History of Bharat (India): Introduction - Ocean of Churn

We provide a summary of Chapter 1 (Introduction) of the book "Ocean of Churn" by Sanjeev Sanyal.

An extraordinary event circa 730 AD

Pallava kingdom spanned Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, S Karnataka; it was very active commercially and culturally
Pallava king Parmeswara Varman II died without a direct heir
In capital city Kanchipuram, a grand assembly of scholars and chieftans deliberated for days
Finally they decided to reach out to a collateral branch of the dynasty that survived in a distant kingdom since five generations
After a tough & adventurous journey, the delegation reached the court of Hiranya Varman. His youngest son, aged 12, took up the offer.
The young prince was crowned Nandi Varman II in Kanchipuram
He defeated internal rivals & external enemies, ruled for 65 years and became one of the greatest monarchs in the history of southern India

Close link between Pallavas and Cambodians is well known. Eg. Khmer script is derived directly from Pallavas
Pallava dynasty began with a marriage to a princess from a Naga or Serpent clan from across the seas
Multi-headed cobra was the symbol of Cambodian royalty from ancient times to present
Malaysia has Bhujang valley (bhujang = naga = snake)

Churn of people, goods and ideas along the Indian Ocean and its shores have defined human history from the very beginning
For example, Nalanda University in Bihar was partly funded by Sri Vijaya kings of Sumatra
India's geographical location, its cultural might and economic weight made it the pivot of Indian Ocean world
Between 16th and 18th centuries, Europeans dominated the Indian Ocean
In 19th century, the Atlantic Ocean began overshadowing the Indian Ocean
In 20th century, the Pacific rim rose in importance
In 21st century, the center of gravity is gradually shifting back to Indian Ocean

Most histories of Asia provide a continental or land-centric perspective. Eg. Mauryan, Mughal, Mongol, Tang empires
History looks very different when viewed from coastlines rather than from an inland point of view. Eg. Chola, Majapahit, Omani kingdoms
With shift of perspective from land to sea, certain individuals become extraordinary

Odisha's Kharvela who ended the Mauryan empire
Marthanda Varma of Travancore who defeated the Dutch and ended their dreams of colonizing India
Nathaniel Courthope of East India Company who heroically held out against the Dutch at the Indonesian island of Run

Most books on history of Indian Ocean or maritime Spice Route were written from a Western point of view.
They focused on developments after Europeans entered the scene
Worse, such histories "ended" when the Europeans left in the mid 20th century
A systematic bias in existing literature is the preference given to writers and sources from outside the Indian Ocean world
Local texts, inscriptions and oral histories are discounted as being inferior sources than the testimonies of foreign visitors and travellers who are assumed to have greater credibility !
Example: Chinese pilgrim-scholar Huien Tsang viewed the world exclusively from a Buddhist perspective
Writings of European visitors are often systematically biased against the Hindu and Islamic cultures that they encountered in India
Post 18th century narratives also contain an additional layer of racism
It is surprising how the Aryan Invasion Theory continues to survive, esp. among the elite in India. This despite the lack of any textual or archaeological support, and a plethora of genetic and other evidence against it

All narratives of history are based on some philosophical framework about the flow of events that allows the historian to make sense of it all
A popular way to explain history is to focus on heroic (or demonic) individuals whose actions and thoughts disproportionately influenced the course of history
Most history writing was financed directly or indirectly by "great men" who liked to highlight their own importance

According to the author Sanjeev Sanyal, the world (and thus history) is a complex adaptive system (CAS)
It is a chaotic place where the flow of events is influenced by the constant and often unpredictable interactions between a host of factors and independent agents
Other examples of a CAS are ecological systems, financial markets, economies, English language, cities, weather, law and Hindu religion
Per Mark Twain, "History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes."

A consistent continuity in history is the presence of Indian soldiers and mercenaries serving in faraway lands since ancient times
Among notable examples, Indian soldiers and mercenaries have

Matrilineal customs played a dominant role in the history of Indian Ocean rim
Matrilineal is different from matriarchal, which refers to societies where women are rulers/leaders as a matter of custom
Matrilineal societies mark lineage through the mother and female ancestors. Men still run the show, but the status of women tends to be higher than societies that are purely patrilineal/patriarchal. Eg. Queen's nephew can become future king
Examples of matrilineal societies along the Indian Ocean rim: