The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World Paperback – 5 Sept. 2024

This is a really well researched book about an aspect of history previously little known to me. Although full of detail it is beautifully balanced with a style that flows and enables the reader to keep pace with the timeline as it develops.I enjoyed reading this book. It filled a gap in my minds eye and broadened my historical horizons, previously European / Mediterranean centric. Thank you.

Indian origin must read this book

If you’ve ever wondered about where our numeral and decimal systems come from, or why we came to use negative numbers, or how Buddhism became so prevalent in East Asia, or why the largest Hindu (and religious) structure in the world is located in Cambodia, it would be hard to find a better place to start than this book.There are a number of general histories of India, and we also have histories of the Persianate age and the Mughal era as well as British India. But there was a huge gap in the market for a focused history of the era from around 300 BC to 1000 AD. Dalrymple has finally filled it in what is perhaps his most ambitious work yet. His previous books mainly focused on the Mughal and British periods, but it’s clear from reading The Golden Road that his interest in ancient and medieval India goes back decades.Whether the reader is interested in the history of trade, religion, art, architecture, mathematics or all of the above, there’s something for everyone in here.

Started to read. Thoroughly enjoy it. Just one minor error.

I have read all of Dalrymple’s books and this is definitely one of his very best. Thoroughly researched and beautifully written it is an instant classic, flipping conventional history on its head by introducing the concept of the “Indosphere” and explaining how the west, a previous civilizational backwater, was in fact enriched by the east, not the other way around. Dalrymple’s stunning photography is an added bonus to an already marvelous read.

Beautifully produced volume with plenty of colour & black/white plates. Very readable text on the subject. Will warm the cockles of the heart of all Indians. Meticulously researched & engagingly written.

I have read every book written by Dalrymple and am hugely interested in South (East) Asia. I’ve always been fascinated by the Hindu and Sanskrit influence in places like Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia.So I was thrilled when this was published and bought it immediately. Unfortunately it does not meet my expectations.It misses a clear storyline and is large a dry, historical analysis. The first few chapters are just a litany of fact after fact- Roman coins found in India, a Buddhist scriptures found in Bactria, caves found here , ruins found there, that lack a clear story and fail to pull me in.Unfortunately it’s so dry that it puts me to sleep- I barely can do more than 2 pages before nodding off.No doubt it’s well researched but it’s more of an academic paper than an engaging book.It’s also odd that instead of delivering on its promises of showing of Indian influence on n SE Asia, it severely limits itself. As an example, it never really discusses Bali, the only Hindu culture outside of South Asia.I guess this book appeals to a certain kind of Indian chauvinism, as witnessed by many of the reviews here, as its intent, clearly expressed in the introductory chapter, is to prove that India has been just as strong a cultural force in Asia as China.But history is not a competition. That is not a winning premise that makes for a compelling book except for a very specific group of readers.

William Dalrymple's extraordinary scholarship is in full display in this remarkable book.The book is a 600 page tome, two fifths of which is devoted to notes, bibliography and glossary. It is this latter part of the book that lends credibility and authenticity to the book.It requires a great skill to create a coherent and compelling narrative purely from the primary sources. A good many historians populate the narrative with their own opinions but Dalrymple has been sincere to the primary sources.A term " Indosphere" is introduced at the very beginning of the book which translates to the influence India exerted or had over several countries/kingdoms in the world in the matters of Science, Mathematics, Astronomy, religion, Art, Music, Medicine etc without wielding sword. It was soft power in action. This is told over 10 crisply written chapters.Some parts of the history mentioned are well known like Pallavan era but some we have not heard or just consigned to foot notes in other history books. For example the huge role played by Xuanxong and Wu Zetian, the first and the only Empress in the history of China in the spread of Buddhism from India to China is well documented in the book.I listen to the Empire podcasts quite regularly hosted by Dalrymple and Anita Anand and while reading the book it appeared like Dalrymple was reading into my ears directly. That was a bonus.A splendid book and easily, for me one of the best in this year.

The media could not be loaded. Very well researched book, has the capability to take us on memory lane of ancient India. What a journey it is to read and travel in ancient India