Ancient Period 1500B.C-712 A.

D
Medieval Period 712 A.D to 1757
Modern Period 1757- 1947
Primary Source:
These are written and unwritten records
made by people of the time.

Secondary Source
Interpretations of the past these are written
and unwritten sources made by the people
who lived after the time.
Historical Sources
• Archeological sources
• Literary sources
• Foreign Sources

Archeological Sources

• Inscriptions
• Monuments
• Numismatics
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Literary Sources
Religious

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 Brahmanical Literature
Rig Ved
Sama Ved
Yajur Ved
Atharv Ved
Brahmanas
Aranayakas
Upanishads
Ramayana and Mahabharata
Dharma Sutras
Dharma Sastras
Jain Literature
12 Angas
Buddhist Literature
Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma peetika

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Other Sources
Contemporary writings
Mudra Rakshasa : Viskhadatta (Early Mauryan)
Kautilya : Arthashastra (Mauryan)
Nitisara: Kamaduka (Gupta)
Harshacharita : Bhanabhatta
Rajatarangini : Kalhana
 Foreign Sources
• Magasthenes Indica
• Ptolemy Geography
• Fahien Record of the Buddhist Countries
• Hiuen Tsang :Buddhist Records of the Western
World
• Itsing: A record of the Buddhists religion as
practised in India
• Magasthenes(G) Indica
• Valuable information on administration and socio-
economic of Mauryan India
• Ptolemy(G) Geography
• Geographical treatise on India in 2nd Century AD
• Pliny(G) Naturakus Historia
• Accounts trade relations between Rome and
India in 1st Century AD

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• Anonymous(G) Periplus of the Erythrean Sea
• Records personal voyage of Indian coasts in 80
A.D.
• Fa-Hien(C) Record of the Buddhist Countries
• Records the Gupta Empire in the 5th Century AD

• Hiuen Tsang(C) Buddhist Records of the

Western World

• Describes the social, economic and religious

conditions of India in the 5th and 7th Century
AD.
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• I-tsing (C) A record of the Buddhists
religion as practised in India and Malay
Archipelago.
• Studies the Gupta period under Sri Gupta
in the 7th Century AD.

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