Geographical Features and Their Impact On History

INDIA - GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES AND THEIR IMPACT ON HISTORY  

Geography Defines History

Time and space are significant factors in determining the historical process. In particular, a country’s geography largely determines its historical events.

The history of India is also influenced by its geography. Hence, the study of Indian geographical features contributes to the better understanding of its history.

Indian Subcontinent

Indian subcontinent is divided into three major regions: The Himalayan Mountains, The Indo-Gangetic Plains and The Southern Peninsula.

There are five countries in the subcontinent – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.

1. The Himalayan Mountains

• - The Himalayan mountains stretch from Pamir in the North West of India, the mighty Himalayan range extends towards northeast.. It has a length of 2560 km and breadth of 240-320 km. 
• - The highest peak of the Himalayas is known as Mount Everest which protects the country against the cold arctic winds blowing from Siberia through Central Asia, this keeps the climate of northern India fairly warm throughout the year.
• - For a long time Himalayas stood as a natural barrier to protect India against invasions. But, the passes in the northwest mountains such as the Khyber, Bolan, Kurram and Gomal provided easy routes between India and Central Asia. These passes are situated in the Hindukush, Sulaiman and Kirthar ranges. 
• - The Greeks, Huns, Parthian’s, Turks and Sakas entered the subcontinent through these. Alexander came through the Swat valley. These passes allowed trade as well as cultural contacts between India and central Asia.
• - In the north of Kashmir is Karakoram Range. The second highest peak in the world, Mount Godwin Austen is situated here. This part of the Himalayas and its passes are high and snow-covered in the winter. The Karakoram highway via Gilgit is connected to Central Asia but there was little communication through this route.
• - Nepal is a small valley under the foot of the Himalayas and it is accessible from Gangetic plains through a number of passes.
• - In the east, the Himalayas extend up to Assam. The important mountains in this region are Pat Koi, Nagai and Lushai ranges. These hills are covered with thick forests due to heavy rains and mostly remain inhospitable. The mountains of northeast India are difficult to cross and many parts of this region have remained in relative isolation.

2. The Indo-Gangetic Plain

- The Indo-Gangetic plain is irrigated by three important rivers, the Ganges, Indus and Brahmaputra. This vast plain is most fertile and productive because of the alluvial soil brought by the streams of the rivers and its tributaries.

(i) The Indus river

• - It rises beyond the Himalayas and its major tributaries are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas.
• - The Punjab(land of five rivers) plains are benefited by the Indus river system.
• - Sind is situated at the lower valley of the Indus. The Indus plain is known for its fertile soil.
• - The Thar Desert and Aravalli hills(Mt. Abu-highest peak) are situated in between the Indus and Gangetic plains.
• - The Harappan culture flourished in the Indus valley.

(ii) The Ganges river

• - It rises in the Himalayas, flows south and then towards the east. The river Yamuna flows almost parallel to the Ganges and then joins it. The area between these two rivers is called doab – meaning the land between two rivers.
• - The important tributaries of the Ganges are the Gomati, Sarayu, Ghagra and Gandak.
• - In the east of India, the Ganges plain merges into the plains of Brahmaputra( rises beyond the Himalayas, flows across Tibet and then continues through the plains of northeast India).  The Indo-Gangetic plain has contributed to the rise of urban centres, particularly on the river banks or at the confluence of rivers.
• - The Vedic culture prospered in the western Gangetic plain.
• - Banares, Allahabad, Agra, Delhi and Pataliputra are some of the important cities of the Gangetic plain.
• - The city of Pataliputra was situated at the confluence of Son river with the Ganges. In the ancient period Pataliputra had remained the capital for the Mauryas, Sungas, Guptas and other kingdoms.
• - The most important city on the western side of the Gangetic plain is Delhi. Most of the decisive battles of Indian history such as the Kurukshetra, Tarain and Panipat were fought near Delhi.
• - Important powers fought for the possession of these plains and valleys like, Ganga-Yamuna doab proved to be the most coveted and contested area.
• - The rivers in this region served as arteries of commerce and communication(which continued till East India Company). In ancient times it was difficult to make roads, and so men and material were moved by boat.

3. The Southern Peninsula

• - The Vindhya and Satpura mountain ranges along with Narmada and Tapti rivers form the dividing line. The plateau to the south of it is Deccan plateau which is of volcanic rock. As the rocks are easier to cut, many rock cut monasteries and temples are found here.
• - The Deccan plateau is flanked by Eastern and Western Ghats. The Coromandel Coast is located between Eastern Ghats and Bay of Bengal.
• - The Western Ghats are locally known as Konkan, Canara and Malabar coast. The passes like Junnar, Kanheri and Karle linked the trade routes to the western ports. The Anaimudi is the highest peak in the southern peninsula. Doddapetta is another highest peak in the Western Ghats.
• - The Deccan plateau acts as a bridge between north and south but due to the dense forests in the Vindhyas, the culture and language is well preserved due to geographic isolation.
• - In the south, Palghat pass from Kaveri valley to Malabar Coast was famous for Indo - Roman trade.
• -  The Eastern Ghats are low and cut in places due to fast flowing rivers. The port cities of Arikamedu, Mamallapuram and Kaveripattinam were situated on the Coromandel coast. The rivers of the southern peninsula flow from west to east except Narmada and Tapti which flow from east to west. The rivers flow parallel to each other and these rivers make the plateau into a fertile rice producing soil.
• - The Krishna Tungabhadra doab has been hotly contested by southern kingdoms due to its fertility. 
• - The deltaic plains formed by these two rivers at their mouths became famous under the Satavahanas.
• - The Kaveri delta became the seat of the Chola power. The Kaveri basin with its rich tradition, language and culture has flourished from ancient times.
• - In the east, mariners reached countries like Jawa, Sumatra, Burma and Cambodia. Apart from trade, they spread Indian art, religion and culture in these parts of the world.
• - The commercial contacts between south India and the Greco-Roman countries flourished along with cultural relations.

India - A Land of Unity In Diversity

• The pre-Aryans, the Indo- Aryans, the Greeks, the Scythians, the Hunas, the Turks, etc., made India their home.
• Different cultures mingled with one another through the ages. Many pre-Aryan or Dravidian terms occur in the Vedic texts. Similarly, many Pali and Sanskrit terms appear in the Sangam literature.
• Since ancient times, India has been the land of several religions. Ancient India witnessed the birth of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. But all these cultures and religions intermingled with one another.
• Although Indians people speak different languages, practice different religions, and observe different social customs, they follow certain common styles of life throughout the country.
• Political unity was attained at least twice during the Mauryan and Gupta Empires.
• The unity of India was also recognized by foreigners. They first came into contact with the people living on the Sindhu or the Indus, and so they named the whole country after this river.
• Efforts for the linguistic and cultural unity of the country were made through the ages. In the 3rd century B.C, Prakrit language served as the lingua franca of the country. Asoka’s inscriptions were written in the Prakrit
• language, also the ancient epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, were studied with the same zeal and devotion throughout the country. Originally composed in Sanskrit, these epics came to be presented in different local languages.  
• Although the Indian cultural values and ideas were expressed in different forms, the substance remained the same throughout the country. The underlying unity and integrity and the plural character of Indian society remain the real strength for the development of the country.  

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