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Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization
'Arora explores how Indians lived, ate, loved, built, fought and made sense of the material, rational and spiritual world down the ages . . . [A] mega-ambitious project' —The Hindu
'A gem of a book that is a joy to read . . . You can almost touch and feel the centuries and millennia as they pass by' —Tony Joseph
'Deepens our sense of the wonder that was India' —Pankaj Mishra
'Illuminating, absorbing and a joy to read. I defy anyone to peruse it and not feel richly rewarded by its insights' —John Keay
A BRILLIANT, ORIGINAL BOOK THAT REVEALS INDIA'S RICH AND DIVERSE HISTORIES
What do we really know about the Aryan migration theory and why is that debate so hot?
Why did the people of Khajuraho carve erotic scenes on their temple walls?
What did the monks at Nalanda eat for dinner?
Did our ideals of beauty ever prefer dark skin?
——————————
Indian civilization is an idea, a reality, an enigma. In this riveting book, Namit Arora takes us on an unforgettable journey through 5000 years of history, reimagining in rich detail the social and cultural moorings of Indians through the ages. Drawing on credible sources, he discovers what inspired and shaped them: their political upheavals and rivalries, customs and vocations, and a variety of unusual festivals. Arora makes a stop at six iconic places—the Harappan city of Dholavira, the Ikshvaku capital at Nagarjunakonda, the Buddhist centre of learning at Nalanda, enigmatic Khajuraho, Vijayanagar at Hampi, and historic Varanasi—enlivening the narrative with vivid descriptions, local stories and evocative photographs. Punctuating this are chronicles of famous travellers who visited India—including Megasthenes, Xuanzang, Alberuni and Marco Polo—whose dramatic and idiosyncratic tales conceal surprising insights about our land.
In lucid, elegant prose, Arora explores the exciting churn of ideas, beliefs and values of our ancestors through millennia—some continue to shape modern India, while others have been lost forever. An original, deeply engaging and extensively researched work, Indians illuminates a range of histories coursing through our veins.
'A gem of a book that is a joy to read . . . You can almost touch and feel the centuries and millennia as they pass by' —Tony Joseph
'Deepens our sense of the wonder that was India' —Pankaj Mishra
'Illuminating, absorbing and a joy to read. I defy anyone to peruse it and not feel richly rewarded by its insights' —John Keay
A BRILLIANT, ORIGINAL BOOK THAT REVEALS INDIA'S RICH AND DIVERSE HISTORIES
What do we really know about the Aryan migration theory and why is that debate so hot?
Why did the people of Khajuraho carve erotic scenes on their temple walls?
What did the monks at Nalanda eat for dinner?
Did our ideals of beauty ever prefer dark skin?
——————————
Indian civilization is an idea, a reality, an enigma. In this riveting book, Namit Arora takes us on an unforgettable journey through 5000 years of history, reimagining in rich detail the social and cultural moorings of Indians through the ages. Drawing on credible sources, he discovers what inspired and shaped them: their political upheavals and rivalries, customs and vocations, and a variety of unusual festivals. Arora makes a stop at six iconic places—the Harappan city of Dholavira, the Ikshvaku capital at Nagarjunakonda, the Buddhist centre of learning at Nalanda, enigmatic Khajuraho, Vijayanagar at Hampi, and historic Varanasi—enlivening the narrative with vivid descriptions, local stories and evocative photographs. Punctuating this are chronicles of famous travellers who visited India—including Megasthenes, Xuanzang, Alberuni and Marco Polo—whose dramatic and idiosyncratic tales conceal surprising insights about our land.
In lucid, elegant prose, Arora explores the exciting churn of ideas, beliefs and values of our ancestors through millennia—some continue to shape modern India, while others have been lost forever. An original, deeply engaging and extensively researched work, Indians illuminates a range of histories coursing through our veins.
296 pages, Hardcover
Published January 18, 2021
72 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
About the author
Namit Arora
4 books32 followers Namit Arora chose a life of reading and writing after cutting short his career in the Internet industry. Raised in north India, he lived in Louisiana, Northern California, Western Europe, and travelled in scores of countries before returning to India over two decades later in 2013. He is the author of (1) Speaking of History: Conversations about India's Past and Present (with Romila Thapar), (2) Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization, (3) The Lottery of Birth, a collection of essays on inequality, and (4) the novel A California Story (US) / Love and Loathing in Silicon Valley (India). His web home is shunya.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
May 9, 2021
Good selection of words and cleverly attempted his thoughts. The gist is....
we are not the great civilization. Every bad thing is done by Hindus and good by Mugal .Danger is only with Hindu extremist and Nationalist. Anyone who has read this book seriously might have understood the writer is biased and influenced by some leftist intellectual. Someone who will pickup this book as a first history book in his or her life will definately draw a picture that nothing is good in our culture religion and tradition.
I love my country and culture and religion. Many bad rituals are removed so far and new will be created . We are from the most tolerant and flexible religion and country in this world .New changes which can benefit the society are acceptable here . I hope many more historians will come and rewrite the history.
Jai hind 🇮🇳
we are not the great civilization. Every bad thing is done by Hindus and good by Mugal .Danger is only with Hindu extremist and Nationalist. Anyone who has read this book seriously might have understood the writer is biased and influenced by some leftist intellectual. Someone who will pickup this book as a first history book in his or her life will definately draw a picture that nothing is good in our culture religion and tradition.
I love my country and culture and religion. Many bad rituals are removed so far and new will be created . We are from the most tolerant and flexible religion and country in this world .New changes which can benefit the society are acceptable here . I hope many more historians will come and rewrite the history.
Jai hind 🇮🇳
December 19, 2021
Indians : A Brief History of a Civilization
Author : Namit Arora
Published by : Penguin Vikings
Book Cover by :
Disclaimer: I have received the Review copy of this book by the Author in exchange of an honest review. Neither the publisher , the author nor any third party pay any fee or otherwise offer compensation in exchange for this coverage , and no company was given a preview of the content or given copy approval rights concerning the same.
This review is going to be divided in a pros and cons system , after reading which , you can decide for yourselves if this book is worth your time and money , or not.
The Good:
The author , in the introduction itself , makes it clear that he has a political bias . I really do not like some historians , who claim to be unbiased but are the farthest thing from it (Some of whom , the author has referenced , but we will get to that later).
The book is very informative and the author has obviously done a tremendous amount of research. This is evident but the subject matter, some of which i may not necessarily agree with , but i have to appreciate the author for this. He has personally visited the places like Dholavira , Nagarjunakonda , (what used to be )Nalanda etc , and seem the places themselves , unlike many so called "historians" who will just "google" stuff up.
The book is well written and fairly easy to understand. Again , unlike several historians , who use Tharoorian vocabulary , to try and impress the reader. His writing style is quite good to . Reading " A stroll though Vijayapura " , you will actually feel that you are taking a stroll through the place, Vijayapura , to the readers who dont know , was an archaeological wonder , but had to be manually submerged underwater , due to unavoidable circumstances.
The chapter about of Faxian , Xuanzang ,and Yijing is brilliantly written (I just might be biased on this one , because I actually have read Journey to the West and i actually was always interested in the topic of how Buddhism spread all across China and faded away from India)
The Underwhelming aspects :
To much present day socio-political commentary. I mean I get it , you have to put something here or there . Maybe once or twice in the book , but in the book , the author has something to say at least once or twice in every chapter. This is not limited to just Mr. Arora , but in fact most of the historians. He just had the decency to call his bias beforehand. And i would have been perfectly fine if the book hadn't been called a brief "History" of a civilization .
The Author is pro Aryan migration theory. Feel free to count this as a pro if you too have similar thoughts as the author.
Some , I repeat , some of the sources in the book , in MY opinion , are not credible enough , those include the likes of Tony Joseph , Pankaj Mishra and many more.
Well , those were my two cents about the book , if the Pros outbid the cons for you , you can definitely check out the book . Even if they don't , but you think you can ignore those parts of the book , I will still recommend you read the book , if you have the chance to.
If you are too lazy to read the book , the author has summarized the book in an hour long zoom call video that is available to watch for free on YouTube on the Avid Learning channel.
Author : Namit Arora
Published by : Penguin Vikings
Book Cover by :
Disclaimer: I have received the Review copy of this book by the Author in exchange of an honest review. Neither the publisher , the author nor any third party pay any fee or otherwise offer compensation in exchange for this coverage , and no company was given a preview of the content or given copy approval rights concerning the same.
This review is going to be divided in a pros and cons system , after reading which , you can decide for yourselves if this book is worth your time and money , or not.
The Good:
The author , in the introduction itself , makes it clear that he has a political bias . I really do not like some historians , who claim to be unbiased but are the farthest thing from it (Some of whom , the author has referenced , but we will get to that later).
The book is very informative and the author has obviously done a tremendous amount of research. This is evident but the subject matter, some of which i may not necessarily agree with , but i have to appreciate the author for this. He has personally visited the places like Dholavira , Nagarjunakonda , (what used to be )Nalanda etc , and seem the places themselves , unlike many so called "historians" who will just "google" stuff up.
The book is well written and fairly easy to understand. Again , unlike several historians , who use Tharoorian vocabulary , to try and impress the reader. His writing style is quite good to . Reading " A stroll though Vijayapura " , you will actually feel that you are taking a stroll through the place, Vijayapura , to the readers who dont know , was an archaeological wonder , but had to be manually submerged underwater , due to unavoidable circumstances.
The chapter about of Faxian , Xuanzang ,and Yijing is brilliantly written (I just might be biased on this one , because I actually have read Journey to the West and i actually was always interested in the topic of how Buddhism spread all across China and faded away from India)
The Underwhelming aspects :
To much present day socio-political commentary. I mean I get it , you have to put something here or there . Maybe once or twice in the book , but in the book , the author has something to say at least once or twice in every chapter. This is not limited to just Mr. Arora , but in fact most of the historians. He just had the decency to call his bias beforehand. And i would have been perfectly fine if the book hadn't been called a brief "History" of a civilization .
The Author is pro Aryan migration theory. Feel free to count this as a pro if you too have similar thoughts as the author.
Some , I repeat , some of the sources in the book , in MY opinion , are not credible enough , those include the likes of Tony Joseph , Pankaj Mishra and many more.
Well , those were my two cents about the book , if the Pros outbid the cons for you , you can definitely check out the book . Even if they don't , but you think you can ignore those parts of the book , I will still recommend you read the book , if you have the chance to.
If you are too lazy to read the book , the author has summarized the book in an hour long zoom call video that is available to watch for free on YouTube on the Avid Learning channel.
December 29, 2021
Not a great book, the writer has just rehashed and regurtitated the same point from some old books. The book is replete with polemics and usual biases. Most Historians these days practice the art of retributive writing to fit with their political views ( mostly left-leaning ).
April 13, 2024
I was intrigued by the fluid narrative in the video series based on this book. That led me to the print version, which turned out to be a refreshing change from the certitudes employed by most books on History that brook no questions. Namit Arora is a sceptic and a non ‘historian, whose explorations preserve the sense of wonder at the breadth and scale of human imagination and raise pertinent questions and doubts about the settled ‘facts’ of popular history including the WhatsApp genre.
The book traverses across five millennia of the subcontinent’s history, from the Harappan civilization to the decline of the Mughals. Five important periods in focus, followed by chapters replaying the accounts of travelers of that time (including the exaggerations and misinterpretations, but importantly, the outsider’s perspective) make for interesting reading.
Arora’s insightful observations draw attention to lesser acknowledged aspects of Indian life – eg. Xuanzang’s and Faxian’s accounts suggest Ayodhya was more a Buddhist center than Hindu in the seventh century and had probably been so for over two hundred years; the boatmen on the Ganges in Varanasi are the monopoly of a few Nishad-Mallah families and nobody else is allowed to ply boats on that section!
The book traverses across five millennia of the subcontinent’s history, from the Harappan civilization to the decline of the Mughals. Five important periods in focus, followed by chapters replaying the accounts of travelers of that time (including the exaggerations and misinterpretations, but importantly, the outsider’s perspective) make for interesting reading.
Arora’s insightful observations draw attention to lesser acknowledged aspects of Indian life – eg. Xuanzang’s and Faxian’s accounts suggest Ayodhya was more a Buddhist center than Hindu in the seventh century and had probably been so for over two hundred years; the boatmen on the Ganges in Varanasi are the monopoly of a few Nishad-Mallah families and nobody else is allowed to ply boats on that section!
July 15, 2022
This is such a fascinating read, I couldn't put it down.
Is it even possible to write a brief history of a culture so old, so diverse, and so complex? It is not even "a" culture, but a subcontinent that had seen different cultural-religious groups, kingdoms and empires wax and wane over a few millennia. Imagine the depth in the level of cross-fertilisation of ideas and practises! But I must say the author has done a beautiful job.
First, he has referenced evidence in interesting way (archeological, historical sources and archaeogenetics). Secondly, he has managed to tell a good story - after all, all history is about interpreting evidence and telling stories. Some stories are better than others not just because of the strength of their explanatory powers, but also because of their openness, empathy, curiosity, sense of history, and also importantly, a healthy sense of scepticism. As the author reminded us, historical sources can lie and historians can be accomplices to political games with partisan and nationalistic leanings that exacerbate civil and communal strife. So while we note that it is not possible to tell a story without subjectivity, it is important to acknowledge biases and motivations.
Thirdly, he has structured the book in an interesting way, interspersing the history and stories of 6 archaeological and historical sites (Dholavira, Nagarjunakonda, Nalanda, Khajuraho, Viyayanagar, Varanasi), with the observations of travellers to India who were close contemporaries of the periods in history when those sites flourished (Megasthenes. Faxian, Xuanzang, Alberuni, Marco Polo and Francois Bernier). This method of weaving helps the reader navigate the history quite seamlessly, and gives an added flavour to the story telling.
The result is a fascinating reconstruction of what life was like for the big and small people in the past in different cultures; as well as their motivations, beliefs and practises given the cultural milieu of their time. For instance, in the chapter on Khajuraho, the author pointed out that there are other archeological evidences that showed that erotic temple art was not limited to Khajuraho, but that Khajuraho's impressive range and boldness is unique and represented a time and place in Indian history where such Tantric elements was promoted by temple sponsors and accepted by the public. The author's explanation on Tantrism is fascinating - its origins, its hard-to-define nature, and its eventual relegation to the fringe in India. Competition from Vedic-Brahmanism's push for purity, Muslim rulers' beliefs, and the British colonial power's Victorian attitude all played their parts.
The book really gave me a good "brief" glimpse of the different peoples and cultures in their historical contexts, and also how the current landscape is shaped by its complex history and how the current is in turn, trying to shape/re-frame the past.
I came out of this reading with a sense of wonder on the diversity and pluralism that existed over the past few millennium in a land that is today called “India”.
*The author admits that these are arbitrary choices as these are the place he has personally visited and researched. But I feel these are really good choices that gave the reader a sense of the history over the course of over 4 millennium, of both north and south India.
Is it even possible to write a brief history of a culture so old, so diverse, and so complex? It is not even "a" culture, but a subcontinent that had seen different cultural-religious groups, kingdoms and empires wax and wane over a few millennia. Imagine the depth in the level of cross-fertilisation of ideas and practises! But I must say the author has done a beautiful job.
First, he has referenced evidence in interesting way (archeological, historical sources and archaeogenetics). Secondly, he has managed to tell a good story - after all, all history is about interpreting evidence and telling stories. Some stories are better than others not just because of the strength of their explanatory powers, but also because of their openness, empathy, curiosity, sense of history, and also importantly, a healthy sense of scepticism. As the author reminded us, historical sources can lie and historians can be accomplices to political games with partisan and nationalistic leanings that exacerbate civil and communal strife. So while we note that it is not possible to tell a story without subjectivity, it is important to acknowledge biases and motivations.
Thirdly, he has structured the book in an interesting way, interspersing the history and stories of 6 archaeological and historical sites (Dholavira, Nagarjunakonda, Nalanda, Khajuraho, Viyayanagar, Varanasi), with the observations of travellers to India who were close contemporaries of the periods in history when those sites flourished (Megasthenes. Faxian, Xuanzang, Alberuni, Marco Polo and Francois Bernier). This method of weaving helps the reader navigate the history quite seamlessly, and gives an added flavour to the story telling.
The result is a fascinating reconstruction of what life was like for the big and small people in the past in different cultures; as well as their motivations, beliefs and practises given the cultural milieu of their time. For instance, in the chapter on Khajuraho, the author pointed out that there are other archeological evidences that showed that erotic temple art was not limited to Khajuraho, but that Khajuraho's impressive range and boldness is unique and represented a time and place in Indian history where such Tantric elements was promoted by temple sponsors and accepted by the public. The author's explanation on Tantrism is fascinating - its origins, its hard-to-define nature, and its eventual relegation to the fringe in India. Competition from Vedic-Brahmanism's push for purity, Muslim rulers' beliefs, and the British colonial power's Victorian attitude all played their parts.
The book really gave me a good "brief" glimpse of the different peoples and cultures in their historical contexts, and also how the current landscape is shaped by its complex history and how the current is in turn, trying to shape/re-frame the past.
I came out of this reading with a sense of wonder on the diversity and pluralism that existed over the past few millennium in a land that is today called “India”.
*The author admits that these are arbitrary choices as these are the place he has personally visited and researched. But I feel these are really good choices that gave the reader a sense of the history over the course of over 4 millennium, of both north and south India.
January 22, 2021
I came across this book on Penguin India's official website. I pre-ordered it just because I was very much interested in learning about the Pre-historic India. The author takes us through the ancient historical sites, shares his experience and also briefly explains the stories that embodies those places. At the end of the book you could feel just as if you've travelled to all those places by yourself. I just loved reading the stories that made India. This book is a masterpiece!
January 31, 2021
Wonderful book!
Namit takes us on a fantastic package tour of Indian history covering a wide swathe of time - Harappan civilization through modern Varanasi. The presentation is novel in that the chapters alternate between a deep dive into a historically significant site and the writings/observations of foreign travelers to India during specific time periods. It is brilliantly researched. Namit’s scholarship is evident in the astute and insightful observations he makes in synthesizing the vast amount of material and historical scope. He is not shy about voicing his opinions within the context of the topic he is exploring at any instant. His writing is beautiful with vivid and evocative descriptions of the various stops in his time travel. Even though the subject matter is serious, Namit manages to infuse it with occasional humor and wit which makes this tour even more enjoyable. If you are Indian and want to know more about where you come from or just plain interested in Indian history, pick up this gem.
Namit takes us on a fantastic package tour of Indian history covering a wide swathe of time - Harappan civilization through modern Varanasi. The presentation is novel in that the chapters alternate between a deep dive into a historically significant site and the writings/observations of foreign travelers to India during specific time periods. It is brilliantly researched. Namit’s scholarship is evident in the astute and insightful observations he makes in synthesizing the vast amount of material and historical scope. He is not shy about voicing his opinions within the context of the topic he is exploring at any instant. His writing is beautiful with vivid and evocative descriptions of the various stops in his time travel. Even though the subject matter is serious, Namit manages to infuse it with occasional humor and wit which makes this tour even more enjoyable. If you are Indian and want to know more about where you come from or just plain interested in Indian history, pick up this gem.
September 20, 2021
Great read that brings us a lot of scholarship work in an accessible form. Author has picked up a handful of historical sites in chronological order (Dholavira, Nagarjunakonda, Nalanda, Khajurao, Hampi, and Varanasi) and outlined what life was like then in and around those sites (sometimes extending well beyond). Each chapter on each site is followed by an analysis of the musings of various foreign travelers who documented life in India.
This is a necessary read for 2 reasons:
1) It makes facts established by scholarship very accessible to a wide audience
2) It is most essential for these facts to be well known in a time when the Sanghis are trying to create a pseudo-history replete with binaries.
This is a necessary read for 2 reasons:
1) It makes facts established by scholarship very accessible to a wide audience
2) It is most essential for these facts to be well known in a time when the Sanghis are trying to create a pseudo-history replete with binaries.
May 3, 2021
My initial thoughts as I picked up this book was as to how an author can even attempt to write a book on a civilisation that spans many millennia in a mere 300 pages. If it has to be done in 300 pages then it has to be done differently.
That’s exactly what the author does. It’s a delightful mix of history and travel writing. A well thought out selection of places and people through whom the story of this ancient civilisation is told. The narrative is well punctuated with interesting anecdotes from the people , taxi drivers to present day royalties, who live in these places.
A marvellous read , will strongly recommend.
That’s exactly what the author does. It’s a delightful mix of history and travel writing. A well thought out selection of places and people through whom the story of this ancient civilisation is told. The narrative is well punctuated with interesting anecdotes from the people , taxi drivers to present day royalties, who live in these places.
A marvellous read , will strongly recommend.
December 31, 2021
Factual and fascinating
February 1, 2021
Book Title: Indians
Author: Namit Arora
Format: Kindle
My Thoughts:
India's history and culture are dynamic that dates back to the point when human civilisation has begun. It begins with a mysterious culture along the Indus River and the farming communities in India's southern lands. India's history is a mix and match of migrating people and integration of different cultures and languages.
Indus Valley Civilisation is the prima focal point where the study about ancient India starts at. The Indus valley civilisation was an urban civilisation, and the people lived in well-planned and well-built towns, which were also the centres for trade. There were rods built, metals used, etc. From this rich culture, there emerged many interesting aspects: the Vedic period, the Gupta empire, the Mauryan Empire and the eras of various Chinese and other scholars visiting India. There is so much more to read about the forgotten heritage and known history of India.
This my review itself might become a book. I recommend this book to be read by every Indian of this 21st Century who are unaware of how rich and varied was the culture of India was!
Who can read?
This book is and must compulsorily be read by every Indian who wants to know or revisit India's ancient culture. The book is a work of non-fiction and is knowledgeable. Therefore, the book is suggested to everyone. The language used in the book is harmless, and no provoking statements are mentioned in the book when there are mentions about various religions.
How good is the Author's writing style?
Author Namit Arora has presented this book in his voice. The introduction chapter explains his interest and passion for knowing more about India, and it's ancient history and the changes the land has groped in itself. The book is written in the first-person narrative, and Namit explains the genesis of the thought to write this book. He also mentions his wife, who has been an integral part of this journey.
How entertaining is the book?
As quoted in one of the websites that talks about Indian civilisation, these lines prove that India has always been a culture and heritage place.
The lines like:
The Indian civilisation started with the Indus Valley civilisation, dating back to approximately 5,500 BC when nomadic warriors settled down and eventually blended with the Aryan race. It resulted in the Vedic civilisation and the rise of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.
Much later, this was followed by growth of dynasties and kingdoms and the growth of Muslim power in India. During this time, European traders visited India, and the British succeeded in settling down as a colonial power, until 15 August 1947, when India gained independence and became a republic in due course. As a result of the myriad blend, India has an interesting culture, with thousands of different customs, several languages and religions.
The chapters in this book By Namit Arora start from the Dholavira age till Varanasi. It is hard to review such books because this book makes me nostalgic as a student, and I go back to my school days, where my History teacher taught us all this. And, like a grown-up, I feel proud and happy to be a part of this rich culture. With the contents present, this book is a must-read and is also a sure-shot entertainer.
Final Verdict
It is all about India and Indians!
Rating:
5/5
Author: Namit Arora
Format: Kindle
My Thoughts:
India's history and culture are dynamic that dates back to the point when human civilisation has begun. It begins with a mysterious culture along the Indus River and the farming communities in India's southern lands. India's history is a mix and match of migrating people and integration of different cultures and languages.
Indus Valley Civilisation is the prima focal point where the study about ancient India starts at. The Indus valley civilisation was an urban civilisation, and the people lived in well-planned and well-built towns, which were also the centres for trade. There were rods built, metals used, etc. From this rich culture, there emerged many interesting aspects: the Vedic period, the Gupta empire, the Mauryan Empire and the eras of various Chinese and other scholars visiting India. There is so much more to read about the forgotten heritage and known history of India.
This my review itself might become a book. I recommend this book to be read by every Indian of this 21st Century who are unaware of how rich and varied was the culture of India was!
Who can read?
This book is and must compulsorily be read by every Indian who wants to know or revisit India's ancient culture. The book is a work of non-fiction and is knowledgeable. Therefore, the book is suggested to everyone. The language used in the book is harmless, and no provoking statements are mentioned in the book when there are mentions about various religions.
How good is the Author's writing style?
Author Namit Arora has presented this book in his voice. The introduction chapter explains his interest and passion for knowing more about India, and it's ancient history and the changes the land has groped in itself. The book is written in the first-person narrative, and Namit explains the genesis of the thought to write this book. He also mentions his wife, who has been an integral part of this journey.
How entertaining is the book?
As quoted in one of the websites that talks about Indian civilisation, these lines prove that India has always been a culture and heritage place.
The lines like:
The Indian civilisation started with the Indus Valley civilisation, dating back to approximately 5,500 BC when nomadic warriors settled down and eventually blended with the Aryan race. It resulted in the Vedic civilisation and the rise of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.
Much later, this was followed by growth of dynasties and kingdoms and the growth of Muslim power in India. During this time, European traders visited India, and the British succeeded in settling down as a colonial power, until 15 August 1947, when India gained independence and became a republic in due course. As a result of the myriad blend, India has an interesting culture, with thousands of different customs, several languages and religions.
The chapters in this book By Namit Arora start from the Dholavira age till Varanasi. It is hard to review such books because this book makes me nostalgic as a student, and I go back to my school days, where my History teacher taught us all this. And, like a grown-up, I feel proud and happy to be a part of this rich culture. With the contents present, this book is a must-read and is also a sure-shot entertainer.
Final Verdict
It is all about India and Indians!
Rating:
5/5
November 27, 2021
this is unique book in way that Namit decided to focus on few key cities to cover history of Indian civilization. Namit has written this in quite interesting way by covering various socio-political conditions, religious affairs and general life in those cities. Namit has taken into account various archeological proofs, inscriptions and even reached out current generations of some of the dynasties or communities continuing from those times. Accounts of various travelers has been covered and Namit has also offered perspective in which conditions / situations those accounts have been written.
I would have rated book 5 stars but i could see there is agenda in book against current Hindu nationalism wave and against big saffron party. somewhere i felt that i am being shown history in specific way rather than author trying to be neutral. if i remember correctly, there is no rant against any dynasty, no rant against Mughals, no rant against Britishers anywhere in book but rant against Hindu nationalism & big saffron party. for example - quoting from the book:
" But recent decades have brought unwelcome changes, Bhattacharya says. A big political party and its affiliated groups are hell-bent on turning this into a parochially Hindu city. Their push to saffronize has caused immense damage already, polarizing communities and bringing out the worst in people. Communal-minded thugs and criminals now compete for the elected office. A kind of madness has taken hold. They want revenge for past wrongs against today’s Muslims. "
I wonder why?
I don't mind someone writing their prospective on Hindu nationalism wave and big saffron party but it would have been better if it was made clear from the beginning rather we figuring out that book has hidden agenda...
I would have rated book 5 stars but i could see there is agenda in book against current Hindu nationalism wave and against big saffron party. somewhere i felt that i am being shown history in specific way rather than author trying to be neutral. if i remember correctly, there is no rant against any dynasty, no rant against Mughals, no rant against Britishers anywhere in book but rant against Hindu nationalism & big saffron party. for example - quoting from the book:
" But recent decades have brought unwelcome changes, Bhattacharya says. A big political party and its affiliated groups are hell-bent on turning this into a parochially Hindu city. Their push to saffronize has caused immense damage already, polarizing communities and bringing out the worst in people. Communal-minded thugs and criminals now compete for the elected office. A kind of madness has taken hold. They want revenge for past wrongs against today’s Muslims. "
I wonder why?
I don't mind someone writing their prospective on Hindu nationalism wave and big saffron party but it would have been better if it was made clear from the beginning rather we figuring out that book has hidden agenda...
November 14, 2021
A gem of a book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Its deeply engaging and gives us a sense of how culturally diverse India was in the past, a stark contrast to the present times. This book is timely for the current generation in India reeling under sectarian divide, false sense of nationalism and a confusing history about their own country. The book also talks about specific cultural attributes prevalent even today, like how a French traveller found that to get an audience to the Vijaynagar King, he had first to bribe his bureaucrats. Old habits die hard.
October 11, 2021
The author chooses an interesting mileau of places in India and tells the story of larger India through their smaller histories. A must read.
January 29, 2025
The writer is honest about his inherent and acquired bias in writing this version of history. He doesn't shy away from showcasing his intense hatred for Brahmins and modern Hindus. Almost in every chapter there is a sarcastic remark or an absurd observation strategically included to mock Brahmins. He obviously comes from that cabal of elitists who like to quote those "Eminent" historians of India whose credibility has finely eroded with time. This book is out and out the history of Indian civilization told from the perspective of an erudite Hindu-hating liberal.
Coming to what I liked about the book, it is wonderfully written. The descriptions of the ancient sites are vivid and engaging. Some peculiar deductions of our ancients is amusing. Each chapter gives an amazing insight into the normal life, culture and mannerisms of Indians from distinct time periods. The pictures delightfully aid the reader in recreating the glory of sites in their minds.
I enjoyed the book irrespective of my opposition to the writer's own political tilt.
Coming to what I liked about the book, it is wonderfully written. The descriptions of the ancient sites are vivid and engaging. Some peculiar deductions of our ancients is amusing. Each chapter gives an amazing insight into the normal life, culture and mannerisms of Indians from distinct time periods. The pictures delightfully aid the reader in recreating the glory of sites in their minds.
I enjoyed the book irrespective of my opposition to the writer's own political tilt.
December 21, 2021
Informative and interesting, filled with rich details and anecdotes...
I like that the writer has concentrated on four ancient places of importance in our country's rich heritage.. however the narrative is so biased against Hindutva, BJP and hindu belief system that it dilutes the experience of reading
I feel it could've done without such comments
I like that the writer has concentrated on four ancient places of importance in our country's rich heritage.. however the narrative is so biased against Hindutva, BJP and hindu belief system that it dilutes the experience of reading
I feel it could've done without such comments
March 4, 2026
I enjoyed Namit Arora’s Essays.
I share his appreciation and thirst for reliable Indian History.
In this work, Namit combines Indian archaeological travel writing with narrative history.
If we try to synthesize, Namit is answering what Indians were like in the past, their institutions, beliefs worked, why some empires collapsed and remained. His childhood fascination with "lost cities" and his adult decision to write about specific sites comes alive in this work.
He suggests for humanistic such as openness, empathy, scholarly rigor and evidence led approach in how we tell Indian history, as these stories shape our present.
Outline:
1. The Mysteries of Dholavira (2600–1900 BCE)
2. Megasthenes’s India (c. 300 BCE)
3. The Void of Nagarjunakonda (c. 220–c. 320 CE)
4. Faxian, Xuanzang, and Yijing in India (400–700 CE)
5. The Vision of Nalanda (c. 425–c. 1350 CE)
6. Alberuni’s India (1017–30 CE)
7. The Enigma of Khajuraho (c. 950–c. 1250 CE)
8. Marco Polo’s India (1292 CE)
9. The Innovations of Vijayanagar at Hampi (c. 1336–1565 CE)
10. François Bernier’s India (1658–69 CE)
11. The Faiths of Varanasi (800 BC)
Chapter 1: The Mysteries of Dholavira (2600–1900 BCE)
So, I had to look up Dholavira.
Where is this Dholavira located?
Dholavira is in the state of Gujarat, located in Western part of India.
In the map, it is under Rajasthan. Namit examines this Bronze Age metropolis of the Harappan Civilization in the Rann of Kutch. So, Rann of Kutch is That desert located in parts of Gujarat.
The city's defining feature is its sixteen rock-cut and stone-block-lined reservoirs linked by channels to harvest every drop of water in an arid land. Unlike other contemporary civilizations, Dholavira shows no evidence of temples, wars, or standing armies, suggesting a flatter social hierarchy and a relatively egalitarian society. It served as a regional hub for maritime trade with Mesopotamia and Central Asia.
Chapter 2: Megasthenes’s India (c. 300 BCE)
Megasthenes was a Greek Historian.
He was also a diplomat, ethnographer from the Hellenistic period (c. 350–290 BCE). He was sent by Seleucus I Nicator as an ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya around 302 BCE.
So, this chapter is viewing Mauryan India through the fragments of the Greek ambassador Megasthenes's account, Indica.
Pataliputra was the capital, Megasthenes describes the Mauryan capital as the largest city of the ancient world, twice as large as Rome under Marcus Aurelius.
Pataliputra is modern day Patna. He records an idealized bureaucracy and a seven-caste system, noting that endogamy was strictly enforced and individuals could not marry outside their own caste. He was fascinated by Indian wildlife, documenting intelligent elephants pacified by music and talkative parrots.
Chapter 3: The Void of Nagarjunakonda (c. 220–c. 320 CE)
Nagarjunakonda is a historical town that is now an island near Nagarjuna Sagar in Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh. It’s a small island located in Krishna River. It was the Buddhist capital of the Ikshvaku Kingdom.
Namit states that this area was the hub of learning.
Both royal and non-royal women were patrons of the Buddhist institutions.
The site contained the only known amphi-theatre found in ancient India.
Nagarjunakonda was home to the philosopher Nagarjuna. He influenced this region and era. His concept of shunyata (emptiness) and the Middle Path of Mahayana Buddhism remained popular.
Chapter 4: Faxian, Xuanzang and Yijing in India (400–700 CE)
In this chapter, we notice three Chinese pilgrims who documented their travelogue to India. Faxian came around years 399–414 CE. Xuanzang from 629–645 and Yijing, from 671–695 CE. Buddhism was still flourishing in India.
In Xuanzang accounts is where we notice, (Candalas) untouchability was an established practice by the seventh century, with manual scavengers forced to announce their presence by striking sticks.
The ideas of caste, cleanliness became strong, the Chinese pilgrims noticed strong distinction between purity, impurity and personal cleanliness. Xuanzang documented intense philosophical battles between, Brahmins and Buddhist Bodhisattvas.
Chapter 5: The Vision of Nalanda (c. 425–c. 1350 CE)
Nalanda is located in Bihar.
It’s about 95 kms from South-eastern side of Patna
Namit narrates the world's first great Buddhist mahavihara university.
There was monastic life with structured daily rhythms of resident monks, including entrance exam, bathing ritual, constant debates on grammar, logic and philosophy. Namit argues that Nalanda's end was a slow process of decay driven by shifts in royal patronage, the rise of popular Hinduism, and internal isolation, rather than a single brutal sacking by Bakhtiyar Khilji.
Chapter 6: Alberuni’s India (1017–30 CE)
Alberuni was a Persian polymath, sent by Sultan Mahmud of Persia In 1017 CE. He was sent to India to learn about the Hindus and to discuss with them questions of religion, science and literature and what formed the very basis of their civilization.
His major work, Tārīkh al‑Hind (History of India) was written around 1030 CE.
It gives comparative account of religion, philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, and social customs in India at that time.
His account was sympathetic understanding, shrewdness of observation, and probing analysis. He learnt Sanskrit to directly engage with Brahminical texts on religion, science, and mathematics. He was critical of contemporary Hindu scholars, whom he viewed as insular, haughty and foolishly vain compared to their ancestors.
His key claim was metempsychosis (the doctrine of reincarnation) lies at the core of Hindu belief, shaping its ethics, social structure, and speculative world‑view. He treated this as the shibboleth or litmus test of Hindu faith because it underpins ideas of karma, caste, and the cycle of rebirth, and distinguishes Hindu thought from both Islam and other Indian traditions in his view.
Chapter 7: The Enigma of Khajuraho (c. 950–c. 1250 CE)
Khajuraho is located in Madhya Pradesh, India.
Khajuraho temples were built by the Chandela dynasty, which were Nagara style architecture and explicit, erotic, and intimate sculptures. Namit investigates the explicit erotic art of the Chandela temples.
He links the art to Tantrism, which viewed the human body as the ultimate tool and considered sensual desire compatible with spiritual awakening. During this time, he shares how Indian culture was sex-positive culture, but eventually suppressed by home-grown traditions of prudery and Brahminical asceticism that predated both Muslim and British rule.
Chapter 8: Marco Polo’s India (1292 CE)
Marco Polo was a 13th-century Venetian traveler.
He visited Southern India specifically Tamil Nadu and the Malabar coast. This was between 1292 and 1294 while returning from China.
He served as an emissary for Kublai Khan.
He documented the Pandyan kingdom's immense wealth, the textile trade.
He also documented local customs like, and the booming maritime commerce in the Indian Ocean.
Marco Polo noted that people preferred dark skin, ate only with their right hand, and relied heavily on astrology and augury. Namit shares in this chapter that Marco Polo includes observations from other travellers on the matrilineal traditions and polyandry prevalent in the Malabar regions.
Chapter 9: The Innovations of Vijayanagar at Hampi (c. 1336–1565 CE)
Vijayanagar Empire was one of the wealthiest and powerful kingdoms in South India. Among the kings of all India, Krishnadevaraya who ruled between 1509-1529. He is universally recognized as the greatest ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire. Namit visits the ruins of the Vijayanagar Empire, famed for its wealth and cosmopolitanism.
A Warring State, He describes it as a state ruled by warrior-chiefs with a centralized extractive bureaucracy. Namit challenges nationalist narratives and highlights how Vijayanagar's elites voluntarily embraced Persianate architecture, dress, and military technology, and employed thousands of Muslim warriors.
Namit shares travelogue journey of Krishna, who lives in Anegundi. Krishna greets Namit warmly. He is a soft-spoken man of medium height.His blue jeans and white T-shirt, bushy moustache, and red tilak convey a relaxed yet serious persona.
Chapter 10: François Bernier’s India (1658–69 CE)
François Bernier was a French physician and traveler.
He worked as a physician in Aurangzeb's court.
Bernier provided a detailed portrait of 17th-century north India.
He identified the lack of private property as a major cause of India’s social and economic "decay" compared to Europe. Bernier documented the horrors of sati and expressed a rationalist's disdain for local "superstitions" and naked fakirs.
Consequently, in his letters, he is often dismissive of Indians and their beliefs, especially Gentiles (who were more alien to him, whereas he had access to Europe’s considerable body of knowledge and attitudes on Muslims). ‘ The Gentiles understand nothing of anatomy,’ he writes.
They never open the body either of man or beast, and those in our household always ran away, with amazement and horror, whenever I opened a living goat or sheep for the purpose of explaining to my Agah the circulation of the blood.
These books, he writes, also ‘enjoin that the people shall be divided, as in fact they are most effectually, into four tribes that are not permitted to intermarry, that is to say, a Brahmen is forbidden to marry a Kshatriya,and the same injunction holds good in regard to the other tribes.
Bernier didn’t just travel through, for twelve years he worked and
engaged with Indians with considerable openness. He wrote what is now a rare and insightful portrait of seventeenth-century India, decades before the arrival of European colonizers. In his account, India seems to be in a state of intellectual decay, uncreative and stunted, ill-prepared against the advancing power of Europe’s scientific method, mercantilism, scholarship and the nation-state model.
Chapter 11: The Faiths of Varanasi (800 BCE)
Varanasi is located in Uttar Pradesh, India.
It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
The city is considered to be holiest of seven sacred cities in Hinduism, where dying is believed to offer liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
In this chapter, Namit explores Varanasi as a city of intense religious and social contestation. Varanasi, he describes is not just as a centre of Hindu orthodoxy, but as a city of revolutionaries like Kabir and Ravidas. He examines the lives of the Mallah boatmen and Dom workers at the cremation ghats, whose hereditary labour sustains the city’s business of pilgrimage and death.
A City of Religious Pluralism Varanasi is frequently associated
with Lord Shiva and Brahminical Hinduism, but it has so
much more. It has been home to many major and minor faiths,
and exhibits a dynamic pluralism. Twenty-nine per cent of its
people are Muslim.
When Dom’s first began this job in their teens, they had a terrible time. After each cremation, a Dom says, he couldn’t eat for hours. But they got desensitized to the work over time. They burnt all sorts of bodies of politicians, celebrities, even horribly mutilated ones. It became a mercenary job, the Dom says; now there is no feeling.
I share his appreciation and thirst for reliable Indian History.
In this work, Namit combines Indian archaeological travel writing with narrative history.
If we try to synthesize, Namit is answering what Indians were like in the past, their institutions, beliefs worked, why some empires collapsed and remained. His childhood fascination with "lost cities" and his adult decision to write about specific sites comes alive in this work.
He suggests for humanistic such as openness, empathy, scholarly rigor and evidence led approach in how we tell Indian history, as these stories shape our present.
Outline:
1. The Mysteries of Dholavira (2600–1900 BCE)
2. Megasthenes’s India (c. 300 BCE)
3. The Void of Nagarjunakonda (c. 220–c. 320 CE)
4. Faxian, Xuanzang, and Yijing in India (400–700 CE)
5. The Vision of Nalanda (c. 425–c. 1350 CE)
6. Alberuni’s India (1017–30 CE)
7. The Enigma of Khajuraho (c. 950–c. 1250 CE)
8. Marco Polo’s India (1292 CE)
9. The Innovations of Vijayanagar at Hampi (c. 1336–1565 CE)
10. François Bernier’s India (1658–69 CE)
11. The Faiths of Varanasi (800 BC)
Chapter 1: The Mysteries of Dholavira (2600–1900 BCE)
So, I had to look up Dholavira.
Where is this Dholavira located?
Dholavira is in the state of Gujarat, located in Western part of India.
In the map, it is under Rajasthan. Namit examines this Bronze Age metropolis of the Harappan Civilization in the Rann of Kutch. So, Rann of Kutch is That desert located in parts of Gujarat.
The city's defining feature is its sixteen rock-cut and stone-block-lined reservoirs linked by channels to harvest every drop of water in an arid land. Unlike other contemporary civilizations, Dholavira shows no evidence of temples, wars, or standing armies, suggesting a flatter social hierarchy and a relatively egalitarian society. It served as a regional hub for maritime trade with Mesopotamia and Central Asia.
Chapter 2: Megasthenes’s India (c. 300 BCE)
Megasthenes was a Greek Historian.
He was also a diplomat, ethnographer from the Hellenistic period (c. 350–290 BCE). He was sent by Seleucus I Nicator as an ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya around 302 BCE.
So, this chapter is viewing Mauryan India through the fragments of the Greek ambassador Megasthenes's account, Indica.
Pataliputra was the capital, Megasthenes describes the Mauryan capital as the largest city of the ancient world, twice as large as Rome under Marcus Aurelius.
Pataliputra is modern day Patna. He records an idealized bureaucracy and a seven-caste system, noting that endogamy was strictly enforced and individuals could not marry outside their own caste. He was fascinated by Indian wildlife, documenting intelligent elephants pacified by music and talkative parrots.
Chapter 3: The Void of Nagarjunakonda (c. 220–c. 320 CE)
Nagarjunakonda is a historical town that is now an island near Nagarjuna Sagar in Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh. It’s a small island located in Krishna River. It was the Buddhist capital of the Ikshvaku Kingdom.
Namit states that this area was the hub of learning.
Both royal and non-royal women were patrons of the Buddhist institutions.
The site contained the only known amphi-theatre found in ancient India.
Nagarjunakonda was home to the philosopher Nagarjuna. He influenced this region and era. His concept of shunyata (emptiness) and the Middle Path of Mahayana Buddhism remained popular.
Chapter 4: Faxian, Xuanzang and Yijing in India (400–700 CE)
In this chapter, we notice three Chinese pilgrims who documented their travelogue to India. Faxian came around years 399–414 CE. Xuanzang from 629–645 and Yijing, from 671–695 CE. Buddhism was still flourishing in India.
In Xuanzang accounts is where we notice, (Candalas) untouchability was an established practice by the seventh century, with manual scavengers forced to announce their presence by striking sticks.
The ideas of caste, cleanliness became strong, the Chinese pilgrims noticed strong distinction between purity, impurity and personal cleanliness. Xuanzang documented intense philosophical battles between, Brahmins and Buddhist Bodhisattvas.
Chapter 5: The Vision of Nalanda (c. 425–c. 1350 CE)
Nalanda is located in Bihar.
It’s about 95 kms from South-eastern side of Patna
Namit narrates the world's first great Buddhist mahavihara university.
There was monastic life with structured daily rhythms of resident monks, including entrance exam, bathing ritual, constant debates on grammar, logic and philosophy. Namit argues that Nalanda's end was a slow process of decay driven by shifts in royal patronage, the rise of popular Hinduism, and internal isolation, rather than a single brutal sacking by Bakhtiyar Khilji.
Chapter 6: Alberuni’s India (1017–30 CE)
Alberuni was a Persian polymath, sent by Sultan Mahmud of Persia In 1017 CE. He was sent to India to learn about the Hindus and to discuss with them questions of religion, science and literature and what formed the very basis of their civilization.
His major work, Tārīkh al‑Hind (History of India) was written around 1030 CE.
It gives comparative account of religion, philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, and social customs in India at that time.
His account was sympathetic understanding, shrewdness of observation, and probing analysis. He learnt Sanskrit to directly engage with Brahminical texts on religion, science, and mathematics. He was critical of contemporary Hindu scholars, whom he viewed as insular, haughty and foolishly vain compared to their ancestors.
His key claim was metempsychosis (the doctrine of reincarnation) lies at the core of Hindu belief, shaping its ethics, social structure, and speculative world‑view. He treated this as the shibboleth or litmus test of Hindu faith because it underpins ideas of karma, caste, and the cycle of rebirth, and distinguishes Hindu thought from both Islam and other Indian traditions in his view.
Chapter 7: The Enigma of Khajuraho (c. 950–c. 1250 CE)
Khajuraho is located in Madhya Pradesh, India.
Khajuraho temples were built by the Chandela dynasty, which were Nagara style architecture and explicit, erotic, and intimate sculptures. Namit investigates the explicit erotic art of the Chandela temples.
He links the art to Tantrism, which viewed the human body as the ultimate tool and considered sensual desire compatible with spiritual awakening. During this time, he shares how Indian culture was sex-positive culture, but eventually suppressed by home-grown traditions of prudery and Brahminical asceticism that predated both Muslim and British rule.
Chapter 8: Marco Polo’s India (1292 CE)
Marco Polo was a 13th-century Venetian traveler.
He visited Southern India specifically Tamil Nadu and the Malabar coast. This was between 1292 and 1294 while returning from China.
He served as an emissary for Kublai Khan.
He documented the Pandyan kingdom's immense wealth, the textile trade.
He also documented local customs like, and the booming maritime commerce in the Indian Ocean.
Marco Polo noted that people preferred dark skin, ate only with their right hand, and relied heavily on astrology and augury. Namit shares in this chapter that Marco Polo includes observations from other travellers on the matrilineal traditions and polyandry prevalent in the Malabar regions.
Chapter 9: The Innovations of Vijayanagar at Hampi (c. 1336–1565 CE)
Vijayanagar Empire was one of the wealthiest and powerful kingdoms in South India. Among the kings of all India, Krishnadevaraya who ruled between 1509-1529. He is universally recognized as the greatest ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire. Namit visits the ruins of the Vijayanagar Empire, famed for its wealth and cosmopolitanism.
A Warring State, He describes it as a state ruled by warrior-chiefs with a centralized extractive bureaucracy. Namit challenges nationalist narratives and highlights how Vijayanagar's elites voluntarily embraced Persianate architecture, dress, and military technology, and employed thousands of Muslim warriors.
Namit shares travelogue journey of Krishna, who lives in Anegundi. Krishna greets Namit warmly. He is a soft-spoken man of medium height.His blue jeans and white T-shirt, bushy moustache, and red tilak convey a relaxed yet serious persona.
Chapter 10: François Bernier’s India (1658–69 CE)
François Bernier was a French physician and traveler.
He worked as a physician in Aurangzeb's court.
Bernier provided a detailed portrait of 17th-century north India.
He identified the lack of private property as a major cause of India’s social and economic "decay" compared to Europe. Bernier documented the horrors of sati and expressed a rationalist's disdain for local "superstitions" and naked fakirs.
Consequently, in his letters, he is often dismissive of Indians and their beliefs, especially Gentiles (who were more alien to him, whereas he had access to Europe’s considerable body of knowledge and attitudes on Muslims). ‘ The Gentiles understand nothing of anatomy,’ he writes.
They never open the body either of man or beast, and those in our household always ran away, with amazement and horror, whenever I opened a living goat or sheep for the purpose of explaining to my Agah the circulation of the blood.
These books, he writes, also ‘enjoin that the people shall be divided, as in fact they are most effectually, into four tribes that are not permitted to intermarry, that is to say, a Brahmen is forbidden to marry a Kshatriya,and the same injunction holds good in regard to the other tribes.
Bernier didn’t just travel through, for twelve years he worked and
engaged with Indians with considerable openness. He wrote what is now a rare and insightful portrait of seventeenth-century India, decades before the arrival of European colonizers. In his account, India seems to be in a state of intellectual decay, uncreative and stunted, ill-prepared against the advancing power of Europe’s scientific method, mercantilism, scholarship and the nation-state model.
Chapter 11: The Faiths of Varanasi (800 BCE)
Varanasi is located in Uttar Pradesh, India.
It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
The city is considered to be holiest of seven sacred cities in Hinduism, where dying is believed to offer liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
In this chapter, Namit explores Varanasi as a city of intense religious and social contestation. Varanasi, he describes is not just as a centre of Hindu orthodoxy, but as a city of revolutionaries like Kabir and Ravidas. He examines the lives of the Mallah boatmen and Dom workers at the cremation ghats, whose hereditary labour sustains the city’s business of pilgrimage and death.
A City of Religious Pluralism Varanasi is frequently associated
with Lord Shiva and Brahminical Hinduism, but it has so
much more. It has been home to many major and minor faiths,
and exhibits a dynamic pluralism. Twenty-nine per cent of its
people are Muslim.
When Dom’s first began this job in their teens, they had a terrible time. After each cremation, a Dom says, he couldn’t eat for hours. But they got desensitized to the work over time. They burnt all sorts of bodies of politicians, celebrities, even horribly mutilated ones. It became a mercenary job, the Dom says; now there is no feeling.
January 28, 2021
This is a compelling book about the deep history of India and its effects on the present. How did the author achieve it? He was once an IT professional who worked in USA for several years. In his 30s, he took a two year leave and travelled the length and breadth of India like several illustrious people before him, followed by deeper reading and writing. Some of it appeared in his first book, “The Lottery of Birth: On Inherited Social inequalities”. If his essay ‘A place called home’ is any indication, his desire to understand India and Indians more deeply must have long been with him.
After a few more years of working and travelling the world, he quit his job, relocated to India and began exploring more thoroughly the questions that bothered him. To do so, he chose six major historical sites he had visited before, covering different regions and timespans. He studied the historical sources and modern scholarship available and travelled to them again, talking to various people along the way. He has also presented insights from the chronicles of famous historical travellers, the most compelling of whom (for me) is Francois Bernier. The result is a book that combines a narrative history of India with archaeological travel writing.
As the author says in the introduction, “I hoped to find the essence of each site’s [historical] inhabitants—their defining beliefs, customs and institutions; their struggles and living conditions—and their legacy in the cultural mosaic of India.” Namit Arora has done the hard yakka and given us a guide and model to study India’s past. I think Patrick French summarized it well in his tweet about this book: “Options: spend a decade thinking and reading deeply about the early history of India, and going to all the key places. Or read this 250 page book, INDIANS, by someone who has done the work. An extraordinary feat of imaginative framing, achieved through close observation.”
After a few more years of working and travelling the world, he quit his job, relocated to India and began exploring more thoroughly the questions that bothered him. To do so, he chose six major historical sites he had visited before, covering different regions and timespans. He studied the historical sources and modern scholarship available and travelled to them again, talking to various people along the way. He has also presented insights from the chronicles of famous historical travellers, the most compelling of whom (for me) is Francois Bernier. The result is a book that combines a narrative history of India with archaeological travel writing.
As the author says in the introduction, “I hoped to find the essence of each site’s [historical] inhabitants—their defining beliefs, customs and institutions; their struggles and living conditions—and their legacy in the cultural mosaic of India.” Namit Arora has done the hard yakka and given us a guide and model to study India’s past. I think Patrick French summarized it well in his tweet about this book: “Options: spend a decade thinking and reading deeply about the early history of India, and going to all the key places. Or read this 250 page book, INDIANS, by someone who has done the work. An extraordinary feat of imaginative framing, achieved through close observation.”
May 8, 2025
Hey there! Let me tell you about this book. It’s not your typical, run-of-the-mill history book about India. Instead, it’s a collection of fascinating stories that bring the history of India to life.
There are two main types of chapters. Some are based on the author’s personal visits to important historical sites like Dholavira (where you can find the ruins of an ancient Indus Valley city), Khajuraho, Nalanda, Hampi, and Varanasi. Others are based on accounts left by foreign travellers who visited India during different historical periods. You’ll find chapters based on Megasthenes’s “Indica,” Fa-hsien and Huen Tsang’s writings, Alberuni’s “India,” Marco Polo’s account, and Francois Bernier’s description of Mughal India.
And guess what? These chapters are arranged chronologically, so you get a super personal and informal account of Indian history from the earliest times all the way up to the beginning of Western colonialism.
Now, here’s the thing: Namith Arora isn’t a professional historian. So, he doesn’t carry any ideological or academic baggage. Instead, he brings his passion for history to life in his writing. He’s well-read and his account is always clear, interesting, and easy to follow. He avoids the right-wing pseudo-history that most amateur historians tend to lean towards. He sticks to a conventional liberal historiographic framework.
But what really sets this book apart is his storytelling ability. It’s tough to tell a compelling story about pre-colonial Indian history because our knowledge of that period is so limited. But Namith Arora does it! He makes history come alive and makes it a fascinating read.
Overall, I highly recommend this book. It’s a great way to learn about the history of India in a fun and engaging way.
There are two main types of chapters. Some are based on the author’s personal visits to important historical sites like Dholavira (where you can find the ruins of an ancient Indus Valley city), Khajuraho, Nalanda, Hampi, and Varanasi. Others are based on accounts left by foreign travellers who visited India during different historical periods. You’ll find chapters based on Megasthenes’s “Indica,” Fa-hsien and Huen Tsang’s writings, Alberuni’s “India,” Marco Polo’s account, and Francois Bernier’s description of Mughal India.
And guess what? These chapters are arranged chronologically, so you get a super personal and informal account of Indian history from the earliest times all the way up to the beginning of Western colonialism.
Now, here’s the thing: Namith Arora isn’t a professional historian. So, he doesn’t carry any ideological or academic baggage. Instead, he brings his passion for history to life in his writing. He’s well-read and his account is always clear, interesting, and easy to follow. He avoids the right-wing pseudo-history that most amateur historians tend to lean towards. He sticks to a conventional liberal historiographic framework.
But what really sets this book apart is his storytelling ability. It’s tough to tell a compelling story about pre-colonial Indian history because our knowledge of that period is so limited. But Namith Arora does it! He makes history come alive and makes it a fascinating read.
Overall, I highly recommend this book. It’s a great way to learn about the history of India in a fun and engaging way.
April 21, 2021
Indians: A brief history of a civilization is a glimpse of the long lost past of ancient India. Namit Arora looks deep into ancient Indian history through the eyes of a curious traveller as well as with the intelligence of a historian. This is written from the perspective of an explorer. But it also gives in-depth details of history to an academic level.
From the depths of Dholavira to the ruins of the majestic city of Hampi, this exploration invites us to a rollercoaster ride through vivid descriptions, travel stories and local traditions. The author primarily used two types of narration in this book. The first one focuses on his own experience while visiting these historical sites. The second one is by analysing the idiosyncrasies of the travelogues written by Megasthenes, XuanZhang, Alberuni, Marco Polo etc. Their tales on India is dramatic and unbelievable. Namit Arora skillfully analyses their validity.
One of the best features of this book is, the author always tries to accommodate the perspective of the people living around these sites. How their traditions changed over time and how little they know of their past is quite surprising.
Overall, this is a perfect read for someone who likes to look into our history with curiosity. The insights provided through this book is very valuable.
From the depths of Dholavira to the ruins of the majestic city of Hampi, this exploration invites us to a rollercoaster ride through vivid descriptions, travel stories and local traditions. The author primarily used two types of narration in this book. The first one focuses on his own experience while visiting these historical sites. The second one is by analysing the idiosyncrasies of the travelogues written by Megasthenes, XuanZhang, Alberuni, Marco Polo etc. Their tales on India is dramatic and unbelievable. Namit Arora skillfully analyses their validity.
One of the best features of this book is, the author always tries to accommodate the perspective of the people living around these sites. How their traditions changed over time and how little they know of their past is quite surprising.
Overall, this is a perfect read for someone who likes to look into our history with curiosity. The insights provided through this book is very valuable.
March 20, 2021
The author takes us through 5000 years of Indian History - the social and cultural moorings of Indians through the ages. Drawing on credible sources, he infers on what inspired and shaped them : their political upheavals and rivalries, customs and vocations and a variety of unusual festivals. He does this through his travels to and researches of 6 iconic places - Dholavira of Harappan Civilization, Nagarjunakonda which was the capital of the Ikshvaku Kingdom, Buddhist centre of learning at Nalanda, Khajuraho, Vijaynagar at Hampi, and Varanasi. He also punctuates this with accounts of famous travellers to India - Megasthenes, Xuanzang, Al Beruni and Marco Polo. In the process th author dwells on some interesting questions like : Why is the debate about the Aryan migration theory so hot? Why did the people of Khajuraho carve erotic scenes on temple walls? What did the monks at Nalanda eat for dinner? Did Indian ideals of beauty ever prefer dark skin?
I would recommend this book to anyone who would be interested in continuing to sharpen one’s knowledge of Indian History through continued fresh insights - especially when the same is being hotly contested by so-called intellectuals and politicians of a certain hue!
I would recommend this book to anyone who would be interested in continuing to sharpen one’s knowledge of Indian History through continued fresh insights - especially when the same is being hotly contested by so-called intellectuals and politicians of a certain hue!
April 29, 2021
Are you curious to know more and more about our Indian history and civilization? If you are, here is a book for you, "Indians: A Brief History of A Civilization" a marvelous adventure about prehistorical India, engraved by Namit Arora.
This book is a deep read about the prehistory of India which is illustrated through a journey from the beginning of this book. The author appropriates us through 5000-years-old of Indian History in which lots of information is available about the historical places of India.
I am fond of visiting historical places and gain more and more information about those places. this book helps me a lot to know about some places as :-
1. Dholavira
2. Nagarjunakonda
3. Nalanda
4. Khajuraho
5. How Vijaynagar changes into Hampi
6. Varanasi and many more
As a government job aspirant, this book helped me a lot in addressing the knowledge of ancient Indian History.
The book is without any doubt a perfect read for everybody. The book cover is perfect and goes well with it’s theme. I found this book very edifying and the author’s dedication with the research needs to be applauded.
I would recommend it to every Indian reader. Go grab your copies today!
This book is a deep read about the prehistory of India which is illustrated through a journey from the beginning of this book. The author appropriates us through 5000-years-old of Indian History in which lots of information is available about the historical places of India.
I am fond of visiting historical places and gain more and more information about those places. this book helps me a lot to know about some places as :-
1. Dholavira
2. Nagarjunakonda
3. Nalanda
4. Khajuraho
5. How Vijaynagar changes into Hampi
6. Varanasi and many more
As a government job aspirant, this book helped me a lot in addressing the knowledge of ancient Indian History.
The book is without any doubt a perfect read for everybody. The book cover is perfect and goes well with it’s theme. I found this book very edifying and the author’s dedication with the research needs to be applauded.
I would recommend it to every Indian reader. Go grab your copies today!
April 29, 2021
The book ’Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization’ by Namit Arora has covered many places in our country. The history in his book is infused with stories and fables of every region the author has written about. The content of the book is thoroughly researched and well presented. The author has visited every site and gathered information on every place. Along with historical sites like Khajuraho temple and Nalanda, the life journey of historians like Alberuni is also covered in the book. The content in the book is truly insightful.’
Every chapter has been narrated like a story, laced with all the required historical information. This book might look like it’s a lot to read because it contains more than 300 pages but once you start, it grabs your attention from the first page and every line in it is worth reading. I got to know a lot of things about the historical sites and figures mentioned in the book. This book is nothing short of a blessing for history enthusiasts all over the world.
Lucid language has been used. The title and the cover go well with the theme of the book. The book is surely a must-read for everybody!
My rating-4/5
Every chapter has been narrated like a story, laced with all the required historical information. This book might look like it’s a lot to read because it contains more than 300 pages but once you start, it grabs your attention from the first page and every line in it is worth reading. I got to know a lot of things about the historical sites and figures mentioned in the book. This book is nothing short of a blessing for history enthusiasts all over the world.
Lucid language has been used. The title and the cover go well with the theme of the book. The book is surely a must-read for everybody!
My rating-4/5
April 18, 2021
Book name:Indians : A Brief History of a Civilization
Author : Namit Arora
Pages:349
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The author takes us through 5000 years of Indian History - the social and cultural moorings of Indians through the ages.
He does this through his travels to and researches of 6 places - Dholavira of Harappan Civilization, Nagarjunakonda , Buddhist centre of learning at Nalanda, Khajuraho, Vijaynagar at Hampi, and Varanasi.
The presentation is novel in that the chapters is about historically significant site and the writings/observations of foreign travelers to India during specific time periods.
The book is very interesting and I am personally a fan of history so I enjoyed it a lot. But this book makes people like history.
I found this book very informative and the author has obviously done a tremendous amount of research.Author Namit Arora has presented this book in his voice, and the language is also easy to read.
Author : Namit Arora
Pages:349
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The author takes us through 5000 years of Indian History - the social and cultural moorings of Indians through the ages.
He does this through his travels to and researches of 6 places - Dholavira of Harappan Civilization, Nagarjunakonda , Buddhist centre of learning at Nalanda, Khajuraho, Vijaynagar at Hampi, and Varanasi.
The presentation is novel in that the chapters is about historically significant site and the writings/observations of foreign travelers to India during specific time periods.
The book is very interesting and I am personally a fan of history so I enjoyed it a lot. But this book makes people like history.
I found this book very informative and the author has obviously done a tremendous amount of research.Author Namit Arora has presented this book in his voice, and the language is also easy to read.
April 26, 2021
Highly recommended
Indians: A brief history of civilization by Namit Arora.
🌸 Almost 11 million foreign tourist arrivals were reported across India. India offers a diverse portfolio for travel and tourism.
🌸 The chapters are divided into six historical sites:-
1. Dholavira
2. Nagarjunakonda
3. Nalanda
4. Khajuraho
5. Change of Vijaynagar into Hampi
6. Varanasi
🌸 The author takes us through 5000-years-old of Indian History.
The best book for Ancient Indian history, So impressed by it. Must buy for Ancient indian History reader. The author's writing style is beautiful with vivid and evocative descriptions of the various stops in his time travel.
🌸Must read for overall understanding of key aspects of Indian history. Very helpful for CSE and other state exams. Wonderful book with suitable content in very easy language. Highly satisfied and recommended from my side for aspirants of CSE exam.
Indians: A brief history of civilization by Namit Arora.
🌸 Almost 11 million foreign tourist arrivals were reported across India. India offers a diverse portfolio for travel and tourism.
🌸 The chapters are divided into six historical sites:-
1. Dholavira
2. Nagarjunakonda
3. Nalanda
4. Khajuraho
5. Change of Vijaynagar into Hampi
6. Varanasi
🌸 The author takes us through 5000-years-old of Indian History.
The best book for Ancient Indian history, So impressed by it. Must buy for Ancient indian History reader. The author's writing style is beautiful with vivid and evocative descriptions of the various stops in his time travel.
🌸Must read for overall understanding of key aspects of Indian history. Very helpful for CSE and other state exams. Wonderful book with suitable content in very easy language. Highly satisfied and recommended from my side for aspirants of CSE exam.
April 27, 2021
Indians: A Brief History of A Civilization is a book, written by Namit Arora.
In this book, the author takes us through 5000 years of Indian History, which is really interesting.
I appreciate the author's research work. This book is very informative.
I am a traveller myself and what I loved the most about the book was that it was divided into six historical sites and the author went there himself to do all the exploration. The six sites in the book are:
1. Dholavira
2. Nagarjunakonda
3. Nalanda
4. Khajuraho
5. Change of Vijaynagar into Hampi
6. Varanasi
Personally, I really enjoyed the book.
The narration is crisp and insightful and does not let the reader lose interest.
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.
In this book, the author takes us through 5000 years of Indian History, which is really interesting.
I appreciate the author's research work. This book is very informative.
I am a traveller myself and what I loved the most about the book was that it was divided into six historical sites and the author went there himself to do all the exploration. The six sites in the book are:
1. Dholavira
2. Nagarjunakonda
3. Nalanda
4. Khajuraho
5. Change of Vijaynagar into Hampi
6. Varanasi
Personally, I really enjoyed the book.
The narration is crisp and insightful and does not let the reader lose interest.
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2022
Writing a book about India is not at all easy given her complexity, legacy and rich history. This book too struggles on this front as there were way too many facts without much connection between them. The author couldn't stick to a particular line of thought to describe something and sometimes he went too much into the details. Some parts were about way of life, some philosophy, some debauchery, symbolims and so on. There wasn't a common thread connecting the parts. Also though I agree that there aren't any indigenous accounts, I feel that observing India through a foreigners' lens adds no observational value. I felt that the narrative was a bit jumbled and needed better editting. 2 stars for the effort and facts compilation though. Overall, not a book worthy of recommendation!
October 12, 2022
An exhilarating read.
The author walks us through 6 civilizations:
1. Dholavira (2600-1900 BCE).
2. Nagarjunakonda (220-320 CE).
3. Nalanda (425-1350 CE).
4. Khajuraho (950-1250 CE).
5. Hampi (1336-1565 CE).
6. Varanasi (from 800 BCE).
He syncs his entries of these civilizations with the entries of 7 travellers (Megasthenes, Faxian, Xuanzang, Yijing, Alberuni, Marco Polo and Francois Bernier) to give us (Indians and people of Indian origin) an idea of how our ancestors lived and where they probably came from.
The way he fused eroticism and religion (tantric practices) to tell the story of Khajuraho’s erotic sculptures was enlightening.
Definitely a recommended read for the historically blind like me.
The author walks us through 6 civilizations:
1. Dholavira (2600-1900 BCE).
2. Nagarjunakonda (220-320 CE).
3. Nalanda (425-1350 CE).
4. Khajuraho (950-1250 CE).
5. Hampi (1336-1565 CE).
6. Varanasi (from 800 BCE).
He syncs his entries of these civilizations with the entries of 7 travellers (Megasthenes, Faxian, Xuanzang, Yijing, Alberuni, Marco Polo and Francois Bernier) to give us (Indians and people of Indian origin) an idea of how our ancestors lived and where they probably came from.
The way he fused eroticism and religion (tantric practices) to tell the story of Khajuraho’s erotic sculptures was enlightening.
Definitely a recommended read for the historically blind like me.
April 23, 2021
This book offers a wonderful panorama of Indian history by making deep dives into six major "lost worlds of India" and presenting insights from famous foreign travelers to our land. It is filled with surprising details and analysis, such as on what distinguished the Harappans from other ancient civilizations like Egyptian and Mesopotamian, the factors behind the steady decline of Buddhism, and the reasons for the disappearance of sexuality on Indian temple art.
The author explains the religious, literary and cultural aspects of ancient and medieval India and its people in vivid detail and refined prose. If you are a history and travel enthusiast, I would highly recommend this gem.
The author explains the religious, literary and cultural aspects of ancient and medieval India and its people in vivid detail and refined prose. If you are a history and travel enthusiast, I would highly recommend this gem.
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