Reviews

Summary

The *History of Rajputana* (Fasciculus 818) by Rai Bahadur Gaurishankar Hirichind covers nearly 300 years of the Udayapur/Mevar state, from the late 16th to the early 19th century, spanning rulers from Rini Pratap to Mahdrina Sajjanasimha. The work prioritizes literary evidence—historical poems like *Rijavilas*, *Bhimavilis*, and later compositions such as *Vamabhaskar* and *Viravinoda*—over inscriptions, reflecting a shift from earlier volumes. The author acknowledges the challenges in extracting historical truth from Rajput literary sources, which blend fact and fiction, drawing parallels to European methods of analyzing traditions. While scholars like Dr. Tessitori highlight the Rajputs' imitation of Mughal patronage of literature, the present work emphasizes the crude nature of Rajput historical narratives compared to Mughal accounts. The reviewer notes the author’s preference for Rajput traditions over contemporary Muslim records, as seen in the account of Rani Pratip, though they acknowledge differing scholarly perspectives on the reliability of such sources. Despite potential disagreements, the work is deemed monumental, rivaling Tod’s *Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan*. In *Kultur und den persischen Golf*, Amelia Hertz argues for a shared Proto-Elamite origin of Mesopotamian, Indus Valley, and later Indian, Greek, and Hebrew civilizations, emphasizing continuity in agricultural and mathematical traditions. The work highlights advanced Indian mathematical theology, evident in Vedic altar constructions, and its influence on later European developments. *Studies in Tamil Literature and History* by R. Ramachandra Dikshitar asserts