Ancient India: a Textbook of History for Middle Schools

Abstract

I am sure you have often asked yourself why you are studying history. Studying history is one way of getting to know the past. History is an attempt to understand how and why our ancestors lived as they did, what difficulties they met with, and in what manner they overcame them. It is important for you to be acquainted with the past because then you will understand better what is happening in the India of today. You will come to know the story of your country, which started many centuries ago. You will come to know the kings and statesmen who ruled and the people who made the story possible. You will also come to know why you are speaking the language which you speak. Apart from this, it is exciting to study the past. It is like playing a game of ‘treasure hunt’. There are clues hidden in all kinds of places, and when you find one clue, it leads you to the next and slowly, step by step, you arrive at the ‘treasure’. In this case, the ‘treasure’ is an understanding of what went on in the world and in our country, long before you were born.