Hinduism Today July 2008 - Cover, Index, Front Articles

www.hinduismtoday.comhistoryMarvelous Historical Atlas of South Asia Is Now OnlineThe historical atlas of south asiamay go down in history as one of thegreat academic achievements of the 20thcentury. Sadly, the 15-pound, $250 tomehas gone out of print. But, happily, it is nowavailable for free online at the Universitiyof Chicago’s Digital South Asian Libraryat http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/.An effort started in 1964, the Atlas wasbased on the foundation of the Ames Libraryof South Asia, a collection that beganin 1917 when Charles Lesley Ames andhis bride went to India. When he giftedhis treasury of text to the University ofMinnesota in 1961, it comprised 80,000items, including more than 25,000 volumesand 700 maps. In 1966 Professor Joseph E.Schwartzberg took the post of editor andwas joined by part-time contributors EleanorZelliot and cartographer Raj B. Mathur.Historian Shiva G. Bajpai joined full timein 1967. Many others contributed overtime to the 1978 first edition. By the timethe second edition was published in 1992,a staggering 190 man-years of work hadbeen invested in the masterpiece.The first 159 pages of the book containfascinating maps detailing the physicalgeography, social and cultural landscapesfrom prehistory to the Vedic period,through independence and up to 1961.You can see exactly where Neolithic andHarappan tools were found, follow themovements of kingdoms, cultures, religionsand saints across the ages, chart the spreadof Indian culture all the way to Vietnamand follow India’s modern-day political divisionsand urbanization.Pages 151 to 375 provide a fascinatinghistorical text. Journey back to the 4th centuryand learn about the rise of the HinduGupta dynasty on the Gangetic plain, thencome forward to just before Independenceand learn about details of India’s first elections.Far more than a book of maps, as thename implies, this atlas is an awesome andaccessible encyclopedia of Indian history.Right: a language distribution map; below:a chart from the overview of the complexMauryan Empire administration of 321bce, evidencing the sophistication ofancient Indian civilizationORGANIZATION OF THE MAURYAN EMPIRETHE EMPEROR (321-381 BCE)HIGHCOURTOFAPPEALSINTELLIGENCE & REPORT-ING SERVICES(Lower levels not shown)MINISTEROF INTERIORREVENUE& BUDGETDEPTS. CONCERNEDWITH REVENUEINNER COUNCILLORS: CHIEF MINISTER, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, HEIR APPARENT, &, at times, a fourth memberHEADS OF DEPARTMENTS(Departments were said to be around thirty-six in number)DEPTS. CONCERNEDWITH TREASURY, MINT,STOREHOUSES, ETC.MINISTER OFTREASURY& PUBLICWORKDEPTS. CONCERNED WITHAGRICULTURE, INDUSTRYAND MININGDEPTS. CONCERNED WITHECONOMIC REGULATIONSMINISTEROF WARDEPTS. CONCERNED WITHLAW, RECORDS, & AUDITCOUNCIL OF MINISTERS(12 to 20 or more in number; mayinclude ministers name to left aswell as certain dept. heads)DEPTS. CONCERNED WITHPUBLIC MORALS CENSOR-SHIP & RELIGIOUSESTABLISHMENTSDEPTS. CONCERNED WITHFOREIGN AFFAIRSDEPARTMENT OF WARADMINISTRATOR ANDMAGISTRATE OF THEIMPERIAL CAPITALhistorical atlas of south asia, plate x.b.1, p. 100