This book furnishes probably for the first time a full and racy account of the entire spectrum of Indian entertainment from the angles of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam. This scrutiny is based on original and secondary sources, epigraphy, archaeology, numismatics and tradition, to render it authentic and acceptable to scholars and the general public. In this examination of Indian Entertainment, modern games like cricket and so forth are excluded because they are not intrinsically Indian and hence outside the purview of this study. Early concepts of Indian Entertainment are first discussed and followed up by an analysis of open air sports, indoor games, sadistic delights, aesthetic pleasures and erotic devices, the games and practices, which provided diversion to generation in India, are not merely narrated but whenever possible examined cogently. As far as practicable chronology, invariably from original sources, is utilized for the stable foundation of the facts cited and the data presented. The evidence of foreign witnesses is also harnessed, not that it can be entirely relied upon, as it is often recorded gossip but it reveals how outsiders viewed our usages from their view-points often prejudiced and unreliable. Corroboration and documentation have been utilised to arrive at reasonable conclusions. Some illustrations are included as they are authentic and contemporary, to enhance the value of this study.
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