The Early History of Eastern India (Volume 1)

Early history of Eastern India is less known than the history of other parts of northern India, primarily due to paucity of material. Whatever material is available was not critically studied by a good number of competent scholars. As a matter of fact, ancient Bengal and adjacent regions never received the attention it deserved from scholars from outside Bengal, though Bengal of early days comprised modern West Bengal, Bangladesh, part of Bihar and eastern Assam. As a result, there are only few books, except the monumental works of Dr. R.C. Majumdar and Nihar Ranjan Roy. On the subject. The Early History of eastern India by Promode Lal Paul is a noteworthy attempt by a brilliant scholar to bring together the facts regarding the political and cultural history of the region during the Hindu period. It undoubtedly marks a distinctive advance over the existing books on history. The author has studied the subject critically and presented the facts in a detached manner without and bias or prejudice. Paul has facilitated the task of the future historians by a painstaking study of the relevant materials and the results achieved by him are certainly credible and encouraging. The work covers a vast period ending in the twelfth century A.D. The pre-gupta era of Bengal, quite obscure as it is has been dealt with the help of archaeological and literary findings. The work is divided in twelve chapters. The Pala and Sena Dynaties and their rules have been studied in great details. Chapters on the social and economic conditions and specially on literature, learned men and centers of learning are quite illuminating.