ABSTRACT
The aphorism, 'nature proposes, man disposes' is applicable to South Asia. Nature the result in this case of the interplay between plate tectonics and meteorology - has proposed a geo-political region. Within that region, the size of the population, the undogmatic qualities of its ancient theologies, and the time elapsed between external human shocks, has resulted in a unique and evolving continuity of culture despite the detailed complexity of society and regional variation. The implicit model of the 'pays' of South Asia being integrated into larger states works quite well not only for the ancient and mediaeval periods, but also for the Islamic periods of the Sultanate and the Mogul Empire, even despite the fact that Islam introduced an immiscible dogmatic theology into the subcontinent. Schwartzberg concludes his Historical Atlas of South Asia with an analysis of the evolution of regional power configurations in the Indian sub-continent, and a geopolitical synopsis, using a variation of the top-down analysis.
