GEOGRAPHICAL INFLUENCE ON HISTORY OF INDIA

Geography has played a great role in influencing the History of India. India by itself is a large country. India was two third the size of USA and 20 times the size of Great Britain. On the north, India is surrounded by the high Himalayan ranges separated from Central Asia and Eastern Asia main line. On the Western and Southern side India is enclosed by waters of the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.

Causes of geographical influence

The Renaissance was responsible for scientific inventions which encouraged new geographical discoveries. Foreigners came by land route to the East, for e.g., Maroc Polo. These Europeans found that there wee many luxury items like spices, silk, and precious stones. The Europeans especially the Portuguese wanted to have trade contact with the East. In order to have trade relations with the East, geographical discoveries were made.

The physical features of the country affected the lives and habits of the people and the richness of the soil made life easy. Agriculture and industry flourished especially in the plains of Punjab and Haryana, parts of Uttar Pradesh and Andra Pradesh. Ganga, Jamuna, Doab area in North, and Raichur Doab area in the South were noted for production of foodgrains. Besides the rivers of India have been useful for irrigation purposes and development of hydroelectric projects. Agriculture was the main occupation of the people and Indians were famous for producing commercial crops like cotton, silk, jute, etc. Indians supplied raw materials to small- and large-scale industries. The forest resources also supplied raw materials; Indian plains have been used to produce different kinds of medicine from ancient times. Trade was started by land and sea route. India traded with Rome and Middle Eastern countries since ancient times.

Geographical factors were responsible for cultural unity in diversity. The geography (rivers, plains and mountains) was responsible for creating common heroes and common sense of belonging which was responsible for nationalism. The different geographical zones and different climate were also responsible for developing a particular way of life. To suit the climate in the north, the north Indian people ate more wheat. The south Indians basic diet consisted of rice. The people in the coastal region eat fresh fish and rice. Thus, each region developed their own way of life.

Historians say that there is uniqueness in Indian culture because of geographical character. This is mainly because there are mountains, rivers, plains, forests which have encouraged cultural unity but at the same time each region maintains its own variety. E.g., coming from the north, crossing the Vindhya Mountain, one has a distinct change in culture, dress and habits of the people of India. This is because places in the north have a cooler climate that the south and vice versa.

Indian geographical features have encouraged aloofness and isolationism. India being surrounded by the high Himalayan ranges in the North and on three sides by oceans, India was cut off from the rest of Asia. So Indians developed their own habits of keeping aloof and were isolated from the outside world. Travelers and merchants from outside came to India, but Indians did not go outside, so much so that sea voyages were not encouraged. As a result, Indians remained aloof right up to the nineteenth century.

Geographical features encouraged centrifugal tendency. The natural regional boundaries created by mountains, plains, and rivers through the centuries have encouraged the rise of regional kingdoms and also the wars of conquest among the kingdoms to capture each other’s territories. For e.g., 6^th century BC there were 16 Mahajanapadas or monarchial states and few republics. Later on they were united under the Mauryan Emperor with Magadha being the most power state in the fifteenth century under Mughal rule and the rise of Bahamani kingdom in the Deccan. This Bahamani kingdom later split up into five independent kingdoms like Ahmednagar, Golkonda, Bijapur, Berar and Bidaar under separate Muslim dynasty. Such tendencies were responsible for disunity among ruling dynasties in India. This gave opportunities for foreign invaders to conquer India.

Geographical features make it difficult for political unity. The vastness of India with natural separation of different regions has been responsible for political divisions. Right from ancient and medieval times, India has never been bound under one Central Administration. It was only the British who brought India under Central rule.

India was a target for foreign invaders. The Geography of India shows that right from ancient times, Central Asian tribes and before that the Greeks, Persians, Saka-Parthian, Scythian, Kushans made their way into India. The Khyber and Bolan Pass provided easy access for invaders from Kandahar and Afghanistan. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries Mahmud of Ghazni and Mohammed Gauri invaded India several times. Later in 1526, the Mughal dynasty established their rule in India. With geographical discoveries, Europeans made their way to the East. The Portuguese, Dutch, French, English all came to India to trade and finally the British established their administration in the seventeenth century.