of the major sources of the

history of that period. Hiuen Tsang or Xuanzang is another important Chinese pilgrim
who wrote extensively about India. He wrote about India during the time of lking
Harsavardhana in his famous book "Si-Yu-Ki" Another notable Chinese buddhist
who traveled to India via ancient Srivijaya kingdom, a Hindu
pilgrim was Yijink
kingdom in Sumatra.

There were also some Arabians and other from the Islamic world too. Most notable

Alberuni who came to India with Sultan Mahmud of Gazni

among them was

ChronologBy
Rig Veda
1500-1000 BC
and the
1000-500 BC Yajurveda, Sam Veda, Atharva Veda, the Brahamanas, the Upanishidas
Aranaykas

6 Century BC Emergence of Mahavira and Buddha

Panini's Grammar
450 BC

Invesion of Alexander- stays here for 4 years starts his return journey.
Dies at
326 BC
Babylon (Hillah now in Iraq)

Chandragupta Maurya comes to power

322 BC
 Indus Valley Civilisation
Area: From Kashmir to Gujarat and from
Baluchitan to Uttar Pradesh
1400 x 1600 kms ) (Approxcimately
1. Ancient Ruins and Monuments
Ancient ruins and monuments are the most important sources of ancient Indian
history. Many ancient
ruins of excavated sites, houses, temples etc have been
recovered so far by many historians and
archaeologists. These excavations throw light on the life style of the society, their customs and rituals,
the financial conditions, scientific development etc

It was only after the discovery of the Indus valley civilization, a real study and proper effort was made to
understand ancient Indian History. The main scholars were archaeologist Dayaram Sahni, Rakhaldas
Banarjee and Sir John Hubert Marshall. On the instructions of Sir John Marshall and Sir Alexander
Cunninghum the British Government established Archaeological Survey of India in 1861

Important Archaeological sites of Indus Valley Civilisation

The important material findings at Harappa include pottery, chert blades, copper or
bronze implements, terracotta figurines, seals and sealing,
weights, etc. This apart,
the two rows of granaries with brick
platiorms, a citadel on elevated platform, a
supposed workmen's quarter, vanity case, furnaces, crucibles for bronze
smelting ete.
have also been found. Harappa also is the
only site which yields the evidence of
burial. A
coffin
copper bullock cart is another notable finding
Site Where Main Findings
Mohen-jo Daro Pakistan Great Bath, Uniform
Buildings and weights,
under ground drainage system,
water well for each
burial, houses with
house, dancing girl in
dancing girl in
bronze
bronze, seal of
bearded man Pashupati, Statue of
supposed to be a
priest, number of
terracotta figures etc.
Kalibangan Rajasthan
Proof of
Cultivation -

The oldest
ploughed field,
Wooden
plough with bull, Rice, Barlee,
and Jav, Fire
Altars, charging bull, backed bricks
Dholavira Runn of Kutch
Several large
reservoirs, an elaborate system
Lothal
Gujarat Dry Dock Trade
,
proof with foreign land sch as

Mesapotemia (now known as lran)

Suktagendor Iran

Kot Diji
Pakistan Statues of bull and mother goddess

Ropar Punjab
Mittathal Haryana A terracotta cartwheel, Weights of stones

Chanhu-Daro Pakistan Factories of various figurines, seals, toys, bone

implements

Banawali Haryana

Meeruit Pottery, plant fossils, animal bones and copper tools

Alamgirpur

Surkotda Gujarat First actual remains of the horse bones.

Gujarat Rice fields

Rangpur

Rakhigarhi Haryana Largest city

Thecommon features of all the indus valley civilizations are as follows

A common script which remains undeciphered so tar.

Proper Town planning in all Indus valley cites except few such as Kalibangan.
Presence of cooking area, water reservoir in houses.
Presence of a fortified citadel in almost all urban centres.
Presence of residential and non-residential buildings. Absence of temples of special
places of worship except few altars at some sites.
Use of standard weights and measurements
Pottery of wheels and bead making industries
Practice of burying the dead.