Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Scholarly Conventions vii
4. Starting Points xi
5. 1. Indus Valley Civilization, 2600–1900 BCE 1
6. 2. Ancient Migrants and Vedic Practices 17
7. 3. Building and Renouncing Cities, 550–325 BCE 35
8. 4. Ashoka’s Mauryan Empire 55
9. 5. Mahabharata: A Tale of Ancient India 75
10. 6. South Asians Traveling, 200 BCE–300 CE 95
11. 7. Inequality, Pleasure, and Power in Early India 115
12. 8. India in the World, ca. 700 CE 139
13. 9. Medieval South India 159
14. 10. Indo-Persian Rule and Culture, 1190–1350 181
15. 11. The Long Fifteenth Century 201
16. 12. Seeking God or Fame, 1500–1550 223
17. 13. Ordinary and Extraordinary Lives in Early Modern India 243
18. 14. Religious Communities and Elite Culture, 1600–1650 267
19. 15. Aurangzeb’s Empire and Two Shudra Lineages 289
20. 16. Regional Flourishing, 1720–1780 313
21. 17. Company Bahadur 333
22. 18. Sepoy Rebellion and Dawn of the British Raj 353
23. 19. Knowing India and Indians, 1860–1900 373
24. 20. Indians on the Move, 1880–1920 397
25. 21. Advocating for Independence, Nationalism, and Equal Rights 419
26. 22. Dividing India in 1947 441
27. 23. New Nation-States, 1947–1990 461
28. 24. Everyday Life in Contemporary South Asia 483
29. Afterword: Now 499
30. Historiography 505
31. Glossary 515
32. Illustrations and Sources 535
33. Postscript and Acknowledgments 541
34. Notes 547
35. Bibliography 611
36. Index 665