Land of seven rivers: History of India's Geography by Sanjeev Sanyal Page B
Authors: Sanjeev Sanyal
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outside, the visitor will see
a large Jain temple dedicated to the eleventh ‘tirthankara’.
Similarly, the archaeological museum next door contains many idols and artifacts of
the Brahminical tradition.
The place is still sacred to the
devotees of Shiva. In fact, the name Sarnath is a short form for Saranganath
(meaning ‘Lord of the Deer’) which is another name for Shiva.
This should not be surprising as Varanasi has long been, and remains, a very
important hub for Hindus of the Shaivite tradition. It may explain why the Buddha
found a park with sacred deer at this place. Even today, there is a temple dedicated
to Saranganath, less than a kilometre from the archaeological site. It is a small
village temple that almost no tourist visits and is a peaceful place to linger
in.
The intellectual innovations of the age
were not limited to religious philosophy. For instance, the period also witnesses
the systematization of Ayurveda, India’s traditional medical system. A
compendium compiled by Sushruta, who also lived near Varanasi, contains a long list
of sophisticated surgical instruments and procedures. 13 There are detailed descriptions of plastic surgery, ophthalmic couching
(dislodging of the lens of the eye), perineal lithotomy (cutting for bladder
stones), the removal of arrows and splinters and the dissection of dead bodies for
the study of anatomy. 14
Unfortunately, most of this knowledge
would be lost in the medieval era. Nevertheless, some techniques survived in
isolated pockets and were witnessed by European visitors in the eighteenth century.
This includes the famous ‘rhinoplasty’ operation that took place
in Pune in March 1793 that would change the course of plastic surgery in Europe and
the world. Cowasjee was a Maratha (more likely Parsi) bullock-cart driver with the
English army during its campaigns against Tipu Sultan of Mysore. He was captured and
had his nose and one hand cut off. After a year without a nose, he and four otherssubmitted themselves to an Indian surgeon who used skin from
their foreheads to repair the noses. We know little about the surgeon but two senior
British surgeons from Bombay Presidency witnessed this operation and sent back
detailed descriptions and diagrams. The publication in Europe in 1816 of their
account would give birth to modern plastic surgery.
Of course, all the cultural and
intellectual activity of this period was not limited to the Gangetic heartland. Take
for example Panini, the famous grammarian, who standardized the Sanskrit language
during the fifth century BC . He is said to have been born
in Gandhara (eastern Afghanistan) and to have lived in Taxila (near modern
Islamabad). This part of the subcontinent was about to witness the first attempt by
a European power to conquer India.
THE EMPIRE OF THE LION
The world of small tribal kingdoms
described above went through a major shift in the third and fourth century BC . This happened almost simultaneously across the ancient
world. It was not so much a change in technology as a shift in political ideology
and ambition. Within a couple of generations, we see the idea of empire inspire a
series of remarkable leaders around the world, whose conquests would redefine the
political geography of the world.
The first of the empire-builders was
Cyrus the Great of Persia in the sixth century BC , but it
is only in the fourth century that we begin to see empire-building on a totally
different scale. In China, King Hui of Qin began a cycle of conquest around 330 BC that would culminate in the firstempire under Shi Huangdi a century later. At around the same
time, Alexander the Great would take control of Greece, Egypt, the Levant,
Mesopotamia, Bactria and Persia. Then in the winter of 327-326 BC he marched into India. Here he built an alliance with Ambhi, the king
of Taxila. Together they defeated Porus on the banks of the Jhelum. It
a large Jain temple dedicated to the eleventh ‘tirthankara’.
Similarly, the archaeological museum next door contains many idols and artifacts of
the Brahminical tradition.
The place is still sacred to the
devotees of Shiva. In fact, the name Sarnath is a short form for Saranganath
(meaning ‘Lord of the Deer’) which is another name for Shiva.
This should not be surprising as Varanasi has long been, and remains, a very
important hub for Hindus of the Shaivite tradition. It may explain why the Buddha
found a park with sacred deer at this place. Even today, there is a temple dedicated
to Saranganath, less than a kilometre from the archaeological site. It is a small
village temple that almost no tourist visits and is a peaceful place to linger
in.
The intellectual innovations of the age
were not limited to religious philosophy. For instance, the period also witnesses
the systematization of Ayurveda, India’s traditional medical system. A
compendium compiled by Sushruta, who also lived near Varanasi, contains a long list
of sophisticated surgical instruments and procedures. 13 There are detailed descriptions of plastic surgery, ophthalmic couching
(dislodging of the lens of the eye), perineal lithotomy (cutting for bladder
stones), the removal of arrows and splinters and the dissection of dead bodies for
the study of anatomy. 14
Unfortunately, most of this knowledge
would be lost in the medieval era. Nevertheless, some techniques survived in
isolated pockets and were witnessed by European visitors in the eighteenth century.
This includes the famous ‘rhinoplasty’ operation that took place
in Pune in March 1793 that would change the course of plastic surgery in Europe and
the world. Cowasjee was a Maratha (more likely Parsi) bullock-cart driver with the
English army during its campaigns against Tipu Sultan of Mysore. He was captured and
had his nose and one hand cut off. After a year without a nose, he and four otherssubmitted themselves to an Indian surgeon who used skin from
their foreheads to repair the noses. We know little about the surgeon but two senior
British surgeons from Bombay Presidency witnessed this operation and sent back
detailed descriptions and diagrams. The publication in Europe in 1816 of their
account would give birth to modern plastic surgery.
Of course, all the cultural and
intellectual activity of this period was not limited to the Gangetic heartland. Take
for example Panini, the famous grammarian, who standardized the Sanskrit language
during the fifth century BC . He is said to have been born
in Gandhara (eastern Afghanistan) and to have lived in Taxila (near modern
Islamabad). This part of the subcontinent was about to witness the first attempt by
a European power to conquer India.
THE EMPIRE OF THE LION
The world of small tribal kingdoms
described above went through a major shift in the third and fourth century BC . This happened almost simultaneously across the ancient
world. It was not so much a change in technology as a shift in political ideology
and ambition. Within a couple of generations, we see the idea of empire inspire a
series of remarkable leaders around the world, whose conquests would redefine the
political geography of the world.
The first of the empire-builders was
Cyrus the Great of Persia in the sixth century BC , but it
is only in the fourth century that we begin to see empire-building on a totally
different scale. In China, King Hui of Qin began a cycle of conquest around 330 BC that would culminate in the firstempire under Shi Huangdi a century later. At around the same
time, Alexander the Great would take control of Greece, Egypt, the Levant,
Mesopotamia, Bactria and Persia. Then in the winter of 327-326 BC he marched into India. Here he built an alliance with Ambhi, the king
of Taxila. Together they defeated Porus on the banks of the Jhelum. It
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