Home > Books > History > India By Al-Biruni

Books

History

Indian Cinema

Language and Literature

Performing Arts

Philosophy

Sociology and Anthropology

Tantra

Travel

Yoga

History

Displaying 44 of 1685 Previous | Next

India By Al-Biruni

Specifications

Item Code: IDH130

by Qeyamuddin Ahmad

Paperback (Edition: 2008)

National Book Trust, India
ISBN 9788123702896

Size: 8.4" X 5.4"
Pages: 338
Weight of the Book: 435 gms

Price: $16.50 Shipping Free

Viewed

times since 12th Jan, 2012

Description

About the Book

Al-Biruni, celebrated mathematician and astronomer, came to India in the wake of the invading forces of Mahmud of Ghazni in the eleventh century. His enquiry into India, popularly known in its original Arabic version as Tarikhu'l Hind, is erudite and, as a historic chronicle of its kind, a classic. There is much in this chronicle that reads like fiction, while being at the same time an objective record of the history, character, manners and customs of India of that time.

Sachau's well-known English translation of the classic has been used in this publication, but edited specially for a large and popular readership.

About the Author

Quyamuddin Ahmad (b. 1930), the editor of this volume, did his M.A. in 1950 and Ph. D. in 1962 from the Patna University where he has been teaching history since 1964.he has made a special study of medieval Indian history and of the Indo-Muslim society in the nineteenth century. Among his publications are three books, The Wahabi Movement in India (1966), Corpus of Arabic and Persian Inscriptions of Bihar (A.H. 640-1200)(1973) and Mazharul Haque (1976) and large number of articles on various aspects of medieval and modern Indian history. He has contributed several articles in the Encyclopaedia Iranica (New York,USA) and is the Associate Editor of Comprehensive History of Bihar, Volume II, Part I (1983) and Part II (1986)

CONTENTS

Editor's Introduction	xv
List of Greek Words in the Text	xxxiii
Preface	3
CHAPTER I
On the Hindus In General, As An Introduction To Our Account Of Them	7
CHAPTER II
On The Belief Of The Hindus In God	13
CHAPTER III
On The Bindu Belief As To Created Things, both "Intelligibilia" And "Sensibilia"	16
CHAPTER IV
From what Cause Action Originates, And How The Soul In Connected With Matter	22
CHAPTER V
On The State Of the Souls, And Their Migrations Through The World In The Metempsychosis	25
CHAPTER VI
On The Different Worlds, And On The Places of Retribution In Paradise and Hell	28
CHAPTER VII
On The Nature Of Liberation From The World, And On The Path Leading Thereto	32
CHAPTER VIII
On The Different Classes of Created Beings, And On Their Names
CHAPTER IX
On The Castes, Called "Colours" (Varma), And On The Classes Below Them
CHAPTER X
On The Source of Their Religious And Civil Law, On Prophets, And On The Question Whether Single Laws Can Be Abrogated Or Not	48
CHAPTER XI
About The Beginning Of Idol-Worship, And A Description Of The Individual Idols
CHAPTER XII
On The Veda, The Puranas, And Other Kinds Of Their National Literature	57
CHAPTER XIII
Their Grammatical And Metrical Literature	63
CHAPTER XIV
Hindu Literature In The Other Sciences, Astronomy, Astrology, Etc.
CHAPTER XV
Notes On Hindu Metrology, Intended To Facilitate The Understanding Of All Of Measurements Which Occur In This Book	75
CHAPTER XVI
Notes On The Writing Of The Hindus, On Their Arithmetic And Related Subjects, And On Certain Strange Manners And Customs Of Theirs	79
CHAPTER XVII
On Hindu Sciences Which Prey On The Ignorance Of People	89
CHAPTER XVIII
Various Notes On Their Country, Their Rives, And Their Ocean. Itineraries Of The Distances Between Their Several Kingdoms, And Between The Boundaries Of Their Country
CHAPTER XIX
On The Names Of The Planets, The Signs Of The Zodiac, The Lunar Stations, And Related Subjects	103
CHAPTER XX
On The Brahmanda	107
CHAPTER XXI
Descriptions Of Earth And Heaven According To The Religious Views Of The Hindus, Based Upon Their Traditional Literature	109
CHAPTER XXII
Traditions Relating To The Pole	114
CHAPTER XXIII
On Mount Meru According To The Belief Of The Authors Of The Puranas And Of Others	116
CHAPTER XXIV
Traditions Of The Puranas Regarding Each Of The Seven Dvipas	118
CHAPTER XXV
On The River Of India, Their Sources And Courses	121
CHAPTER XXVI
On The Shape Of Heaven And Earth According To The Hindu Astronomers	125
CHAPTER XXVII
On The First Two Motions Of The Universe (That From East To West According To Ancient Astronomers And The Precession Of The Equinoxes), Both According To Hindu Astronomers And The Authors Of The Puranas	130
CHAPTER XXVIII
On The Definition Of The Ten Directions	132
CHAPTER XXIX
Definition Of The Inhabitable Earth According To The Hindus	134
CHAPTER XXX
On Lanka, Or The Cupola Of The Earth	139
CHAPTER XXXI
On That Difference Of Various Places Which We Call The Difference Of Longitude	142
CHAPTER XXXII
On The Notions Of Duration And Time In General, And On The Creation Of The World And Its Destruction	144
CHAPTER XXXIII
On The Various Kinds Of The Day Or Nychthemeron, And On Day And Night In Particular	150
CHAPTER XXXIV
On The Division Of The Nychthemeron Into Minor Particles Of Time	154
CHAPTER XXXV
On The Different Kinds Of Months And Years	159
CHAPTER XXXVI
On The Four Measures Of Time Called Mana	162
CHAPTER XXXVII
On The Parts Of The Month And The Year	164
CHAPTER XXXVIII
On The Various Measures Of Time Composed Of Days, The Life Of Brahman Included	166
CHAPTER XXXIX
On Measures Of Time Which Are Larger Than The Life Of Brahman	168
CHAPTER XL
On The Samdhi, The Interval Between Two Periods Of Time, Forming The Connecting Link Between Them	169
CHAPTER XLI
Definition Of The Terms "Kalpa" And "Caturyuga", And An Explication Of The One By The Other	171
CHAPTER XLII
On The Division Of The Caturyuga Into Yugas, And The Different Opinions Regarding The Latter	173
CHAPTER XLIII
A Description Of The Four Yuga, And Of All That Is Expected To Take Place At The End The Fourth Yuga	175
CHAPTER XLIV
On The Magavantaras	179
CHAPTER XLV
On The Constellation Of The Great Bear	180
CHAPTER XLVI
On Narayana, His Appearance At Different Times, And His Names	182
CHAPTER XLVI
On Vasudeva And The Wars Of The Bharata	184
CHAPTER XLVIII
An Explanation Of The Measure Of An Akshauhini	87
CHAPTER XLIX
A Summary Description Of The Ears	189
CHAPTER L
How Many Star-Cycles There Are Both In A "Kalpa" And In A "Caturyuga"	195
CHAPTER LI
An Explanation Of The Terms "Adhimasa", "Unaratra", And The "Aharganas", As Representing Different Sums Of Days	197
CHAPTER LII
On The Calculation Of "Ahargana" In General, That Is, The Resolution Of Years and Months Into Days, And, Vice Versa, The Composition Of Years And Months Out Of Days	200
LIII
On The Ahargana, Or The Resolution Of Years Into Months, According To Special Rules Which Are Adopted In The Calendars For Certain Dates Or Moments Of Time	202
CHAPTER LIV
On The Computation Of The Mean Places Of The Planets	203
CHAPTER LV
On The Order Of The Planets, Their Distances And	205
CHAPTER LVI
On The Station Of The Moon	208
CHAPTER LVIII
How Ebb And Flow Follow Each Other In The Ocean	213
CHAPTER LIX
On The solar And Lunar Eclipses	216
CHAPTER LX
On The Parvan	219
CHAPTER LXI
On The Dominats Of The Different Measures Of Time In Both Religious And Astronomical Relation, And On Connected Subjects	220
CHAPTER LXII
On The Sixty Years-Samvatsara, Also Called "Shashtyabha"	221
CHAPTER LXIII
On That Which Especially Concerns The Brahmans, And What They Are Obliged To Do During Their Whole Life	223
CHAPTER LXIV
On The Rites And Customs Which The Other Castes, Besides the Brahmans, Practise During Their Lifetime	228
CHAPTER LXV
On The Sacrifices	230
CHAPTER LXVI
On Pilgimage And The Visiting Of Sacred Places	232
CHAPTER LXVII
On Alms, And How A Man Must Spend What He Earns	235
CHAPTER LXVIII
On What Is Allowed Forbidden In Eating And Drinking	237
CHAPTER LXIX
On Matrimony The Menstrual Courses, Embryos, And Childbed	239
CHAPTER LXX
On Lawsuits	243
CHAPTER LXXI
On Punishments And Expiations	245
CHAPTER LXXII
On Inheritance And What Claim The Deceased Person Has On It	248
CHAPTER LXXIII
About What Is Due To The Bodies Of The Dead and Of The Living (i.e. About Burying And Suicide)	251
CHAPTER LXXIV
On Fasting, And The Various Kinds Of It	254
CHAPTER LXXV
On The Determination Of The Fast-Days	256
CHAPTER LXXVI
On The Festivals And Festive Days	258
CHAPTER LXXVII
On Days Which Are Held In Special Veneration, On Lucky And Unlucky Times, And On Such Times As Are Particulary Favourable For Acquiring In Them Bliss In Heaven	263
CHAPTER OXXVIII
On The Karanas	266
CHAPTER LXXIX
On The Yogas	268
CHAPTER LXXX
On The Introductory Principles Of Hindu Astrology, With A Short Description Of Their Methods Of Astrological Calculations	269
Select References	275
Notes	277
Index	291

Displaying 44 of 1685 Previous | Next

Customer Comments