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Early Historic Andhra Pradesh 500 BC-AD 624

Edited by I.K. Sarma

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978-81-89487-37-9

This second volume in the Comprehensive History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh series spans the Early Historic period, from 500 BC to AD 624. This was a historical period in Andhra Pradesh that witnessed tremendous flux in all spheres of human activity, marked by processes of contestation, accommodation and acculturation. It was also an age that saw the evolution of religions and religious practices on the basis of an understanding – shared by the royalty and commoners alike – of religion as a necessary social institution for peaceful coexistence and as a driving force of emerging state formations.

The essays in this volume present the findings of research studies undertaken since 1960 – when the notable volume The Early History of Deccan, edited by Ghulam Yazdani, appeared – on the political, social and cultural history of the region. There are essays on the various ruling dynasties that reigned over Andhradesa in the Early Historic period, which included the Satavahanas, Ikshvakus, Brihatphalayanas, Salankayanas, Anandas, Vishnukundins, Early Pallavas, Matharas, Pitribhaktas, Vasishthas and Eastern Gangas. A long essay on religion, based on the latest evidence yielded by the excavation of historical sites, discusses the spread of Buddhism, the contributions of Buddhist philosophers such as Nagarjunacharya and Buddhaghosa, and the impact of Buddhism on art and architecture as seen at the sites of Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda; the presence and spread of Jainism; and the emergence of the Vedic brahmanical religion and the process of Sanskritization. Other subjects covered in the volume include language, literature and script; coinage and currency systems; art, architecture and iconography; evolution of the polity and the nature of the state; historical geography and cultural map of the region.

I.K. Sarma

I.K. Sarma has a PhD in archaeology from the University of Pune. He has worked at excavations in Nagarjunakonda, Kalibangan, Paiyanpalli, Pauni, Surkotada, and directed the excavations at Gudimallam, Amaravati and Guntupalli. Among his more important published works are The Coinage of the Satavahana Empire, The Development of Early Saiva Art and Architecture and Science of Archaeology in India. Dr Sarma served as Director of the Archaeological Survey of India and of Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad.