Coromandel: A Personal History of South India by Charles Allen (PDF)

Description

COROMANDEL. A name which has been long applied by Europeans to the Northern Tamil Country, or (more comprehensively) to the eastern coast of the Peninsula of India.This is the India highly acclaimed historian Charles Allen visits in this fascinating book. Coromandel journeys south, exploring the less well known, often neglected and very different history and identity of the pre-Aryan Dravidian south. During Allen’s exploration of the Indian south he meets local historians, gurus and politicians and with their help uncovers some extraordinary stories about the past. His sweeping narrative takes in the archaeology, religion, linguistics and anthropology of the region – and how these have influenced contemporary politics. Known for his vivid storytelling, for decades Allen has travelled the length and breadth of India, revealing the spirit of the sub-continent through its history and people. In Coromandel, he moves through modern-day India, discovering as much about the present as he does about the past.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review Coromandel is lively and its stories well chosen―The EconomistAn engaging and meaningful account of a very long and complex history―Times Literary SupplementA writer whom India as well as Britain should be proud to call its own, this account is seductive and convincing―Literary Review About the Author Charles Allen is the author of a number of bestselling books about India and the colonial experience elsewhere. He is a traveller, historian and master storyteller.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Absolutely enlightening and true to the title. The author does a great job of illuminating not just the history of south India, but the state of Indian history. A must read for any intellects even remotely interested in India and story.

⭐awesome read by charles allen. once again!

⭐Here, as in his “In Search of Ashoka”, Allen is keen on documenting the smothering and masking influence of Brahmanism on pre-existing Indian cultures. He rides his hobby hard, and convincingly. Readers not attuned to South Indian geography will find the constellations of alien toponyms and hydronyms, many with multiple synonyms or alternate spellings, exhausting and opaque; they may find it worthwhile to maintain the patience required to find interesting things, or not.

⭐When Historians / Spiritualists/ Intellectuals & Tourists seek Indian sub-continent, vast majority of them focus on Northern India. Very few venture beyond Vindhya range and when they do, they are spell bounded by the diversity and awed by its depth in any pursuit of their choosing. However, to my knowledge, no one has written a comprehensive book as this one about South India. The kind of research that went into this book and the narratives that were moulded around recorded facts are a guide for popular history books (another book I recommend is The Story of India by Michael Wood). In general, History writing of India, especially written by Indians (most of the times) are scholarly for sure but lack narratives and human perspectives. Author has done a great service to the people of India in general and South Indians in particular with this book. I am much impressed with the way author, Charles Allen, has concluded the book with his commentary on current happenings in India which only shows his engagement with India beyond academic research.Of course, no single book can chronicle history of a place like South India which is as diverse as the rest of India. However, I highly recommend this book to seekers of South Indian history and heritage as it allows the reader to experience a journey that is out of this world.Disclosure-I am from South India.

⭐Romila Thapar is by far the best Historian of Indian history, and Charles Allen has written the Most Readable Recent version of SOUTH INDIAN HISTORY..Neelakanta Shastri History although detailed is a diffcult read and Allen’s book flows well.Recent discoveries and excavations brings the book up to date.A MUST READ for interesed in th SOUTH totally different from the NORTH..

⭐The book contains a wealth of good research but I found it to be pretty one sided.Charles Allen claims to be an Indian and an expert on Indian history. There is a subtle hint of anti-brahminism in that Brahmins have been portrayed to be the cause of all evils plaguing South India whereas the British colonisers and their actions have been heavily defended.I bought and read this book thinking it would be a comprehensive reading on the history of South India – the various dynasties, their kings, important queens and ministers, governance, culture and customs. But it turned out to be mostly about the rise of Buddhism and Jainism in South India and how Brahmins drove them to extinction.

⭐A well written book on history of South India. As a Tamil I have read widely on the subject from both from Tamil and English sources. But, this is an outstanding book that shows little bias, chooses its sources from written records of mostly British, but is eqally aware of recent research by Indian historians and archeologists. As a foreigner, he cannot be accused of ‘Tamil nationalism’. I liked his self-declation in the preface when he says, ‘If you that Hanuman and his monkey army helped Rama build the bridge linking Indian mainland to the island of Lanka ………. [ dear reader], please fead no further’. This is a timely warning. Failure to distinguish between historical facts and mythology is one of the weaknesses of many Indians.

⭐The book projects as if every architecture worth the mention in South india has only Buddhist or jain influence. There is nothing positively presented about Hinduism. The book’s other negative point is that it largely considers tamil literature as its primary source to come to conclusions while mostly ignoring sources from other 3 major languages of south india. The author should better remember that Tamilnadu alone is not south india and tamil not the only southindian language.The author has indeed acknowledged at the beginning of this book that this book is only written from his point of view but since it uses the word history in its title it should present hard facts but this one fails to do so. The book only paints hinduism negatively while being soft on other religions with a particular slant at buddhism and jainism.This book is not history but a very personal view of the author on india.

⭐Not as charming or easy to take on board as his other offerings

⭐Interesting and very well written. I read this after my second reading of “Ocean of Churn” by Sanjeev Sanyal, and it was fascinating to observe differing points of opinion on Aryan invasion theory as well as the the debate on lost Saraswati. The chapters on Jainism, Buddhism, arrival of Bhahmins in South India and their tremendous influence in the form of Shiva and Vishnu devotion are totally fascinating. The pictures only add to the charm and beauty of the book.Also highly recommend reading both “Ocean of Churn” as well as “Land of Seven Rivers” by Sanjeev Sanyal. Perhaps best to start with Land of Seven Rivers, then move to Ocean of Churn and then to Coromandel.

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