The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World
Ferdinand Mount's review of William Dalrymple's "The Golden Road" highlights ancient India's maritime trade routes, critiques the Silk Road narrative, and emphasizes India's cultural influence in Southeast Asia through peaceful exchanges.
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Ferdinand Mount's review of William Dalrymple's book, "The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World," explores the significant maritime trade routes that connected ancient India to Southeast Asia and beyond. Mount highlights Mamallapuram, a major seaport during the Pallava dynasty, as a hub for the exchange of goods, culture, and religion. Dalrymple argues that the sea routes were more crucial than the overland Silk Road for trade, positioning India at the center of ancient global commerce. The review critiques the traditional narrative of the Silk Road, suggesting it was more myth than reality, with limited direct trade between China and the West until the Mongol Empire. Instead, Dalrymple emphasizes the role of Indian merchants and monks in spreading Buddhism and Indian culture across Southeast Asia, creating what he terms the "Indosphere." This cultural diffusion occurred without military conquest, as trade and religious missions facilitated the exchange of ideas and goods. The review concludes that Dalrymple's work challenges conventional historical narratives by illustrating the peaceful and influential nature of India's ancient maritime connections.
- Dalrymple's book emphasizes the importance of maritime trade routes over the Silk Road.
- Mamallapuram was a key seaport that facilitated cultural and economic exchanges.
- The review critiques the traditional narrative of the Silk Road as a myth with limited historical evidence.
- Indian merchants and monks played a crucial role in spreading Buddhism and culture in Southeast Asia.
- The concept of the "Indosphere" reflects India's peaceful influence rather than military conquest.
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- Many commenters praise Dalrymple's work and express admiration for his previous writings and podcasts.
- There is a strong interest in the historical contributions of India, particularly in mathematics and trade, with discussions about figures like Aryabhata and the spread of Buddhism.
- Some commenters highlight the lack of awareness in Western education regarding India's historical significance and contributions.
- Several users share personal insights and reflections on their fascination with Indian history and its impact on their understanding of their own lineage.
- Concerns are raised about the availability of the book and the challenges of accessing it in hardcover format.
18 commentsIt's a fascinating topic. He also has a very successful podcast [1][2] -- with his co-host Anita Anand -- The Empire Podcast, which chronicles the rise and fall of empires. Highly educational, not to mention entertaining.
Recommended!!
[1] Empire Podcast - Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/empire/id1639561921 [2] On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0sBh58hSTReUQiK4axYUVx?si=45f5...
Similarly, algebra came from the middle east where it was called "al-Jabr" [1], but they in turn got it from India [2].
The invention of calculus is traditionally attributed to Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz. But this book [3] says calculus was brought into being in India in the 14th century by a mathematician named Madhava.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Jabr
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/01/hidden...
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/24/books/review/the-secret-l...
TIL...
The earliest was during the Mauryan Period. This is the age Dalrymple is talking about, the time of Aryabhatta, the popularization of Buddhism, arguably the time when most of the Indian epics were written (dating them has become notoriously political to the point that discerning the truth is hard now). This is the age Indian nationalists stress on, and the left wing tries to ignore. This age declines because the empire got too big, lost control and slowly disintegrated.
The second age was during the Islamic golden age for India which the right tries to ignore and left stress on. My general sense is that there was a golden age of architecture, poetry and arts and probably not so much in Science. The Taj Mahal for instance was built during this time. This age declined mostly due to wars, the Mughal rulers were never successful in fully unifying India, even to the extent the Mauryans did. They fought consistent wars against pockets of resistance in the South, and towards the end began losing these wildly expensive wars (leading to a brief reign by Shivaji)
The third golden age which no one wants to admit (left or right) is the British Golden age. There really was a renaissance in Indian thought in arts, science during British rule. This was when Indian history was “rediscovered”, first by British orientalists and then by mostly Indian Bengalis. CV Raman won the Nobel prize in science, Tagore won the Nobel prize in literature, Ramanujan etc, the names are numerous. The British rule also was the largest and most stable unification of India till the modern times. After 1850s there were almost no pockets of military resistance against the British rule. The British age declined with WW1 and WW2, and ended with Indian independence.
Post independence was not a smooth going party. If you came to India during 1980s, you could argue independence had been a disaster with everything getting worse post independence. But since 1990s economic liberalization India has a new ish golden age with unique characteristics. Who knows how long this will continue and when it will inevitably end
As an Indian, and as a math aficionado (and degree holder) - I wonder, that was about 1500 years ago. In that era, a discovery (as you can read it) took 500 years to move from Arabia to Europe, thanks to Fibonacci's writing. Contrast it to today's instant dissemination of information and breakthroughs. Yes those were the glory days of Indian civilization. We have a Ramanujan every 100 years in India. Breakthrough ideas (earthshaking ones like the concept of 0) emerging out of India are few and far between. Around 1000 years ago, the fountain of (world-changing) creativity and ideas seems to have dried up, as far as India is concerned. Maybe it was the invaders , easy to blame everything on outsiders, though - what is India today was 600 or 400 odd kingdoms, frequently warring each other - so turmoil was always there. And if you were a reclusive monk in a forest with a bunch of students, no Brit or Mughal dude was stopping you from innovating. So, the big question is - can we explain why genius ideas stopped (without blaming British, or Mughals etc) - because thanks to Indian's instincts, the first step is to blame the Brits/Mughals , so problem solved, proved, ostrich is happy in the sand.
I can only indulge in thought exercises , like : Aryabhata and Brahmagupta didn't have computers, didn't even have pencil and paper. They just sat there and thought. For months, or years. Or maybe they were walking. And gazed at the stars and observed and observed. And most likely, and importantly debated orally : endlessly with their teachers (in a monastery type place class sizes were small), peers- I believe this was a time in India's cultural history when debating, and disagreeing were positive things. In modern India, intellectualism has taken a back seat. To disagree is to be unpatriotic even. (Nalanda University comes to mind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalanda_mahavihara - not its modernized recreation which is likely going to be hardly attempting to break the mold). WhatsApp - the destroyer of brain cells by atrophy , has a grip on every mind.
We read about the great Greek debates. We see videos of Tibetan buddhist monks practice debating in a monastery. Surely this kind of debating, face-to-face is missing in today's world (without getting angry) - this is the equivalent of the modern cafe in Paris or Vienna, with Godel and co. debating . This debating society , was Nalanda back a thousand years until invaders burnt every manuscript down and slaughtered every monk almost - except the manuscripts the Chinese monks took back to the Emperor in China - they are the only written records of life that remain, that and some arabic ones.
Yet I hope new lotuses will bloom from India - we can never predict where the next genius or breakthrough idea will emerge from - why not Africa?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/01/hidden...
I was super excited to read this book but I hate buying kindle books as it’s easier to share real books.
Related
Buried Ancient Egyptian Port Reveals Hidden Connections () Distant Civilizations
Archaeologists in Berenike uncover evidence challenging old beliefs on global connections. Discoveries include diverse artifacts like a Buddha statue, inscriptions in Sanskrit and Greek, and administrative documents, shedding light on the port's role in ancient trade networks.
Genghis Khan, trade warrior (2021)
Genghis Khan's establishment of Pax Mongolica in the 13th century enhanced global trade and cultural exchange, particularly between Europe and China, while promoting merchant status and implementing supportive local policies.
The hidden story of how ancient India shaped the West
Ancient Indian scholars Brahmagupta and Aryabhata significantly influenced mathematics and science, introducing concepts like zero, which shaped Western thought, yet their contributions are often overlooked due to colonial narratives.
The hidden story of how ancient India Shaped the West
Ancient Indian scholars Brahmagupta and Aryabhata significantly contributed to mathematics and science, influencing Western thought, yet their achievements are often overlooked due to colonial legacies undervaluing Indian civilization.
'astonishingly ignorant': the hidden story of how ancient India shaped the West
Ancient Indian scholars Brahmagupta and Aryabhata significantly contributed to mathematics and science, particularly the concept of zero, influencing Western thought while often being overlooked due to colonial legacies.