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Book Review
Festschrift for a historian
RECONSTRUCTING INDIAN HISTORY FOR S.R. GOYAL: Shankar Goyal — Editor; Book Enclave, Jain Bhawan, Opp. N.E.I., Shanti Nagar, Jaipur-302006. Rs. 9000 (for four volumes).
THESE FOUR volumes have been brought out in honour of S.R. Goyal, one of the most eminent historians of the country whose valuable contributions to the history and culture of India, especially the ancient period, span over more than four decades.
His works include about 35 books and 140 research papers on political and cultural, especially religious history and sources — epigraphical, numismatic and literary — which have benefited scholars and students of ancient Indian history.
Although ancient India was his special field of study, the editor has also worked quite extensively in medieval and modern history and Rajasthan also, which is proof of his versatile scholarship and his long and abiding interest in the historical and cultural studies of India.
As a fitting tribute dedicated to this outstanding scholar on his 70th birthday, the editor has done well to bring out these four volumes containing more than a hundred articles on various topics of India's past from the earliest times to the present day.
The first volume is devoted to Prof. Goyal and his work and throws light on the various aspects of his vision of and approach to history.
The second contains papers by eminent scholars on ancient Indian history and has been subdivided thematically into five sections — the Indus civilization and Vedic culture; Political history and ideas and epigraphy and numismatics; Social and economic life and institutions; Religion and religious life; and art. The next volume contains papers on India's medieval and modern past and the last volume deals with the history of Rajasthan from prehistory to the Independence era.
The contributors to this Festschrift include eminent scholars from India as well as those from many other countries.
The topics of the essays give us a broad view of the variety of themes and provide a scholarly insight into the changing pattern of Indian history and civilisation, incorporating the latest researches in the subject.
These well-brought-out volumes, illustrated with a number of beautiful photographs, will prove to be an indispensable reference work and an interesting and invaluable asset not only to the world of scholars, but to the lay readers as well.
K. V. RAMAN
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