The Personality of India: Pre- and Proto-historic Foundation of India and Pakistan c10.90

c10.90

Going through Indian history in a rapid survey, one finds that the practical realization of this vital ideal suffered setbacks due to the strength of the centrifugal forces. In the 2500 years of corroborated history of India, there was a semblance of political unity in the sub-continent during short spells of Mauryan, Khilji, Mughal and British rule and today, after the advent of independence. The rest was a long dreary story of struggles between the various kingdoms. But, as Day has shown, there was a tendency for the various kingdoms—at least the nuclear areas—to coincide with the natural regions. The eastern and central Indian highlands (Tribal areas, the ancient Gondwana), and the extreme tip of the peninsula remained outside the pale of any strong central power. Similarly the Vindhyas managed to separate or localize the histories of Northern India and the Deccan peninsula. Another such semi-perennial border is provided by the Aravalli line extending from the mouth of the Gulf of Cambay to the Delhi gap. Thus, during very long periods, the lower Indus basin and Kathiawad have been *culs de sac* in absorbing the refugees of the Indo-Gangetic basins. Day's map shows the boundaries throughout the Indian history from Asoka to Aurangazeb. (See Fig. 7). To sum up, while centralized empires like those of the Mauryas, Satavahanas, Guptas, Harsha, Mughal and the British were short-lived, the ancient kingdoms like Kosala, Magadha, Avanti, Lata, Saurashtra, Kalinga, Andhra, Maharashtra, Karnatak, Chera, Chola, Pandya existed under one name or another, under one ruler or another.