Public Administration in Ancient India c4.21

c4.21

The purely historical literature of India at present known to us is exceedingly meagre. The Rāja-taranginī¹ of Kalhana, which treats of the Kings of Kashmir, is practically the only work in Indian literature that makes some approach to the modern conception of history. The Dīpavamsa and the Mahāvamsa contain much legendary material for history, and although not absolutely reliable in every detail as records of historical events, they are very helpful to us in elucidating some of the difficult points of Indian history and administration.² Much light is also thrown on the political condition of India by the writings of poets like Bhāsa and Kālidāsa, and in particular by such works as the Mudrā-Rākshasa of Visākhadatta, Mrichchakatikā of Sūdraka, the Harsha-charita of Bāna and the Dasakumāra-charita of Daṇḍin. From some of the story books, such as the Panchatantra, the Brihat-Kathā, and the Kathā-sarit-sagara, we learn a great deal about the political ideas of the Hindus. In Tamil literature the most well-known works on the subject are the Mani-Mekalai and the Kural.