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Studies in the Religious Life of Ancient and Medieval India

The topics dealt with are of as varied nature as those in his other Studies. The approach of most writers to the problems relating to Indian religions is based on literary sources; but in respect of the majority of topics discussed in the volume with the exception of the first few chapters, Prof. Sircar depends primarily on inscriptions and supplements epigraphic evidence by the testimony of literary and numismatic records wherever necessary. A few of the studies incorporated in the volume exhibit the author’s search for truth spread over a number of years. Thus his investigation relating to the god Purusottama-Jagannatha of Puri began when he noticed the dominions of Ganga Anangabhima III (1211-39 A.D.) described as ‘Purusottama’s empire’ in an inscription, in 1939. In the course of its progress, he found out, in 1946, how Bhanu II (1305-27 A.D.) is represented in his records as a feudatory of the god Purusottama-Jagannatha and, in 1953, how a literary work speaks of the dedication of the Ganga kingdom to the god by king Anangabhima. Finally in 1963, Prof. Sircar traced in a tenth century epigraph of the Satna District, Madhya Pradesh, how the god of Puri attracted pilgrims from distant regions. The chapter on Purusottama-Jagannatha in the volume is thus the result of a study of about quarter of a century.

Studies in the Political and Administrative Systems in Ancient and Medieval India

The earlier chapters of the present volume deal with a large number of topics relating to kingship, landlordism (sometimes mistaken as feudalism), tenancy, royal, charter, Pancayat system etc. Some of the following chapters contain discussions on certain royal officers the functions of some of them or their departments a few aspects of the judicial system some land measures and taxes etc. The third group of topics mostly concerns the interpretation of technical expressions found in epigraphical records.

The last section of the work consists of several appendices which are really some of the author’s recently published studies. Of these, one deals with the democratic traditions of ancient Indian and another with the functioning of the guilds, while a third contains a number of popular conceptions about the duties of Kings. The Subject of the last of the appendices is the traders privileges guaranteed by kings, which has been included here as a topic relating to kingship, though it is equally suitable for a study of economic life.

It will be seen that the book contains the learned author’s views on a great variety of matter respecting the political and administrative systems of ancient and medieval India. The treatment of the majority of topics is primarily based on information gathered from innumerable epigraphic records discovered in various parts of India and is characterised by an unusual mastery of details.