Aroop Sanyal

Assignment II
1501074

The Story of India

The Story of India is one that has seen many ups and down, with large flourishing fields
of pasture interspersed with decades of war and bloodshed. The world's largest
democracy and a rising economic giant - India is now as well-known across the globe
for its mastery of computer technology as it is for its many-armed gods and its famous
spiritual traditions. India is also the world's most ancient surviving civilization, with
unbroken continuity back into prehistory. Since time immemorial, several travelers and
traders have aspired to chart their way to the shores of the country, their adventures
documented and stories immortalized. The richness and diversity of cultures reflect the
roots of India which are mentioned in our ancient texts the Vedas. India was also an
ideological powerhouse, reflected by the teachings of Buddha and Mahavira,
propagated by the likes of Asoka throughout the landscape of the subcontinent.
India's history is a ten thousand year epic but for over two millennia, India has been at
the centre of world history. It has seen successive invasions from Alexander the Great
and Genghis Khan to Tamburlaine and the British, all of whom left their mark but all of
whom succumbed, in the end, to India herself. For all that time India has been famous
for its spiritual traditions; it gave birth to two world religions, one of whichBuddhism
had a profound impact on all of East Asia, China, Japan and Korea, and in modern times
has found root even in the US and Europe. The subcontinent is home to one of the
world's greatestand least understoodartistic traditions and to an extraordinary
spectrum of music, dance and literature. India was also, and still is, a great centre for
technology and science, inventingfor examplethe decimal system with zero, which
is the basis of all modern science, mathematics and economics. India gave birth to
some of the most remarkable characters in world history, including the Buddha, the
Mauryan emperor Ashoka, and the Moghul emperor Akbar the Great. When the Mughal
Empire crumbled after Aurangzebs reign, the British Empire set a strong foothold in the
country, eventually leading up to colonization and the freedom struggle that followed
which led to the Independent India we know today.

Climate Change:
Climate change played an important role in shaping ancient Indian Civilization. As
Indias ancient cities Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa with a population of more than 5
million developed on the banks of currently dried tributaries of river Indus, climate
played an important role in its development and extinction. It was the monsoon that
made the first Indian civilization. Originally India was an island floating the vast ocean
called Tethys and it was moving northwards at around 130 million years ago. It
eventually collided with Asia at around 50 million years ago resulting in the formation of
the Great Himalayan mountain ranges. The Himalaya was one of the major reason of
creation of monsoon as it didnt allow the monsoon to escape India to further north.
These monsoon rains bore rivers which led to the early creation and settlements of
civilization around the Indus valley and then drying up of the rivers led to the collapse
of the cities. A study has revealed that the strength of the summer monsoon indeed
declined around some 3500 years ago. It has also been revealed that the rivers
changed their courses eastwards resulting in the civilization also migrating eastwards.
It was also believed that in places around present Turkmenistan, was home to
thousands of settlements which was a fertile oasis during that time. As the Himalayan
Range was created, it acted as a natural blockade for the Southern winds bringing rain

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and precipitation to the region, on which the civilization thrived. But as time
propagated, rivers and tributaries began to dry up, some shifting course as well. With
rivers drying up, especially in the Cholistan region, a major shift in settlements was
observed towards the east, primarily into the Ganges Plain. Thus, climate change has
played a central and a key role in the populating of the Indian peninsula.

Importance of Greek Sailor Hippalus Journey to India, Interlinkage of

Monsoon and the Spice Trade Route
Contact and exchange was what formed the basis of discovery in the ancient times and
trade was a major facilitator of this contact. India was a major trading partner of the
Mediterranean. It is said that three things a weed, a grass and the larva of a beetle
was what caused the Romans and the Greeks to seek out the riches of India. The
voyages to discover India began in the times of the Romans and the Greeks, a feat
which is overshadowed by modern history figures such as Vasco Da Gama and
Columbus.
Trade existed between the Romans and Greeks during that period and these were
clearly documented by one Greek sailor Hippalus in his diary. He knew about all the
Indian ports. It had beautiful description that enabled the Greeks and Romans to
visualize India and gradually they dotted the shores of Red Sea, East Africa and India.
The discovery of monsoon also played an important role in this spice trade route. The
Greeks and Romans discovered the monsoon for themselves and the man who believed
to do it was Hippalus at around 150BC. They discovered that during the month of June,
the South-west monsoon begins to blow in the direction across the Indian Ocean. The
sea becomes heavy and dangerous to sail, but with strong wind, if one sails with the
wind, then strong wind will bring them across to India quickly. And during the month of
November, the North-east monsoon blows the sailors back the other way to their
respective homes. Hence, the discovery of the monsoon alone was probably the single
most important discovery of the time that led the Romans and the Greek to the coast of
India. And the Spice Coast of Kerala was what they primarily came for. The Romans
loved the Indian spices pepper, ginger, coriander etc. But all the Indian could ask for
from the Romans was bullion gold, silver, tin, antimony etc. Old Tamil poems also
mention Romans and Greeks exchanging gold for pearls and textiles. The pashmina
shawls were a favorite among the Romans.

Silk Route and the Invasion of Kushans

The establishment of the Silk Route began a new chapter in the economy of India. The
Silk Route began as a confederation of tribes called the Kushans. The Kushans adopted
Buddhism and funded their religious propaganda by their control of trade on the Silk
Route. They were among the first people to adopt the use of a legal contract for
disputes along the Silk Route. Kanishka, the king of the Kushans, and the inscription,
Surkh Kotal, form the most important contribution of the tribe. The inscription gives in
detail the deeds of the king and the extension of his power across India. The Khyber
Pass formed an important connecting trade way between India and Central Asia. Under
the Kushans, the economy and the trade thrived and soon they introduced minted
coins. The Capital of the Kushans was the town of Peshawar in Pakistan, a caravan town
ever since, its primary source of income being the old contacts of the Silk Route.
Peshawar was a meeting point for all traders across the Silk Route, the richest cargos
among them carried on camels was Chinese silk woven into art by Indian weavers. At

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the height of the Kusha Empire, you could witness the mingling of several civilizations
the Greeks, the Romans, the Bactrians, the Persians and the Chinese. All of it was a
direct result of the opening of the Silk Route and the contact of civilizations between
the Mediterranean and the Indian Peninsula. Yet, the most important legacy of the
Kushans was the control of the Silk Route to propagate Buddhism into China and Tibet.

Mahmud Ghazni and Great Clash of Civilizations

It was the coming of Islam to India that led the next phase of Indian history. In the long
history of India, there have been many waves of invader like Greeks, Kushans, Huns
and the British. But one of the most eventful ones were the Afghans and Turkic armies
who in the middle ages brought with them the fate of Islam. At the start of 7 th century,
Islam began to spread across the world from Arabia including changing the history of
India with the establishment of Muslim kingdoms in north India. It was around 1000
years ago, that a series of events happened which ultimately shifted the balance of
history in Indian subcontinent and introduction of Islam. The key figure of the event was
Mahmoud of Ghazni. To some, he was a great prince, a builder of empires and to others
he was an oppressor, a fanatic. He was the head of the great Muslim empire in
Afghanistan, who then occupied the then Hindu city of Multan and used it as a base for
series of raids in India. In total he made 12 raids, plundering Indian cities and rich
Hindu temples in India like the famous Hindu temple Somnath in Gujarat. This Somnath
temple was destroyed and rebuilt several times. It was the start of the Sultanate rule in
Delhi where many invaders came and ruled India. The most notably were the Mamluk,
Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid dynasty etc. Qutb-ud-din Aibak was the first Sultan of Delhi.
This what started as a clash of civilizations will become over time one of the most
remarkable cultural crossover in the history of civilization. The Sufi saints played an
important role in this cultural crossover. Originally the Hindus were originally entirely
different from the Muslims in terms of language, manners, customs, rules of purity etc.
The Hindus believed in nothing which the Muslims believed in and vice versa. Initially
Muhamad of Gaznis ancestors were not warriors but Sufi Saints. He was first of the Sufi
saints (Shah Yusef) who brought Islam and people of India together and regarded as the
founder of Muslim Multan. They taught that people should strive to be with God without
any attachment. Over the course of time, the Delhi Sultanates understood that they
couldnt possibly convert India and co-existence had to follow between Hindus and
Muslims. And it actually happened, even at grassroots levels through a meeting of
hearts and minds driven by the wandering Sufi Saints. Through the Sufis, The Hindus
and Muslims found a common ground and it didnt require the sword for the spread of
Islam as beautifully described by the poet Amir Khusro. Sufis had an influence on the
later rulers also like that of Akbar. These clashes of the civilization, war and violence,
forced conversions, etc. led the foundation of the next amazing period of the Indian
history.

The Mughal Empire

The Mughal Emperors attained great power in India in the 16 th and 17th centuries. They
controlled a major chunk of what is now called as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and
Afghanistan. The Empire survived in a diluted form, for another hundred years, until
1858 when there was a British presence and the Mughal Empire was absorbed into the
Raj. They brought in with them many changes which include centralized government
that brought together many small kingdoms, the Persian art and culture, system of

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education that took into account pupils needs and culture. The first Mughal emperor
Babur founded the empire which was sophisticated civilization based on religious
toleration. He gave approval to build Hindu temples. This brought in the Hindu culture.
The importance of slavery under his reign diminished and peace was made with the
Hindu kingdoms of Southern India. Baburs grandson Akbar believed that all religions
should be tolerated, and that a ruler's duty was to treat all believers equally, whatever
their belief. He brought the culture that a non-Muslim will not be forced to practice
Islamic laws. He also ended taxes that were imposed on non-Muslims. Jahangir
readopted Islam as the state religion and continued the policy of religious toleration.
His court included large numbers of Indian Hindus, Persian Shias and Sufis. Aurangzeb
ruled for nearly 50 years. Aurangzeb was a very observant and religious Muslim who
ended the policy of religious tolerance followed by earlier emperors. The last Mughal
Emperor was deposed by the British in 1858.
When the East India Company came to India in the early 1600s, India was ruled by the
Mughals. The Mughal emperor had shown no concerns providing trading port to the
company. Both Jahangir and Shah Jahan were busy enjoying the glories of Taj Mahal.
After the death of Aurangzeb in in 1707, the empire became fragile and there were
prospects for Maratha based in Western India to come in. This was the period when
European companies - French and English for the most part - were starting to flex their
arms. The biggest power in India was thus defeated due to over-expansion and the
company had control over Bengal. Aurangzebs death saw the downfall of the great
Mughal Empire that had held control over most of India. This period saw the many
Nawabs of the different provinces scrambling to acquire power. Following their 'Divide
and Rule' policy, the British made the individual Nawabs of India vie against each other
even more.