Sources

History is the study of the past.

a. Historians write history on the basis of the sources available.

b. Pieces of evidence relating to the sources are collected, thoroughly examined and analyzed written as history.

c. In case of

d. Unavailability of direct sources, assumptions are made from the events by the historians from their own point of view and history is written on the basis of these perceptions.

Meaning of Source:

The remains of the past are referred to as sources. Things used by the human beings still remain as sources. Tools and implements, coins, buildings, inscriptions, etc., are some of the examples of these remains.

Types of Sources:

Sources of history can be broadly classified under two headings. They are:

1. Literary Sources:

Literary Sources refers to those sources which give us information about the prevalent lifestyle and other aspects in a direct or indirect way. These can be either in written or oral form. Famous works like Arthashastra by Chanakya, Indica by Megasthanese are examples of literary sources in written form. Folk songs, stories, legends, ballads etc., are some of the examples of oral literature.

2. Archaeological sources:

The evidences like monuments, forts, coins, inscriptions etc., that help us to know about the past are called Archaeological sources. Some of these sources are available directly or sometimes need to be to excavated from the depth of the earth. Red Fort built by Shah Jahan and the excavated coins and terracotta pieces during Harappan Civilization are some of the examples.

1. Literary Sources:

The literary sources can again be classified into two types such as:

(a) Written Literature

This is a primary source of history. The writer directly or indirectly portrays the social life of the people during his times. Written literature can be again classified as

(i) Native literature which refers to the literary works in local Indian languages by the Indians like Harsha Charitha of Banabhatta.

(ii) Foreign literature refers to the work of foreign visitors about the then existing social life of the Indians. Si-yu-ki by Hiuen Tsang is an example.

(b) Oral Literature

Oral literature refers to the art practices such as folk songs, story, legends, ballads, etc., that were passed down from one generation to other through practice or word of mouth. Ballads on Kumararama and Nayakas of Chitradurga are some examples.

2. Archaeological sources:

These are the prevailing evidences like forts, monuments etc., Sometimes it becomes necessary to dug out the earth to find out some of the evidences.

Archaeological can be classified as:

1. Inscriptions like Samudra Gupta’s Allahabad pillar inscription, Ashoka’s inscription etc.,

2. Monuments like Qutb Minar, Red Fort etc.,

3. Coins like the gold coins of Samudra Gupta

4. Other ruins such as pieces of terracotta, bangles, beads, and biological ruins of dead organisms.

Native Literature:

Literary works which are written in native languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, Prakruth, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Oriya by Indians is called as Native literature.

Native Literary Works:

Kautilya’s Arthashastra, Banabhatta’s Harsha Charitha, Kalhana’s Rajatharangini, Mudrarakshas by Vishaka Dutta, Chand Bhardayi’s Prithviraja Raso, Pampa’s Vikramarjunavijaya are some of the native literary works.

These works depict the social, economic, political and religious life of the people during that time.

Foreign writers the people who visited India as travelers or ambassadors, missionaries or even business men. The works written by them are called as Foreign literature. Fahien, Hiuen Tsang, Tolemy, Babar are some of the foreign writers.

Megasthanese’s Indica, Hiuen Tsang’s Si-yu-ki, Babar’s Tuzk-e-Babri, Ferishta’s Tarikh-i-Ferishtha, Tolemy’s Geography, Fahien’s Gho-ko-ki are some of the foreign literary works.

They have narrated the then prevailing socio-economic, political and administrative conditions of the place they had visited.

Inscriptions are the writings which are engraved on rocks, pillars, stones, ivory, metals, terracotta, etc.

1.Inscriptions are the archaeological source which has more reliability for writing history.

2. Since these inscriptions narrate the events of the concerned period and have a direct relationship with those events, they seem to have more reliability than the other sources.

3. They give us information about the political, cultural, economic, educational and religious practices of those times.

Ashoka’s inscriptions at the Sarnath pillar which depicts the rule of Ashoka, Uttarameruru inscriptions which reflects about the Chola kings, Samudra Gupta’s Allahabad pillar inscription are some of the examples of these inscriptions.

Coins are the major archaeological source of history.

1. These small coins have a lot to portray. Coins help in knowing the information about the kingdom, language, administration, religion and economic condition and also the title of the ruler who minted those coins.

2. Gouthamiputra Shatkarani inscribed his name on the coins after erasing Nahapana to reveal that he had defeated Nahapana.

3.Trade relations with Rome can be traced with the availability of Roman coins in Bengaluru.

4.Samudra Gupta issued seven types of gold coins. The pictures on those coins reveal that the king’s love for music.

Thus, coins play an important role in the writing of history.

Monuments are one of the major sources of history. Palaces, temples, forts, pillars, etc., are some examples of monuments

1. Monuments throw light on the then prevailing religious, technological, economic, scientific knowledge and creativity.

2. Golgumbuz at Vijayapura reveals the science and technical knowledge while the Elephanta, Ellora and Ajanta cave paintings finely exposes the beauty of art and sculpture during those times.

3. The evolution of the temple architecture in India can be understood from the temples of Aihole and Patadakallu. Srirangapatna fort depicts the achievements in the area of defence.

4. The importance given to education can be clearly understood from monuments in Nalanda and the architecture of Madarsas.

Thus, monuments helps in the understanding of the past.

The age of biological fossils such as dead animals, birds, plants and trees can be decided by a procedure called Carbon-14 dating. The accurate age of the fossils can be determined by estimating the levels of C-12 and C-14. The radioactive carbon C-14 which is present in every living being gradually decrease in its volume after the death of the organism. But no change can be noticed in the levels of C-12. Thus, carbon dating plays a vital role in fossil study.

The state of Karnataka has produced many legends who brought laurels to the state. Some of such legends are:

Rani Chennamma:

Rani Chennamma was born in Kakati, a small village in Belgaum district of Karnataka. She was the queen and ruler of Kittur during India’s struggle of Independence. She was widely acknowledged as the first female ruler to rebel against the British. She opposed the Doctrine of Lapse introduced by Lord Dalhousie. She was trained in archery, sword fighting and horse riding at her young age. She adopted a child and declared him heir to the throne after the loss of her husband and her son. Hence, she rebelled against the British’s policy of Doctrine of Lapse.

Maharaja Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV:

Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV was born in the Mysore palace to Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X and Maharani Vani Vilas Sannidhana in the year 1884. He was the 24^th Raja of Mysore. His reign of almost 39 years was considered as the Golden Age of Mysore. Mysore was the best-administered region during his rule. He was known for his religious tolerance and treated all religions equally. He constructed many temples, mosques, and churches. He was against untouchability and banned child marriage of girls below the age of eight. He aimed at removing poverty and improving rural infrastructure. Many educational institutions were set up including the famous Sanskrit college. The city empowerment Board was established for the first time in India under his rule.

Onake Obavva:

Onake Obavva was an epitome of bravery. She single-handedly fought against the army of Hyder Ali. She used a pestle which is called Onake in Kannada in her fight against Hyder Ali and hence the name. She lived in the kingdom of Chitradurga. When she went to fetch water from a kind in Chitradurga fort, she heard some sound of the men of Hyder Ali digging hole in order to enter the fort. She hid behind a hole dug by the enemies and started killing the soldiers one by one who was entering the Chitradurga fort. The enemies did not expect this attack and they died. Unfortunately, she died on the same day. She is still remembered in Karnataka for her bravery and the hole that she guarded is named as Obavvana Kindi.

Like these people, Karnataka has produced so many legends like Saalumadara Thimmakka, the environmentalist, Shakuntala Devi, the Mathematical genius, Kuvempu, the poet, Allama Prabhu, the Philosopher etc.,

Monuments are the archaeological sources of information to know about the past. Forts, temples, palaces, pillars etc., are some of the monuments. These monuments give us a clear picture of the then prevailing living conditions and other information of the people. These monuments also stand as an example of architecture during that period. All the monuments are unique in their own style. Some of the famous monuments with their uniqueness are listed below:

Qutb Minar:

It is the tallest Minaret in the world which is made up of bricks. It is 73m tall and has five stories. It was constructed during Mughal empire. It is located at Mehrauli, New Delhi. The construction of Qutb Minar was started by Qutb-ud-din-Aibak.

Golgumbaz:

It was built to mark the tomb of the Sultan Mohamed Adil Shah. It is located at Bijapur, Karnataka. It stands as an example of the Deccan Indo-Islamic style of architecture. It is a circular dome and is made of dark grey basalt. It is also the resting place of the sultan and his wives.

Tajmahal:

The Taj Mahal is located at Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is a perfectly symmetric planned building which depicts Indo-Islamic architecture. It is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It is constructed of ivory and white marble.

Vijayastamba:

Vijayastamba means Tower of Victory. It was constructed by Rana Kumbha, the king of Mewar. This tower was built in commemoration of the king’s victory over the armies of Malwa and Gujarat. It is located in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. It is an example of Rajput architecture. The tower is built of white marble and red sandstone.

Srirangapatna Fort:

This fort was built by Timmanna Nayaka of the Vijayanagara empire. This fort is located in Srirangapatna in Karnataka. The famous Ranganathaswamy temple is located inside the fort. There is also a mosque Juma Mosque built by Tipu Sultan in the Indo-Islamic style of architecture.

Ashoka pillar:

It was built by Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan empire. It is at Sarnath. He patronized Buddhism after the Kalinga war. It is carved out of a single block of sandstone. Four lions standing back to back are beautifully carved on an abacus of an elephant, a horse, a bull and a lion. There is a Dharma chakra in the center which is popularly called as Ashoka Chakra. This is the National Emblem of India.

The Red Fort:

The Red Fort is one of the historic forts in India and is located in New Delhi, the capital of our country. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639. The entire fort is made of Red Sandstone.