The Problems While Studying Indian History

Lesson 3 of 9 • 45 upvotes • 12:21mins

Abhyudaya Kelkar

Interpretation of Indian history is an uphill task, basically because of two reasons – Intertwined legacies and the tendency to remain unsystematic. That means a confusion made worse by unrecorded chronologies and events coupled by the web of rumours and traditions. Indian History is widely considered an unwritten one and rightly so, due to many factors like absence of proper sequencing, reliable dating and span of rule of kings, engulfed by romanticism and exaggerations, lack of measurements., etc. Why exactly Indians are uninterested in recording their past is a matter of study and debate. But the outcome is a horrible confusion, which can be interpreted through numerous theories. The invasions and the havoc added to the agony. It is extremely shocking that the two widely era-systems used in India don’t have a reliable beginning. What exactly happened in 57 BC for initiating the Vikrama Era and what happened in 78 AD for starting the Shaka Era is still buried under the heap of mysteries of Indian History. This lesson is meant to bring out certain difficulties one faces while studying or interpreting the history of India.