ABSTRACT
For some time India was thought not to have an indigenous historical tradition because timelessness rather than time was more important to its dominant Hindu culture. History came to India, it was long claimed, only through British occupation and rule. British persuasion was that India had no history worth discussing anyway, being a mélange of competing petty courtier politics and sectarian religions. The chief impetus to historical writing was the growth of Indian national consciousness in the nineteenth century. Indian historiography arose from precursors in the nationalist schools that flourished before Independence. They had a firm sense of evidence and ranged over the entire 3500-year spectrum of Indian history.
