A History of South India: Book Reivew

 Yet to be edited

K. A. Nilakanta Sastri. A History of South India, From Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar. With a new introduction by R. Champakalakshmi. Oxford India Paperbacks (1955), 26^th impression, 2007.

After reading this book, what lingers in my mind is not the subject which is dealt in depth in this book, but the high scholarship of the author.  It is amazing to see the volumes of information that he collected and presented in this book in his time without the help of a Computer.  All the modern scholars with high tech accessories will look dwarfs when compared to the minute details which are collected from various fields to write such book on history.  When I Rajesh brought this book, I said, ‘I would prefer to read recent books than old ones’, he said, ‘yet this is the best one in this field’.  And it is true.  The present book is the 26^th impression and no one can ignore Sastriji or cannot say without referring him in any recent book on the history of South India.  Any one wants to know all the information about the history of South India from the ‘dawn of history’ (Ch. IV) and even before it regarding the ‘Land in relation to history’ (Ch. III) and the ‘the earliest peoples and cultures’, (Ch. II) can read this one book. 

After the need information (in Chapters II to IV), the author also gives the information about the Mauryan Empire and Satavahanas, as the history of South India cannot be understood without reading those information which have link and influence on South India.  Then giving the Age of Sangam and After (Ch. VII), Sastriji presents a detailed history of all the major kingdoms of South India in some what chronological order first begins with the Conflict of three empires (Chalukyas of Baadaami;  Pallavas of Kaanchii and Pandyas of Madura, Ch. VIII) which shaped and paved way for the future developments of Kings in south.  The giving all the details about the ‘Balance of Two Empires’ viz., Cholas and Chalukya (Ch. IX), gives a short sketch about the ‘Age of Four Kingdoms’ (Pandya revival, Chola recovery, Hoysalas and Kakatiyas) gives the information about the Rise of ‘The Baahmanis and of Vijayanagar’ (Ch. XI).  Then allots a complete chapter on ‘The Empire of Vijayanagar’ (Ch. XII) as it played an important role in checking the spread of Muslims rule further south and also the revival of Hinduism in all its scope (religious, cultural and social etc.) with all the information about the ‘Sangama dynastry’; ‘Saluva Dynastry; ‘Tuluva Dynastry’ and ‘Aravidu Dynasty’.  But all the minute information that are given in all these chapters about various Kingdoms will be a source of information to those who are interested in such history.  But in the rest of the books what Sastriji writes about the ‘Social and Economic Conditions’ (Ch. XIII); ‘Literature’ (Ch. XIV) ‘Religion and Philosophy’ (Ch. XV) and ‘Art and Architecture’ (Ch. XVI) will help us to have a comprehensive life of South Indian in all its aspects.  And anyone wants to understand not only the people of South but also of the whole India will be benefited as these information are not limited only with South India as there was mutual influence and exchange between North and South and even beyond the boundaries of India, particularly in Ceylon and few South Asian countries including that of China.

When I read the Chapter Literature and particularly about Tamil, I was overwhelmed about the volumes of literatures that are available and also get lost in the long history of Tamil land.  As a student of Tamil Literatures, even though I read several classical, medieval and recent literatures of both religious and secular, yet what is left is so vast.  And the general survey that Sastriji gives about all these Literatures helps one to understand the development of both languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kanada and Malayalam) and the literatures which shaped and reflect the cultural, social and religious life of South India.

Thus anyone one who wants to know the History of South India and also about India should begin from this book before going for a micro level of study of any interesting subject on India as a whole and South India in particular.

However, some information that Sastriji provides and discuss about the Aryan-Dravidian influence and contribution might irritate those who want to insist on the originality of Dravidian either minimizing or neglecting the mutual contribution and influence (also fusion) of these two traditions.  About this what Dr. R. Champakalakshmi says in her Introduction is worth quoting as it will present a correct scholarly view:

Traditional approaches to the study of society in south India have perpetuated certain stereo types like the Aryan-Dravidian divide and the assumption that the varna based hierarchical caste society of the brahminical order developed in a uniform patter all over the country. While the Aryan-Dravidian divide as a racial category to explain the cultural differences between north India and south India has now been shown to be a red herring and hence incapable of leading to the right conclusions regarding historical processes, it still persists as a tool of political contest in south India.  However, the traditional view of the existence of a four fold division continues to influence studies on caste and society, which have accepted it without question.  These studies often select evidence arbitrarily from the varied and disparate sources to fit into the varna framework, despite the fact that regional specificities led to the evolution different caste structures depending on the integrative processes and the pre-existing divisions, ethnic (tribal), occupational, and the newly emerging professional groups, which were incorporated into the brahmanical order…..—P. xxii.

At the same time, even scholars have their own prejudices and restriction and this is well noted by Champakalakshmi who rightly points out that:

            Stereotypes also persist in studies which follow the conventional methods in using terminology like ‘empire’ for describing small kingdoms whose territorial control hardly extended over an area represented by a few modern districts, such as the Chalukya, Pallava, and Panday ‘empires’.  This may be attributed to the imperialist and nationalist biases in conventional approaches.  Even a master historian like Sastri was not free from making such unwarranted characterizations and hence glorifying the Chola state as an empire, with a Byzantine type of monarchy and in the same vein describing the Chalukya, Pallava, and Pandya kingdoms as empires….—p. xxiii.

            Well, as modern technology provides for one to do proper research and present the findings in an objective ways, yet when it comes to the contribution of Sastriji will remain as the foundation forever.  In the words again of Champakalakshmi:

            Historiography of south India has taken a significant turn since Sastri with a new awareness of the need for both advanced methodology and soun empirical base to achieve a more meaningful and purposefl research in south Indian history.  Present and future researches can enhance our understanding of the past by following a more scientific methodology of exploring the sources, by adopting an integrated approach to the study of historical process/change and introducing a more logical periodization in south Indian history, but they cannot replace Sastri’s text on south India as the basic political narrative for pre-colonial south India.—p. xxiii..

Dayanand Bharati, Gurukulam, March 28, 2011.