Ganges
the many pasts of an Indian river
Sen, Sudipta
creator
text
ctu
2019
monographic
eng
xi, 445 p. ; ill. ; 24 cm
A sweeping, interdisciplinary history of the world's third-largest river, a potent symbol across South Asia and the Hindu diaspora Originating in the Himalayas and flowing into the Bay of Bengal, the Ganges is India's most important and sacred river. In this unprecedented work, historian Sudipta Sen tells the story of the Ganges, from the communities that arose on its banks to the merchants that navigated its waters, and the way it came to occupy center stage in the history and culture of the subcontinent. Sen begins his chronicle in prehistoric India, tracing the river's first settlers, its myths of origin in the Hindu tradition, and its significance during the ascendancy of popular Buddhism. In the following centuries, Indian empires, Central Asian regimes, European merchants, the British Empire, and the Indian nation-state all shaped the identity and ecology of the river. Weaving together geography, environmental politics, and religious history, Sen offers in this lavishly illustrated volume a remarkable portrait of one of the world's largest and most densely populated river basins. Copac
The world of pilgrims -- Ganga descends -- Digging out of prehistory -- Rise of the warring kngdoms -- Guardians of the middle country -- The goddess of fortune -- Crucible of empires -- The making of the agrarian heartland -- The Ganges in the Age of Empire -- Epilogue: The two bodies of the river
Sudipta Sen.
Includes bibliographic references and index.
India
History
Ganges River (India and Bangladesh)
History
954.1
9780300119169 (hbk.) :
StDuBDS
19
20190321165453.0
021444716
eng