History of India online?

June 1, 2011 11:14 PM

What are some good websites to learn about the history of India?

I'm taking a history course and to do one of the assignments I need to find 2 or 3 reputable online resources on the history of India, from around 10,000 BC to 500 AD. Since I know next to nothing about Indian history, I'm not a good judge of the veracity of the information that I find.

For example, I found this website which seems to have a lot of info, but no references anywhere. I also refuse to use Wikipedia as reference for any of my assignments.

Please point me in the way of good places to find information on Indian History. Thanks in advance.

posted by CrazyLemonade to Education (7 answers total)

You might refuse to use wikipedia as a main source, but there is no reason why it can't be used in other capacities. I tend to use wikipedia in two ways: 1) checking information you find in other sites as a way of verifying info (of course, the wiki article could have been based on the site or vice versa) 2) using wiki as a starting point—you admit to knowing next to nothing, so why not skim the articles, follow the citations, and engage holistically with the material that is available? Assignments like this are meant to teach you research skills.
posted by oxford blue at 11:58 PM on June 1, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks, oxford blue, but you mention something that I already know and do.

If anyone else can help me, assume that I already did the whole Wikipedia thing and still posted this question.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 12:19 AM on June 2, 2011

As a historian, one of the biggest problems with online citations is the fact that anyone can have a website and put whatever gak they want on it. As you've already pointed out, you've found a website with lots of information, but no citations as to where they got their info in the first place.

Are you in college? If so, your school's library (or library website) should have resources for finding scholarly journal articles online. It's just like using a search engine... maybe a little more finicky, but there isn't a big learning curve.

Just to clarify - you *MUST* use online sources? It's a bit late I'm sure, but I would ask the professor if other more traditional sources (i.e. books) would be acceptable.
posted by Yzerfan at 5:16 AM on June 2, 2011

Response by poster: This is not a college course, this is a different sort of course designed for high school history teachers (I don't teach history but opted to take the course out of curiosity). So yes, what I asked for is what I need, online Indian history resources, not books.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 8:02 AM on June 2, 2011

Best answer: I am not sure how much this helps you, but FWIW.

Banaras Hindu University has been conducting research into ancient Indian civilization based on archeological evidence.

While the site does not have full materials online, you may be able to contact the university and ask for the papers/materials [The publications are just listed online]. Starting Link

Harappa.com has a wide variety of materials, including PDFs online on the Indus valley civilization. There are many scientific papers too. Starting Link

Vedic civilization is a good term to use for your research, but I should caution you that you will find a lot of sources like the one that you referenced. Myth and reality are too mingled and there is no scientific verification about the life of people during that period. However, should you want to get an idea of the principles that guided people, you can look at "Apasthambha Sutra" texts. "Manu Smriti" is a widely quoted source, but many Hindus don't identify with it in modern times.

Let us know how it goes.
posted by theobserver at 11:42 AM on June 2, 2011

Best answer: There is an excellent 6 hour PBS documentary called The Story of India by Michael Wood. The films website might have some useful links:
History Websites
Timeline (click the left column for different time periods)


A quick Google Video searched shows that the video can be found here:
The Story of India - Part 1
If you need help finding the full documentary let me know.


Also using External Links from Wikipedia articles might help.
posted by Mr. Papagiorgio at 2:03 PM on June 2, 2011

Best answer: This trove at Berkeley could be useful.
posted by taramosalata at 5:32 PM on June 3, 2011