Constructing Rajpootana Rajasthan : Collected Narratives in Remembrance of Bhupendra Hooja
Contents: I. A Rajpootana Rajasthan Potpouri: 1. Rajasthan present and past: princely states to modern day province/Rakesh Hooja. 2. Some notes and questions on Rajasthan history/Bhupendra Hooja. 3. Rajputana under British Paramountancy: the failure of indirect rule/Susanne H. Rudolph and Lloyd I. Rudolph. 4. Dynamics of change in Rajasthan before and after 1947: comment on a thematic focus note for a seminar/Bhupendra Hooja. 5. The Aravallis as an early centre of agriculture and metallurgy/Dilip K. Chakrabarti. 6. Archaeology in present time: four desert temples of Rajasthan/Michael W. Meister, Lawrence A. Babb and John E. Cort. 7. The identification of Vasudeva, founder of Rajasthan's Chahaman dynasty: was he a Tigin Shahi ruler?/K.K. Maheshwari. 8. Orientalists and historians on the early settlement patterns and history of the Ghaggar region of Rajasthan/G.S.L. Devra. 9. A non-historian's personal discovery of Tod and his impacts/Rakesh Hooja. 10. Origin and evolution of tribals in Rajasthan: ancient days to modern era/Bhupendra Hooja. 11. Remaking a state polity: Ganga Singh to Sadul to Karni Singh and the accession and merger of Bikaner/Rima Hooja and Bhupendra Hooja. 12. Between old and new: modernization or marginalization of the princely state of Tonk, 1765-1947/Bhupendra Hooja. 13. Theatre in Rajpootana/Ranbir Sinh. 14. People's movements in Rajputana and their role in India's struggle for freedom/Ram Pande. II. Amber: the prelude to Jai Singh II and Jaipur: 15. Amber: Erstwhile capital of Dhundhar's Kachchwaha Rajputs/Rakesh Hooja and Rima Hooja. 16. The Kachwahas of Amber from Dulha Rai to the founding of Jaipur: dynastic succession, Military Campaigns, architecture, literature and the arts/Rima Hooja and Rakesh Hooja. III. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh and Jaipur : A special homage on his third birth centenary compiled and edited by Bhupendra hooja for Indian Book Chronicle in 1998: 17. Humble tribute to Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh/Bhupendra Hooja. 18. A man for most seasons: Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber/Jaipur/Rima Hooja. 19. Annals of an extraordinary man/James Tod. 20. An epistle of dedication/Mulk Raj Anand. 21. A statesman of the 18th century: Sawai Jai Singh's contribution to Mughal imperial politics/Satish Chandra. 22. Some early glimpses of Jaipur/Ashim Kumar Roy. 23. And many flowers bloomed/V.S. Bhatnagar. 24. Astronomical efforts of Sawai Jai Singh/Virendra Nath Sharma. 25. The Maharaja's observatories/Ashim Kumar Roy. 26. A patron of architecture : some features of the city as built by Jai Singh II/Yaduvendra Sahai. 27. Historical literature on Sawai Jai Singh II/R.N. Chowdhuri. 28. Some books about Jai Singh II and his city/Mohit A Kapur. 29. Manuscripts in the Pothikhana of Jaipur: Glimpses of historical information/Gopal Narayan Bahura. 30. Town planning in Jaipur/Ashim Kumar Roy. 31. The city of Jai victory and Joy/Mulk Raj Anand. 32. Amber Jaipur Painting/Ashok Kumar Das. Appendices.
"A land of colours and festivals, a land where tradition and modernity live side by side, a land with a history that is symbolized by images of velour, sacrifices and battles, a land that is the birthplace of grassroots democracy in India, a land dotted with beautiful and breathtaking palaces and forts, a land that is the most densely populated desert in the world and the largest state in India, Rajasthan is all this and more. Earlier known as Rajpootana, the story of Rajasthan is interesting not only from a linear historical standpoint but also from a cultural, sociological and social change perspective.
The book is a collection of 33 articles and short comments or notes that provides a multi-faceted look at Rajasthan and Jaipur – its modern-day capital. A potpourri that explores Rajasthan’s present and past, from early centers of agriculture and metallurgy in the region, the coming of the Rajputs, the impact of British rule on the kingdoms of Rajpootana, origin and evolution of tribals in the state, people’s movements in Rajpootana, the merger of the princely states into Rajasthan, etc., this miscellany makes an attempt at constructing Rajasthan (a term applied to the region relatively late in its history following James Tod) by presenting various independent viewpoints and observations which include those of orientalist and historians of the 19th century as well as contemporary writers – both Indian and international.
In line with the assortment nature of this book special sections have been devoted to Amber and to Sawai Jai Singh and the creation of Jaipur. The book will prove to be an extremely informative and interesting compendium to both the layman and the expert – historians, sociologists, researchers, students, visitors to Rajasthan and the general reader fascinated by the romance of Rajasthan and its past." (jacket)
