India's history and Other thoughts

We made a lovely trip to Tanjore and other parts of South India a week or so ago. There were things  that were particularly striking, as we made our way through
For the better:

1. The Indian Archeological Society cares! Yes it actually does! It cares enough to maintain some of these places decemtly, for example, the Chola temple in Kanchi is really well maintained-its obviously regularly visited, and has very good guides very willing to explain the old motifs and their meanings to you(for a small price-but that goes without saying)

2. Roads- I know its fashionable to complain constantly about the state of the roads in India. And its true- driving here is a nightmare. But that's got more to do with the traffic now- the roads on the way to Tanjavur were actually really good- and there were signs! That pointed straight to the Palace Museum! Signs make so much of a difference! I loved the museum - it boasts an enormous collection of manuscripts (most of which are not open to the public-alas!) ... but what you can see is fascinating- different scripts of India - Grantahm, Brahmi, Tamil... sculptures dating back to the 10th and 11th century- its really interesting to walk through the rooms and see the way the face of religion has changed over the centuries- you have mostly Nataraja statues to begin with - and them slowly, the Vishnu sculptures come up- and there are the statues of deities we don't really worship anymore - Bhairava, and Surya (as a full fledged god), Brahma- things have changed so much since then!

3. The Big Temple in Tanjavur should have been one of the nominations for the new Wonders of the World- when you think monuments in India, you tend to think of the north- Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Jama Masjid etc. The South is a pilgrimage place- but not known for architecture- this changes everything. It may be true that God maybe in a pin or a pillar, but a place like this, inspiress you to worship- not just God, but your own humanily- what people have achieved in the name of devotion.

4. Which brings me to another point- why on earth do we not see these places on tourist guides and things? They're a good five centuries older than the Taj, and incredibly elaborate- a real testament to Indian culture- they do attract an enormous number of pilgrims, but what about people who just come to admire the art and architecture of the place?

All along the journey I was reading a book called Gates of India by Thomas Holdich - an interesting guide to the exploration of trade routes through India - yes, I know, unremittingly dry stuff- and written in the mid nineteenth century , by a staunch colonialist, who saw everything through the eyes of British trade competition. It was a litte dismaying to find how little had been contributed to that narrative by Indian authors- Well, you could say, that's not surprising for the nineteenth century- and in an Englishman's book- but not long after, I was looking for books on ancient India - life, culture and so on.... and was highly unsurprised to find that there was more on the Greeks (for example) than on the Mauryas.

Indian history seems pretty much limited to three parts - Ashoka, the Mughals, and the British rule, with everything else slipping into a black hole.