Appointed through family influence to the East India Company, Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779–1859) arrived on the subcontinent in 1796, quickly learning Persian and developing an interest in Indian civilisation. After postings in Benares, Afghanistan and Poona, he became governor in 1819 of the recently acquired territory that became known as the Bombay Presidency, where he remained until his resignation in 1827. On his return to England, he devoted much of his time to writing and was a founder member of the Royal Geographical Society. This two-volume history, based on a range of Indian sources and first published in 1841, is infused with his lifelong understanding of Indian culture, science and philosophy. A scholarly refutation of James Mill's History, it was the most popular work of its kind among the early Victorian public. Volume 1 contains a topographical introduction and covers the history of the Indian subcontinent to the thirteenth century.
Contents
Preface; Introduction; Part I. State of the Hindus at the Time of Menu's Code: 1. Divisions and employment of classes; 2. Government; 3. Administration of justice; 4. Religion; 5. Manners and state of civilisation; Part II. Changes since Menu, and State of the Hindus in Later Times: 1. Changes in cast; 2. Changes in the government; 3. Changes in the law; 4. Present state of religion; 5. Present state of philosophy; Part III. State of the Hindus in Later Times Continued: 1. Astronomy and mathematical sciences; 2. Geography; 3. Chronology; 4. Medicine; 5. Language; 6. Literature; 7. Fine arts; 8. Other arts; 9. Agriculture; 10. Commerce; 11. Manners and character; Part IV. History of the Hindus up to the Mahometan Invasion: 1. Hindostan; 2. The Deckan; Appendices; Book V. From the Commencement of the Arab Conquests to the Establishment of a Mahometan Government in India: 1. Arab conquests; 2. Dynasties formed after the breaking up of the empire of the califs; 3. Sultan Mahmud; 4. Other kings of Ghazni and Ghor.
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