Education In Ancient And Medieval India (A Survey of the Main Features and a Critical Evaluation of Major Trends)

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This book highlights the captivating characteristics of education as it was prevalent during the ancient and medieval periods of Indian history. The first part deals with the system of education as it existed in the Vedic, post-Vedic, and Buddhist period. Since education is always related with life, adequate light has been thrown on the philosophy of life as adhered to by our forefathers. The chief trends of primary education have been indicated along with the nature of vocational education and the contents, methods and style of functioning of the higher seats of learning. The system of education as it then existed has also been evaluated in order to show to what extent the same met with the aspirations of the people concerned.

The second part of the book explains the general nature of education during the Muslim period along with the particular characteristics of education under the respective regimes of Sultan and Mughal kings in the country. A critique of the entire system of education of the period has also been presented to highlight the suitability, or otherwise, of the same.

This volume has been particularly prepared to cater to the curricular demands of students of "History of Indian Education" of the graduate and postgraduate classes of our colleges and universities.

Prof. S P Chaube received his M.A. degree from Banaras Hindu University and M.Ed. degree from Allahabad University. He has travelled extensively and has closely studied the educational systems of USA, UK and various other European countries. He was appointed a fellow by the University of Indiana, Bloomington, USA, where he was conferred the degree of Doctor of Education in 1952. In India, he was decorated with the G.J. Watumull Memorial Award in Education in 1963. Dr. Chaube has written more than 50 books in Hindi and English in the field of education and psychology. His books are recommended reading in many universities throughout India.

Dr Akhilesh Chaube - M.Sc. (Botany), M.Ed., M.Phil., Ph.D. - has more than two decades of teaching experience at the university level. Currently, he is Professor of Education at the University of Lucknow.

The existing complexities of modern life have left man all over the world bereft of spiritual contexts which his forefathers had developed, nourished and cherished and which in turn laid the foundation stone of modern human civilization. India, since times immemorial, has been well-known for its spiritual excellence and such seers have taken birth here who could enter into the unfathomable depths of spiritual consciousness. One has to make a deep study of our Vedas and Upanishads to recognise the nature of the consciousness which our ancestors could attain. Modern man is bogged down in the blind array of materialism and pragmatism, hence it is not easy for him to comprehend the essentials of our Vedas and other spiritual literature, although their comprehension is within his reach.

Agriculture was the principal pursuit of our ancestors during the Vedic and Post-Vedic periods. Nonetheless, they were quite alive towards affecting a harmony between their mundane and spiritual pursuits. They were of the firm conviction that the soul is much above the limits of the earthly body, castes, classes, times and places. In a way. their life was well-knit within a unique social system. The aim of our life, to-day, is entirely different from that of our forefathers as we now adhere to a different set of values. There is always a close relationship between "education" and "the place, period and the people" for which it is meant. The principal aim of education during the ancient days was to promote the physical, intellectual and spiritual development of an individual in such a way as to help him to affect a harmony between his worldly and spiritual life. The first part of the book presents the essentials of this system of education.

Vedic literature played a major role towards developing education during the ancient days in India. The Vedas were the chief source of education during that period. It is because of this basic feature that the contents and methods of education during ancient India have been based on Vedic literature.

**Contents and Sample Pages**