Department of History

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Ambivalent engagements: The Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean world

( 2017-02-01) Mukherjee, Rila

This article investigates the role played by the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean world. It argues that formulations that suggest the Bay's encounters were ambivalent and sporadic until c.1000 - when there was a trade revolution - and see it as a latecomer in the Indian Ocean world, are wrong. Examples from commerce and cultural flows reveal the Bay world as an active participant in the Indian Ocean world from early times and debunk the notion of passivity.
Buddhist moulded clay tablets from Dvaravati: Understanding their regional variations and Indian linkages

( 2017-08-29) Ghosh, Suchandra

The regional variations of the Dvaravati Buddhist clay tablets are the subject of this essay. The act of making tablets as a part of meditation practice, religious exercise or merit making was itself the main reason for the production of these tablets. The essay further probes into the possible adoption or adaptation from India as the practice of making these tablets is of Indian origin and numerous equivalents in the shape of plaques dating from seventh to eleventh centuries have been uncovered in abundance on different Buddhist sites of India. The essay argues that moulded clay tablets, albeit, a minor object in the vast repertoire of artistic or religious expressions are also to be taken into account as an element for understanding shared cultural practices across Asia.