Famous books on Indian History
India has vast culture and traditions and has been ruled by many emperors throughout history.
Here in this article let us look at some of the great books which can provide you with information on the rich Indian history from the Indus valley civilization to current modern India.
The argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen
The book ‘The argumentative Indian’ was written by the Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen.
The book contains a series of essays narrating India’s history on how India has shaped its cultural identity. This book also explains how heterodoxy was prevalent in Indian society centuries ago.
Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru
The book ‘The Discovery of India’ was written by the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The book was written when Jawaharlal Nehru was imprisoned during the freedom struggle.
This book includes a vast Indian culture including the Indus valley civilization and the coming of Aryans to the establishment of the British Empire.
It is a must-read book to get to know the vast Indian culture right from the roots.
This book was also released as a television series and has won an award by Shyam Bengal.
The great Indian novel by Shashi Tharoor
The book ‘The Great Indian Novel’ is a satirical novel written by Shashi Tharoor. The book fictionally takes the story of Mahabharata, The epic of Hindu mythology, and combines it with the Indian Indian Independence movement and the post-Indian context in the first three decades.
The characters in the book were taken from their mythological story in India and explained the history of Indian independence.
Freedom at Midnight by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins
The book ‘Freedom at midnight’ focuses primarily on India’s Independence movement from 1946 to 1948.
This book is popularly known for portraying the series of events that happened during those couple of years.
This book is highly recommended on India’s Independence and the partition as it has incredible details and is thoroughly researched.
The book has also covered some of the interviews with Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of British India.
India after Gandhi: The history of the world’s largest democracy
The book ‘India after Gandhi’ was written by Ramachandra Guha, one of India’s best historians.
The book mainly talks about India’s history after it gained independence from the Britishers. It is the perfect book if you want to know the evolution of modern India.
Ramachandra Guha was a former professor and a historian who writes fantastically on India’s chaotic and eventful history since independence.
The book has covered almost everything from the Partition, Nehru socialist policies, Rajiv Gandhi’s brief but impactful career, the rise of religion and caste-based policies, and many more in this 900-page book.
India: history by John Keay
John Keay is an English journalist and travel writer who has specialized in writing popular histories of India. Most of his work primarily focuses on the colonization and Exploration by Europeans in India.
In this book, John has provided various insights starting from Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro of the Indus valley civilization to current modern India.
This book can perfectly fit any student of India as it covers a wide range of topics throughout Indian history.
The last Mughal: The Fall of a dynasty Delhi 1857 by William Dalrymple
The book, The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty was written by William, an award-winning historian and travel writer.
The book extensively talks about the culturally diverse and rich society during the role of Bahadur Shah Zafar the last Mughal emperor of India.
This book also extensively covers the first war against the British known as the sepoy mutiny which happened in the year 1857. The year 1857 marked the end of Mughal rule in India.
This book is a must-read because of its amazing style and has captured insights both politically and culturally during that period.
Alberuni’s was India by Alberuni
Alberoni was considered one of the greatest historians of the medieval Islamic era witches after 1017 AD.
Alberuni traveled to India to learn about Hindus and discuss the questions of religion, science, and literature and the very basis of Indian civilization.
Alberoni remained in India for 13 years and explored the rich culture and diversity of India.
This book is a must-read because Alberni has detailedly told about the rich culture and traditions in India.
The great partition by Yashmin Khan
The book ‘The Great partition’ was written by Yashwant Khan lucidly and interestingly.
In this book, he has detailedly mentioned the partition of British India into two countries. He has also mentioned the cultural and political context of this event throughout this book.
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