J. S. Grewal - Böcker

In a revised edition of his original book, J. S. Grewal brings the history of the Sikhs from its beginnings in the time of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, right up to the present day. Against the background of the history of the Punjab, the volume surveys the changing pattern of human settlements in the region until the fifteenth century and the emergence of the Punjabi language as the basis of regional articulation. Subsequent chapters explore the life and beliefs of Guru Nanak, the development of his ideas by his successors and the growth of his following. The book offers a comprehensive statement on one of the largest and most important communities in India today.

In a revised edition of his original book, J. S. Grewal brings the history of the Sikhs from its beginnings in the time of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, right up to the present day. Against the background of the history of the Punjab, the volume surveys the changing pattern of human settlements in the region until the fifteenth century and the emergence of the Punjabi language as the basis of regional articulation. Subsequent chapters explore the life and beliefs of Guru Nanak, the development of his ideas by his successors and the growth of his following. The book offers a comprehensive statement on one of the largest and most important communities in India today.

The Chār Bāgh-i-Panjāb, written by Ganesh Das Wadera immediately after the annexation of the Lahore kingdom by the British in 1849, is a classic Persian text. Its long descriptive part is the only surviving account of the social, religious, and cultural life of the peoples of the Punjab, especially during the late-eighteenth and the early-nineteenth century. Ganesh Das writes about traditional learning, literature, folklore, urban centres, and women with a rare catholicity as an Indian, an orthodox Hindu, a Punjabi, and a Khatri. Himself a hereditary qanungo of Gujrat in the Sikh kingdom, he also provides valuable insights into the structure of revenue administration at lower rungs. This volume presents an authoritative English translation of this primary descriptive section of Chār Bāgh-i-Panjāb, with a detailed Introduction, critical commentary, glossary, map, and a classified index. Indispensable for researchers, it will interest historians of medieval and modern India, especially those concerned with the pre-Independence Punjab region.

The Chār Bāgh-i-Panjāb, written by Ganesh Das Wadera immediately after the annexation of the Lahore kingdom by the British in 1849, is a classic Persian text. Its long descriptive part is the only surviving account of the social, religious, and cultural life of the peoples of the Punjab, especially during the late-eighteenth and the early-nineteenth century. Ganesh Das writes about traditional learning, literature, folklore, urban centres, and women with a rare catholicity as an Indian, an orthodox Hindu, a Punjabi, and a Khatri. Himself a hereditary qanungo of Gujrat in the Sikh kingdom, he also provides valuable insights into the structure of revenue administration at lower rungs. This volume presents an authoritative English translation of this primary descriptive section of Chār Bāgh-i-Panjāb, with a detailed Introduction, critical commentary, glossary, map, and a classified index. Indispensable for researchers, it will interest historians of medieval and modern India, especially those concerned with the pre-Independence Punjab region.

The ‘Punjab’ of this book is a metaphor for the geographical region sur­rounded by the Himalayas, the Great Indian Desert, the Aravali hills and the river Jamuna. During a period of about 4000 years up to ad 1000, the cultural boundaries of this region did not coincide with its geographical boundaries and there were sub-regional differences as well. There was a great deal of interaction with the outside world and between sub-regions. The socio-cultural dynamics of the region are well reflected in the different periods?of?its?history.Seen from the regional angle, the Harappan civilization reveals sub-regional diversities and continuation in a rural setting. The Rigvedic culture appears to be a regional rather than an ethnic articulation. The formation of states within the region and its incorporation in empires set the stage for trade and urbanization, and for new socio-cultural formations. For the first time the great importance of Buddhism in the region gets under­scored. Gradually, however, it was replaced by Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism.Changes in religious history are related to the changing contexts of polity and economy in their bearing on the social order, languages, literature and the arts. This book should be of equal interest to the student, the professional?historian?and?the?general?reader.

The 24 essays that make up this unique anthology, subject the Sikh question to a rigorous critical scrutiny. And I find the claim of the editors regarding ‘the twin ideals of detachment and empathy’ fairly vindicated. The general tone, on the whole is free of rancour and acrimony and the book suggests a culture of ideas. Its range and solidity and intellectual engagement lift the argument to a new level altogether. Considering the fact and the contributing scholars are drawn from 4 continents with varying ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds, the bouquet of papers presented here gives off a distinctive perfume of thought. And since the volume ensures a certain level of critical sophistication, it achieves a discipline of idiom and expression.