Book Description
Recent studies of 18th century in India by historians like Barun De, Athar Ali, Satish Chandra, Irfan Habib, C.A. Baily, V.P. Raghuvanshi, to mention only a few, made a significant break from the earlier studies which tended to treat 18th century as ‘dark period’. This view was based primarily on the decline of centralized authority with the disintegration of Mughals and the rise of number of regional states and other attendant factors. However this view was contested. In fact, while acknowledging the decline of the overall central authority, the alternate view, based primarily on regional sources, endeavoured to depict 18th Century as a period of resurgence. Along with the rise of regional powers, the Century witnessed the vibrant growth of region specific economies and cultural florescence in arts and letters. Resilience in matters of established religious faiths was a Pan-Indian phenomenon. Several unorthodox popular sects emerged in various parts of the sub-continent. They denounced the evils associated with Brahmanical Hinduism, such as polytheism, idolatry and caste dominance. Similar heterodox sects emerged in Andhra region and the same are incorporated in the present volume.
