The present book in two volumes presents 62 articles on the Historical Geography of India written by eminent scholars of the older generation. Their insightful wisdom and painstaking research reflected in these articles will guide us a correct understanding of the historical place-names connected with political as well as religious march of our civilizational history. The articles have been arranged here is some topical order. The first two articles penned down by H C Ray chaudhuri and Vasudeva Sharan Agarwal respectively, clearly underline the importance and utility of the discipline called Historical Geography. Subsequent articles present geographical data available in individual literary or epigraphic sources-such as Panini, Dharmashastras, Yadavapakasa, Agni Purana, Kalachuri inscription etc. Next section brings together efforts by different scholars to identify and trace the history of specific historical places or pilgrimage centers. For example Sri Lanka of the Ramayana, Dwarka and Kurukshetra of the Mahabharata etc. these articles would show how scholars have strived to identify the location of an ancient place name, and how they have sometimes arrived at quite different identifications. In some articles the data about ancient ethnic groups or tribes such as ancient Tamils, Nagas, Chedis, Hunas, Yavanas, Kambojas etc. has been analysed. Very useful data on fauna found in the Valmiki Ramayana and in the writings of Kalidasa has also been included in these volumes. We hope that the material collected here will be found not only useful but inspiring for further research in this important but neglected field of study.
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