Overview

Hindu Polity is a pioneering work that reconstructs the political ideas and institutions of ancient India based on primary sources. Drawing from Sanskrit texts, legal treatises, inscriptions, and historical records, Jayaswal challenges the colonial view of early Indian governance as despotic or static. Instead, he presents a nuanced picture of ancient Indian polity as dynamic, constitutional, and deeply rooted in principles of dharma and justice. This groundbreaking study explores the evolution of kingship, re­publican traditions, councils, taxation, law, and the rights of citizens in pre-Islamic India. Jayaswal’s central thesis—that ancient India had elements of constitutionalism and representative institutions—remains influential and continues to provoke debate. Erudite and bold, Hindu Polity reclaims a vital intellectual tradition and offers an alternative framework to understanding India’s political past. First published in 1924, the book remains a foundational text in Indian political history and thought, and an essential read for historians, political theorists, and anyone interested in indigenous models of governance.

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9789360807955

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K.P. Jayaswal (1881–1937) was a noted Indian historian, lawyer, and scholar of ancient Indian polity and law. Trained at Oxford, he was among the first to argue for the presence of republican and constitutional elements in early Indian political life.

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