Here are the various kingdoms of India from 1 CE (AD) uploaded as Google spreadsheet. The original MS Excel file as mentioned in “Is History just making it up? -1” is corrupt in the sense that Google Documents doesn’t like it and throws up an error.
Apart the ‘full’ work book is really a ‘spreadsheet’ in its truest sense. It starts with South America in column ‘C’. The previous version (evolution ver.1m) I had emailed to many ‘ORKUT’ friends in 2007 ended with Japan in column ‘BQ’.
Subsequently added Africa in columns ‘BR’ to ‘BX’ (which still covers only Maghreb Africa from Sudan to Tunisia, without Libya). The other countries of North Africa and the vast Sub-Saharan Africa are yet to be filled in. Thus, this version is numbered as evolution ver.1n.
But the spreadsheet displayed below is not even the full ‘evolution’ sheet. This is just the columns relating to India and its immediate neighbours. Even this doesn’t give us the full picture, as there is not way to depict the 556 princely states which existed within the borders of the Independent India in 1947.
Note:
There is a big confusion about the number of Princely states in 1947. The count varies from 556 to 565, 568, 572 and even 575. I will stick on to what I read in NCERT text books (and which is burned by rote in my memory) - 556.
This lacuna can be explained thus:
The 556 number, as counted by the Iron Man of India, Sardar Patel, must have been the states which were ‘within’ the borders of the Indian Union or the Republic as we know now [http://princelystatesofindia.com/Maps/maps.html].
The 565 or 568 count may well be as per the borders of the ‘Indian Empire’ which would include those princely states which were unfortunate enough to fall within the Dominion of Pakistan (from which Bangladesh broke away in 1971).
Apart there were also protectorates, mandates and dependencies of the British Indian Empire which extended from Somaliland through Aden, Malaya, Singapore, to Dutch East Indies and which did not fall within the borders of either the Union of India or the Dominion of Pakistan - including them might well take the count up to 572 or 575.
end of note
Thus, even these MS Excel/Google spreadsheets may not actually give a clear idea of the situation on the ground (pun intended). Probably the only way is to depict the kingdoms on an interactive map (thematic map or a choropleth map)
Again, to give a clear idea of what exactly was the situation on the ground, we need to map the kingdoms as they existed at a single point in time.
For e.g., in ~300 CE (AD),
Another eg., let us take the Wikipedia image for the Maurya Empire [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maurya_Dynasty_in_265_BCE.jpg].
The problem is in creating such an overlay.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but here’s the basic idea on how it should be done:
So why do I want to do it?
Because, apart from everything else, I want it to be a history lesson for those idiots -
For e.g., Bundelkhand is nothing but the ancient Chedi Kingdom; and Nanjil Nadu (southern TN), if it does firm up, would be the ancient Pandyan Kingdom.
So what are we trying to do? Undo the efforts of the Bismarck of India? Bloody Air Heads all.
:-P
Related posts:
Is History just making it up? - part 1
Age of Empires - part 3
Apart the ‘full’ work book is really a ‘spreadsheet’ in its truest sense. It starts with South America in column ‘C’. The previous version (evolution ver.1m) I had emailed to many ‘ORKUT’ friends in 2007 ended with Japan in column ‘BQ’.
Subsequently added Africa in columns ‘BR’ to ‘BX’ (which still covers only Maghreb Africa from Sudan to Tunisia, without Libya). The other countries of North Africa and the vast Sub-Saharan Africa are yet to be filled in. Thus, this version is numbered as evolution ver.1n.
But the spreadsheet displayed below is not even the full ‘evolution’ sheet. This is just the columns relating to India and its immediate neighbours. Even this doesn’t give us the full picture, as there is not way to depict the 556 princely states which existed within the borders of the Independent India in 1947.
Note:
There is a big confusion about the number of Princely states in 1947. The count varies from 556 to 565, 568, 572 and even 575. I will stick on to what I read in NCERT text books (and which is burned by rote in my memory) - 556.
This lacuna can be explained thus:
The 556 number, as counted by the Iron Man of India, Sardar Patel, must have been the states which were ‘within’ the borders of the Indian Union or the Republic as we know now [http://princelystatesofindia.com/Maps/maps.html].
The 565 or 568 count may well be as per the borders of the ‘Indian Empire’ which would include those princely states which were unfortunate enough to fall within the Dominion of Pakistan (from which Bangladesh broke away in 1971).
Apart there were also protectorates, mandates and dependencies of the British Indian Empire which extended from Somaliland through Aden, Malaya, Singapore, to Dutch East Indies and which did not fall within the borders of either the Union of India or the Dominion of Pakistan - including them might well take the count up to 572 or 575.
end of note
Thus, even these MS Excel/Google spreadsheets may not actually give a clear idea of the situation on the ground (pun intended). Probably the only way is to depict the kingdoms on an interactive map (thematic map or a choropleth map)
Again, to give a clear idea of what exactly was the situation on the ground, we need to map the kingdoms as they existed at a single point in time.
For e.g., in ~300 CE (AD),
- North-West India (which would comprise present day Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan), was under Saka (Scythians) rule
- Western India was under Persian Rule
- Central India was with the Satavahanas, while
- the Southern India was under the early Chola rule
Another eg., let us take the Wikipedia image for the Maurya Empire [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maurya_Dynasty_in_265_BCE.jpg].
- At that time (and even before - from the time of Magadha Empire) present day Tamil Nadu, Kerala and South Andhra Pradesh were under the rule of either -
- the early Chola Kingdom or
- the Chera Kingdom or
- the Pandyan Empire
- which you will never understand from either of the 4 image maps.
The problem is in creating such an overlay.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but here’s the basic idea on how it should be done:
- Get an SVG image of India with ‘district’ boundaries
- Get hold of authentic maps of the various empires
- Colour the areas, district by district - then we will have the closest thing to an authentic map
- Advantage of this approach is that a kingdom’s expansion or shrinkage can be shown district by district, every 50 years or so (as I’ve attempted in the spreadsheet)
- The downside is a manageable, affordable SVG editor, which can do the job without a lot of frills and bangs.
So why do I want to do it?
Because, apart from everything else, I want it to be a history lesson for those idiots -
- who agitate for breaking up the states, the throwbacks to earlier days
- who are in power, shoot their mouth off and create a festering wound
- who are hungry for power, merrily fish in troubled waters without a thought about the nation
For e.g., Bundelkhand is nothing but the ancient Chedi Kingdom; and Nanjil Nadu (southern TN), if it does firm up, would be the ancient Pandyan Kingdom.
So what are we trying to do? Undo the efforts of the Bismarck of India? Bloody Air Heads all.
:-P
Related posts:
Is History just making it up? - part 1
Age of Empires - part 3
No comments:
Post a Comment