The present work attempts a critical assessment of various sources of the history and culture of Central India from the earliest times to 13th century A.D. All conceivable aspects of the source material viz. Pre and Protohistoric Archaeology, Epigraphy, Numismatics, Art and Architecture, Literature and Accounts of the Foreign Travellers and Writers have been covered with bibliographical references in the list supplied with each chapter. A critical and comprehensive survey precedes each list. At the end a Select Bibliography is preceded by two appendices to cover radio-carbon dates and ostrich egg-shell sites. The work fulfils two objectives for which it was undertaken viz. i) It ascertains the extent to which the available source material related to the history and culture of Central India has been utilised by the historians and the gaps that still remain to be filled up and ii) It helps advanced students in getting to know the historical source material of Central India lying scattered in different parts of the region. Strikingly illustrated, the present work will prove to be a source book of ready reference for the archaeologists, historians, art critics, as well as research scholars in furthering their researches regarding the political and cultural history of India in general and Central India in particular.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR R.K. Sharma
Dr. R.K. Sharma, (born 1932) Professor and Head of the Department of Ancient Indian History Culture and Archaeology and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Jabalpur retired in 1992. Subsequently he was Visiting Professor in the University of Sagar for one academic session and Senior Research Fellow of the Indian Council of Historical Research for three years. Dr. Sharma’s contributions to the cause of Indian Archaeology in general and Archaeology of Madhya Pradesh in particular are widely acclaimed. On account of this he was felicitated by a Volume (in two parts) entitled “Heritage of Indian-Past and Present†which was brought out in his honour and presented to him in 1994. The credit of directing the archaeological excavations of Gilaulikhera, Kakrehta and Patan goes to him. A large number of research papers have been published by him in journals of national and international repute. His prestigious publications include : Madhya Pradesh Ke Puratattva Ka Sandarbha Granth (Bhopal, 1974), The Temple of Chaunsatha Yogini at Bheraghat (Delhi, 1978), Art of the Paramaras of Malwa (Ed.) (Delhi, 1979), The Kalachuris and Their Times (Delhi, 1980), Indian Archaeology-New Perspectives (Ed.) (Delhi, 1982), Archaeology of Bhopal Region (Delhi, 1980), Rock-Art of India (Ed.) (Delhi, 1983), Vajapeya – Essays on Evolution of Indian Art and Culture (Prof. K.D. Bajpai Fel. Vol.) (Ed.) (Delhi, 1987), Studies in Shell Script (Ed.) (Delhi, 1990), Art of the Kalachuris (Ed.) (Bhopal, 1991), Excavations at Kakrehta (Delhi, 1992), Krsna Smrti (Prof. K.D. Bajpai Comm. Vol.) (Ed.) (Delhi, 1995), and Prehistoric Art in India (Dr. S.K. Pandey Fel. Vol.) (Ed.) (Delhi, 1996). A series of other publications are in process.
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