Review : Amazing legends of India by Swapna Rajput 0
“Amazing legends of India” by Swapna Rajput is a fairly comprehensive history book, covering many of the major characters in Indian mythology and history till the Sepoy mutiny in 1857 against the British.
Unlike most indian history books which mainly cover facts validated by historians, the book includes many of the mythological characters like Valmiki, Vishwamitra, Shakuntala, Savitri and focusses on individuals instead of the historical eras like the Indus valley civilization. The first historically validated king in the book is King Porus and most of the major kings like Chandragupta Maurya, Samrat Ashoka, Vikramaditya, SamudraGupta, Raja Bhoj, Prithviraj Chauhan, Hemu ,Maharana Pratap, Shivaji, Ranjit Singh in Indian history are described
Fairly detailed information is also provided of the Islamic rulers who conquered india starting with Qutub-ud-din-Aibak, who was a slave of Mohammed Ghori and started the first muslim sultanate. It also covers Allaudin Khilji, Razia Sultan, and Muhammad bin Tughlaq who was mentioned repeatedly in India after demonetization was announced. Most of the major Mughal rulers started from Babur to Aurangzeb are mentioned in some detail. Southern rulers like Adil Shah, Nizam, Qutub Shahi and Tipu Sultan are also described for reference
Since the author of the book studied in Karnataka, the book has more information about the historical characters from Karnataka and South India compared to most ICSE and CBSE history text books. The southern rulers like the Cholas, Pandyas, Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Pallavas are mentioned. The Vijaynagar empire, Wodeyars of Mysore and the Kadamba dynasty which was based in Karnataka has also been described.
The book has provided a brief summary of the major characters in Indian history, however more details would be appreciated. For example Shivaji Maharaj is mentioned, however his son Sambhaji who was brutally murdered by Aurangzeb is not mentioned in great detail, how exactly he was trapped by the Mughals. This could be a shortcoming of the book, because the author has tried to cover a lot of information in relatively few words, which may be useful for those who are studying for a competitive exam, taking part in a quiz.
Some of the information is included in school history books. Like most of the self published books in India , the book should have been edited and proof read as this has adversely affected the readability of the book. For example on page 116, “To conclude , born to legendary lovers but most hated Islamic king of India, who was responsible for deteriorating kings of other religion as well as torturing the citizens to fill the treasure” Though this reviewer has been greatly criticized by google and other companies for mistakes, for a printed book, the author could have consulted a proof reader. With extremely limited opportunities for middle aged people in India, there are many who will proof read at a very low cost
The book is useful as a reference especially for those who do not use the internet or do not find the information online reliable. It is also recommended for those who have to answer the general knowledge section in entrance exams, exams for getting jobs and quizzes, and for getting a general overview of indian history.
Amazing legends of India
Author: Swapna Rajput
Pages : 199
Published : 2015
Publisher : Quills Ink , self published
Author review copy