Bihar Through the Ages (An Old and Rare Book)

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SHRI R. R DIWAKAR, when he was functioning as Governor of Bihar, told me of his intention to bring out a book on Bihar to be called 'Bihar Through the Ages: I liked the idea and encouraged him to do so. It is gratifying to see that he has been able to edit and bring out the book with the help and co-operation of eminent scholars. Such a book, giving a broad survey of the State of Bihar from various points of view, can be of very considerable help. Indeed, I think that is would be a good thing if other States also had such surveys made.

In the old days we had various gazetteers which, in spirte of deficiencies, were helpful. These gazetteers have become quite out of date, and a district is too small an area for any such survey. The whole problem had to be approached afrewsh from the proper point of view as well as for a much larger area, which now can only be a State.

This is what Shri R. R. Diwakar has done; and not only the people of Bihar, but many others in the rest of India should feel grateful to him for this labour of love. I have not had the advantage of reading through the manuscript, but I have seen some parts of it in proof sheets. This has indicated how comprehensive the book is.

I hope that many people will profit by reading this book.

It is my privilege to present before scholars the reprint of the monumental work, Bihar through the Ages, published in 1958 by the Government of Bihar under the General Editorship of the late R. R. Diwakar. The book gives the outlines of the history of Bihar from Pre-Mauryan period to modern times. Although the K.P. Jayaswal research Institute has brought out a more detailed work on the subject, namely, The Comprehensive History of Bihar in three volumes, the present work remains a classic because of its rich articles, contributed by the best of the scholars of the time. Great personalities such as Rajendra Prasad and Jawahar Lal Nehru were the main inspirations behind the work. It is amazing to find that the contributors were able to encapsulate the long and eventful history of Bihar into a single volume, and in this lies the lasting utility of the book. I believe that the present work is an essential reading for those who wish to understand well the societies of Bihar and Jharkhand. We requested Prof. B.P. Sinha to write an introduction to the reprint in order to include new data that have come up since the publication of the book. Prof. Sinha has added a lot of new information including those on the Stone Age cultures of Bihar and Jharkhand, a theme that had not extensively been researched during the time of the original publication. For this, I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Sinha.

Finally I crave the indulgence of readers for the mistakes that may have remained.

Bihar through the Ages, was published in 1958 under the General Editorship of the late R. R. Diwakar, ex-governor of Bihar It is a compilation of articles by different scholars on the various aspects of history and culture of then Bihar through the ages down to the independence on August 15. 1947. The K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute is reprinting the volume but would like to incorporate recent information and developments in historical researches concerning the present State of Bihar and that of Jharkhand since the publication in 1958. It was not possible to refer to scholars who had contributed the various chapters or sections to make them up-to-date. Many have unfortunately passed away. Moreover the inherent difficulty was that it was not possible from the book to know who contributed which chapter or section. The Director of the K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute called upon me to add the fresh information about the history of Bihar and Jharkhand as a separate exercise without disturbing the contents of the volume as brought out in 1958. Being closely associated with the K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute since its inception, I could not refuse the call.

Taking in view the cultural and political history down to 1947.1 am trying to add what have been brought to light by archaeological investigations and also supplement new information from epigraphy and numismatics bearing on the history of Bihar and Jharkhand through the ages. The Book does not refer to the prehistory of Bihar in the stone ages, probably not much was known at the time the Volume came out, but today we are fortunate to have insight into the culture of Bihar in the stone ages. While the lithic tools of the Old and New Stone Ages were already being picked up. Particularly from the Chota Nagpur plateau, these were not given due importance in the text books on Bihar history whereas literary sources the Vedic, Pauranic and the Epics have been referred to. Today we have knowledge of stratified archaeological excavations in different parts of Bihar and Jharkhand enriching, rather throwing new light on, the prehistoric culture of Bihar and Jharkhand. Archaeology as a source of cultural history of Bihar and Jharkhand.