4.Secular Literature & Foreign Accounts

Secular Literature as a Source:-

secular writing is free from religious bias, it is a valuable historical source. Furthermore, it is possibly more likely to be based on true events than religious writing. On the other hand, religious literature can’t always be relied upon to accurately portray historical events because it frequently has an agenda, particularly to promote religious beliefs. Religious writing frequently presents mythological or miraculous events as real, even though they are unlikely to have happened in reality. Contrarily, secular literature is typically based on true events; if not, it is classified as fiction.

Since secular literature sheds light on societal issues such as politics, war, science, economics, and governance, it is also a valuable source of historical information. Because fiction is a product of a particular era and culture and thus bears those characteristics, historians can still find value in it.

Example of Secular literature :

Eulogies: Harsha Charita of Banabhatta, vikramankadevcharita of Bilhana.
Dramas: Sariputra prakarana of Ashwaghosh, Mudrarakshasa written by Vishakhdatta.
Poetry: Raghuuvansham, Meghadootam, Dashkumarcharitam, Ravanbadh by Bhatti.
Compilations: Compilations of stories, Panchatantra by Vishnu Sharma, Gathasaptasati.
Works on polity: Arthashastra of Kautilya, Nitisaar of Kamandak.
Works on Grammer: Panini by Patanjali
Scientific Works: charak- Samhita and Sushrut-Samhita, Brihat-Samhita of Varahamihira,
Panchasiddhantika of Varahamihira, Aryabahatiya(by Aryabhatta), Brhama-siddhant(by Brahmagupta).
Sangam Literature: Regional literature and Tamil literature are the Earliest literature of South India. Earliest Tamil grammar Tolkapiyam, Ettutogai, Pattupattu, Padinekillakanakku, (Shilappadikaram, Manimekhalai- these are two famous epics).

Foreign Accounts as a Source:-

Greek Writers- Megasthenes (Indica), Strabo, Pliny.
Chinese Writers- Fa Hien, Huen tsang, Itsing.
Arab Writers- Alberuni, Jaihani, Gandizi.

Megasthenes (302 B.C.–298 B.C.)-

During Chandragupta Maurya’s reign, Megasthenes traveled to India, though it is unclear how long he stayed there. The exact date of Megasthenese’s visit or visits to India is still up for debate among academics. It is unknown what other parts of India Megasthenes visited, but he did visit the Mauryan capital, Pataliputra. He gives a thorough description of the rivers in this area, suggesting that he traveled through the Punjab region of northwest India. Then, he had to have taken the Ganga and Yamuna rivers to Pataliputra.

He studied and recorded the customs, way of life, social structure, and other aspects of the Mauryan Empire’s populace while he was living in India. The compilation of his works today is known as Indica

Indica was written by Megasthenes.
Megasthenes served as Seleucus’ ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya.
Chandragupta was known by the Greeks as Sandrocottus.
As a result of being the first non-Indian to write about ancient India, Megasthenes is referred to as the “Father of Indian History.”
All that remains of his writings are quotations from Arrian, Strabo, and Pliny.
During that time, Indica discusses the military, governance, economy, society, and local government.

Indica describes India as follows:

Society:

A wide variety of races live in India.
India does not possess any overseas colonies, nor has it established any outside its borders.
Philosophers, farmers, shepherds, artisans/traders, warriors, overseers, and councilors are the seven castes that he describes.
Not enslavement.
Individuals in India have mutual trust.
Indians did not drink wine.
All around tranquility.

Economy:

❖ Indian plains were fertile and abundant sources of gold and silver were present.
❖ Well-developed irrigation facilities were present.
❖ The taxation system has evolved.
❖ No famine.

Polity:

He has documented the king’s daily schedule in a table.
According to his writings, republics existed during the Mauryan era.
The Chandragupta Maurya palace is described in the Indica.
The text discusses the committee system of city administration, the custom of ambassadors and diplomats, and city administration.
A number of appointed officials ensured effective city administration.
Pataliputra is referred to as “Polibrotha” in the Indica. Polibrotha is a sizable, exquisite city. It was encircled by sturdy walls.
The text also discusses military administration.

Fa-hein/Faxian:-

In AD 337, Fa Hien, also referred to as Faxian, was born in Pingyang Wuyang, which is now Linfen City in Shanxi, China.

❖ Having been abandoned at a young age, he lived in Buddhist monasteries for the majority of his adult life.

❖ He left Chang’an (now known as Xi’an) at the age of sixty-two to embark on an adventure that would take him through Central Asia, India, and ultimately Sri Lanka.

❖ He wrote about his journey in his travelogue, “A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms.”

❖ His autobiography provides a useful, unbiased overview of early Indian Buddhist practices.

❖ He brought with him an enormous amount of Sanskrit writings, the translations of which inspired Buddhism in East Asia and functioned as an introduction to a myriad of historical characters, events, texts, and concepts.

❖ He traveled to India during the Gupta era in quest of authentic Buddhist texts.

❖ When Fa-Hien traveled to Northern India, he noticed flora that was very dissimilar from that of Han, his hometown in China.

❖ He chronicled his travels in the travelogue Fo-Kwo-Ki, also called Faxian’s Account or A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms.

❖ He traveled to many cities in India, including Pataliputra, Mathura, and Kannauj; he also visited and wrote about Sravasti, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, Rajgir, and Taxila in Central India.

We get the following information through the works of Fa-Hien:

Society:-

According to Fa-Hien, Indians were affluent, joyful, liberal, and morally straightforward.
They avoided meat, onions, and alcoholic beverages like wine and other drugs. They were mostly vegetarians.
Vast contributions were given to temples, monasteries, and Sanghas, among other places; residences dedicated to charity and medicine were also established.
The wealthy were in a competition with each other when it came to virtue and charity.
Public morals were at an all-time high, and people were happy with their lifestyles.
The word “untouchables,” or Chandalas, who were held outside of the town, was mentioned.

Economic condition:-

When he visited, he saw general prosperity.
He talked about the tax code. A quarter of the produce was taxed.
He spoke of lucrative trade and various ports, including Tamralipti.
Additionally, he discussed the various kinds of coins used during the Gupta era.
He proposed using cowries as a form of payment.

Religious Condition:-

❖ Buddhism coexisted with other religions, including Shaivism, Jainism, and Vaishnava.

❖ Individuals lived liberal and tolerant lives.

❖ Buddhism was not in good condition in the central regions and was more popular in the northwest. There was a decline in Buddhism in the Ganga Valley region.

Political condition:-

Regarding India’s political circumstances, Fa-Hien made no particular remarks.
During his visit, he did not bring up the reign of Chandragupta II.
He simply thought that the Guptas ruled with liberal policies, that the populace was well-off, and that the taxes they paid were fair.
People were free to move around the land, and at the time, area revenue was the state’s main source of income. There were several exemptions from taxes.
The death penalty was almost never applied, corporal punishment was avoided, and the offenders were usually fined.
He advocated for the ruler to have a liberal outlook and a charitable administration.
Everything was safe and secure.

Hiuen Tsang:-

On April 6, AD 602, Hiuen Tsang was born to Chen Hui in Chenhe Village, Goushi Town. Out of the four children in the family, he was the youngest.

❖ He desired to acquire authentic Buddhist texts and acquire the teachings of Buddhism from Indian instructors.

❖ Kushinagar, Sarnath, Varanasi, Vaishali, Patilputra (Patna), Bodh Gaya, Nasik, and Ajanta were among the places visited by Hiuen Tsang. He also visited the Champa Monastery in Bhagalpur.

❖ Hiuen Tsang attended Nalanda, the prominent Indian university in Bihar at the time, for about five years.

❖ In addition to writing several books on philosophy, he traveled to various Buddhist centers, including Amravati and Nagarjunakonda.

❖ In addition, he went to Harshavardhana and was present at the historic Buddhist council held in Kannauj.

❖ Harsha extended an invitation to attend the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.

❖ Hiuen Tsang commended King Harsha for his morally sound and effective leadership -> King Harsha elevated scholars. In his kingdom, there were no uprisings. -> The tax burden was nonexistent. -> He kept his army robust.

We get the following information through the works of Hiuen Tsang :

Society:-

He saw an inflexible caste structure,
He said that people were straightforward and sincere.
He also saw the sati system, which implies that women’s conditions were not good.
He said that Indians valued education and good art, and that they placed a high value on it.
He stated that people led liberal and tolerant lives.

city life:-

❖ He talked about the various kinds of houses.

❖ He spoke of circular and filthy streets.

❖ He noted that some cities were well-known for their educational offerings. Certain cities played a significant role in trade, while others served as centers of religion.

Economy:

When he visited, he saw general prosperity.
He asserted that India’s trade with other nations was robust.

Arab Account/ Alberuni:-

Alberuni was a well-known mathematician, historian, and philosopher. He describes the social, political, religious, and economic circumstances in India in his book Tahqiq-i-Hind. Here, we present Alberuni’s account of India in order to help you comprehend the socio-political-economic context of the time.

The common name for Abu Rihan Mohammad Bin Ahmad is Alberuni. He was a well-known historian, mathematician, and philosopher.
accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni to India, where he spent a considerable amount of time. He became interested in Indian culture and studied Sanskrit. He read up on Indian philosophy.
He explored many parts of India and researched the socioeconomic state of this country. He wrote about India’s social, political, religious, and economic circumstances in his book Tahqiq-i-Hind.
He explained the socio-political-economic climate of that era in India. As the founding father of indology, he is revered. His evaluation of Indian society is constrained, though.

Advantages of foreign traveler accounts:

❖ They owed no monarch anything.

❖ Neutral and impartial.

❖ Written by hand.

❖ Both descriptive and objective.

The shortcoming of foreign travelers accounts:

❖ Cultural Bias.
❖ Language barrier.
❖ Strabo called Megasthenes a liar.
❖ They glorified their religion.

Conclusion:- These accounts are extremely important to us as we create history. That being said, it is unrealistic to expect them to have perfect knowledge of our modern cultures.

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