Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 156656445X, Paperback)

India, named after the river Indus, is heir to one of the world's oldest and richest civilizations and the origin of many of the ideas, philosophies, and movements that have shaped the destiny of humankind.

For the traveler, India is both an inspiration and a challenge. The sheer wealth of Indian culture has fascinated generations of visitors. We see the sweeping panorama of Indian history, from the ancient origins of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and the other great religions, through the tumultuous political history of India's epic struggle against colonialism, to the ravages of Partition, Non-Alignment, and, finally, the emergence of India as a powerful modern state still grounded in the literature and culture of an ancient land. A Traveller's History of India covers the whole scope of India's past and present history and allows the reader to make sense of what they see in a way that no other guide book can.