India is the oldest continuous civilisation of the world – this is perhaps one of the most underrated facts about the Indian subcontinent. Over the past decade, this aspect has been seen in a new light and efforts have been made to reiterate its relevance. Noted auhtor and academician Meenakshi Jain’s new book The Hindus of Hindustan: A Civilisational Journey take us the arduous task of shaping it into an academic argument. In this book, Jain demonstrates the existence of continuities in various spheres of Indian civilisation. Any discerning reader of the book is left to marvel at the inconspicuous yet unbroken lines that connect India’s present to its past.
The word ‘continuous’ opens the doors to a world of ideas, approaches and perspectives concerning India that have remained largely unexplored. Looking at India as a continuous civilisation, we are able to spot the connections, patterns, and interrelations in cultures, practices, languages, geographies, histories, beliefs and more. We find ourselves looking at the full spectrum of Indian civilisation instead of getting caught in the bog of binaries like north-south, Arya-Dravid, city-village, secular-religious etc. The study of continuities takes the identity question away from divisive approaches by giving us a wholistic and comprehensive view. Many scholars have rued the isolationism in study of regional cultures, languages, politics and history that has reduced the once warm interrelations to mere cold formality. The study of continuities, as conducted by Jain, helps us surmount these borders and look at the march of Indian civilisation over centuries.
Meenakshi Jain is a rare jewel among Indic scholars and historians. She is a heavy weightlifter when it comes to academic books as she tackles the toughest academic questions through clear facts and sources. Her previous works include Rama and Ayodhya, The Battle for Rama: Case of the Temple at Ayodhya, Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples: Episodes from Indian History and many more. In year 2020 she was conferred with Padma Shri. Her books are a treasure trove for research scholars who can find several seeds of thought in them.
In her book The Hindus of Hindustan, Jain looks at the civilisational journey from the making of early India to the advent of Islam. The book is divided into two sections with chapters. The first, and larger, section comprising 14 chapters is titled ‘The Making of Early India’. The second section titled ‘Advent of Islam’ has five chapters. The book begins by mapping the geographical boundaries of India through mentions and textual evidences from Vedic period. The author looks at Panini, who mentions north – comprising Gandhara and Vahika – and east comprising Madra and Usinara. Patanjali mentions the now famous Mahishmati besides Vaidarbha, Kanchipura, and Malabar. Similarly Buddhist and Jain sources are discussed besides the epics and puranas. The second chapter titled ‘Veneration of the Land’ is of particular interest on the subject of Indian nationalism. The Prithvi Sukta of Atharva Veda, for example, also described as the first national song of the world, is seen as a “perfect fusion of love for land, cultural awareness, and a historical tradition rooted in ‘unity in diversity.’” (Jain, 26). The author goes on to discuss various hymns of glory or Bharata Prasastis that appear in Puranic literature.
The third and fourth chapters explore Aryavarta and Dharma, respectively. The author presents the various references of Aryavarta beginning with Patanjali who described it as the land that was home of the cultured elite or sistas who observed right speech and conduct to Baudhayana who described it as the land where black antelope roamed freely. Discussing Dharma the author busts the commonly perception that Dharmashastras were the ultimate authority of Dharma. She posits that the infact Dharmashtras were textualisation of practices. In her book, Scholars will also find interesting nuggets like Yagnavalkya’s injunction “that when a king conquered a territory, he should ensure that the customs of that area were protected; he should not enforce the customs of his region on the subjugated land” (Jain, 48).
The fifth and sixth chapters discuss the movement beyond the seven rivers towards east and then south. The seventh chapter ventures into the continuities of the first civilisation. The author cites Kenoyer’s excavations at Baghor, Sidhi District of Madhya Pradesh to present the proof of the continuity of female principle Mother Goddess from the Upper Paleolothic period. Similarly aspects of Shiva-Pashupati, tree worship, fire altars, pillar cult are examined for signs of continuity. Subsequent chapters of this section take a broader view and look at aspects of fundamental harmony, temples, and sacred literature besides various foreign groups that entered India. The second section turns attention to advent of Islam and the resistance offered to the invaders. The penultimate chapter answers the question that why early foreigners like Maga, Kamboja, Abhiras, Sakas, Kushanas, Hunas became a part of the Indic culture whereas the later ones did not. The author observes that the early foreigners entering India did not impose any belief system and infact empathised with the Indic faith. While the early foreigners were accepted into the society and accorded a corresponding position in the varna system this entry was closed for the later entrants. The author cites Alberuni to explain that later revulsion for foreigners.
The strings of continuity that Jain unveils in the first section of the book are not merely individual cases of interest but point to an essential approach to Indian history and culture. It takes a step away from the forced isolationism and exclusivist approaches that regard each region, practice and belief as standalone and discourages unifying connections. The book prepares ground for robust Indian comparative studies that require instinctive understanding of patterns of continuity – an understanding that exists on the streets of India but is sadly missing from its universities. Meenakshi Jain’s book brings these connections and continuities out from the unconscious depths and foregrounds in the story of Hindustan.
(Author teaches Political Science in Satyawati College of Delhi Univeristy. He can be contacted at swadesh0401@gmail.com)
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