Probings into India’s Distant Past - Heramb Chaturvedi

This book covers the history of human civilisation as revealed in ancient Indian classical texts. In fact the author delineates the theory of Vishnu’s “dashavatara†in this background. Moreover, it is the emergence of land and later life — vegetation to animal kingdom to human beings from water which is analysed from the mythological churning of the Sea (Caspian Sea in this case) or “Samudramanthan†and how Kumbha has historical basis and the how the “Kalpwas†at Sangam of Prayag helps us understand the transition of history from the hoary past of mythology! It is thus a study of ancient Indian realm of knowledge and wisdom. The chapter on Mahabharata paradigm gives us an example how to use ancient Indian history writing as F.E. Pargiter had done and understand how ancient historians did know about historicism and the concept of causation which the Euro-centric historians thought were their contribution in giving history a modern touch and scientific temper.