The Borderlands and Borders of the Indian Subcontinent, New Delhi: Aryan Books International, 2018, Pp 232

Book Discussion Dilip K Chakrabarti: The Borderlands and Borders of the Indian Subcontinent, New Delhi: Aryan Books International, 2018, pp 232 Understanding Indian Borderlands Dilip K Chakrabarti he Indian subcontinent shares borders with Iran, Afghanistan, the plateau of Tibet Tand Myanmar. The sub-continent’s influence extends beyond these borders, creating distinct ‘borderlands’ which are basically geographical, political, economic and religious interaction zones. It is these ‘borderlands’ which historically constitute the subcontinent’s ‘area of influence’ and underlines its civilizational role in the Asian landmass. A clear understanding of this civilizational role may be useful in strengthening India’s perception of her own geo-strategic position. Iran One may begin with Iran at the western limit of these borderland. There are two main mountain ranges in Iran : the Zagros which separates Iran from Iraq and has to its south the plain of Khuzestan giving access to south Iraq ; and the Elburz which separates the inland Iran from the Caspian belt, Turkmenistan and (to a limited extent , Azerbaijan). The Caspian shores form a well-wooded verdant belt which poses a strong contrast to the dry Iranian plateau. There are two deserts inside the Iranian plateau -- dasht-i-lut and dasht-i-kevir, which do not encourage human habitation. The population concentration of Iran is along the margins of the mountain belt and also in Khuzestan. The following facts are noteworthy. The eastern rim of Iran carries an imprint of the subcontinent. There is a ready access to Iranian Baluchistan through the Kej valley in Pakistani Baluchistan. At its eastern edge this valley leads both to lower Sindh and Kalat. From the side of Iranian Baluchistan, there is easy access to the Fars area of Iran with Kirman and Shiraz as its prominent points. From Shiraz, the whole of western Iran including Khuzestan is open. Pakistani Baluchistan’s northern portion also gives easy access Dilip K Chakrabarti Distinguished Fellow, VIF & Professor Emeritus, Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University. National Security Vol.III Issue I | ISSN 2581-9658 (O) | 125 Book Discussion | Understanding Indian Borderlands to Iranian Baluchistan. From Zahidan in Iran to Quetta in Pakistan, there is a running railway system, reflection of the age-old links between the two segments. From Zahidan one can move up the eastern rim of the Iranian plateau to Meshed located at a kind of junction point of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Iran. Also, from Zahidan one can approach Kirman and Shiraz via Bam. Thus, from the entire Sindh-Baluchistan area to the heart of western Iran there can be an easy movement of people and goods. The routes are defined and have witnessed interaction through the ages. This interaction dates from prehistory and the general period of the Indus civilization. In the historic period, the Achaemenid The subsequent links state (7th-4th cent BC), famous for its kings Darius and Xerxes, between Iranian history was based in Fars (Persepolis). It controlled the subcontinent and Indian history are up to the Indus and must have used south Iran for access to manifold, the major its Indian territory. The subsequent links between Iranian political hubs being the history and Indian history are manifold, the major political Scythians, Parthians and hubs being the Scythians, Parthians and the Sassanids. This the Sassanids. takes us down to the Kushan-Gupta phase of Indian history. The story is carried forward till Nadir Shah, the 18th century Iranian king who looted Delhi. If we shift our focus from the Iranian south to the Iranian north, the geographical scope of links gets wider. From the side of the subcontinent one has to reach first the Herat area of Afghanistan Herat can be reached in a number of ways from the Indian side, but from Kandahar to Herat there is an easy and straight access through the Helmand valley. Once one enters Iran from Herat, one finds a straight east-to-west route skirting both the south and north edges of the Elburz. The evidence of Indus civilization contact can be traced along this route. This was also within the central area of the Parthians, among others. Through Kermanshah one can cross the Zagros to reach northern Iraq and this gives access to the coast of Syria and the neighbouring areas. Or, one can enter Turkey through the Lake Van belt and the area to its north. There is no hindrance to the movement from here to Istanbul. The subcontinent’s economic links with Iran have also been long-lasting. The presence of the Indus civilization trading goods can be observed both along the northern and southern routes. Kirman was supplying woollen goods to Panjab and elsewhere in later periods. There was a large Indian trading colony in Isfahan under the Safavids and the Indian traders moved up to the Volga from this base. One does not find any tangible evidence of religious interaction between Iran and National Security Vol.III Issue I | ISSN 2581-9658 (O) | 126 Book Discussion | Understanding Indian Borderlands India. There is no clear Buddhist evidence from Iran. The possible reason is that Zorastrianism was too firmly entrenched in Iran to permit the entry of Buddhism. Afghanistan Three ancient Indian terms – Gandhara, Vahlika and Kamboja – denote the whole of Afghanistan and indicate the affinity of this land with India. Although taken to mean Peshawar and Jalalabad, Gandhara is likely to stand for the Pakhtun area of broadly south Afghanistan. Vahlika basically means the Oxus valley in north Afghanistan, and Kamboja is likely to stand for the Badakhshan zone. The area south of the Hindukush leans more toward the subcontinent, both Kandahar and Kabul being major points of this zone. Access from the south to the north is provided by Hindukush Although it is currently passes. The Pamir plateau looks over the Wakhan fashionable to emphasize the corridor which maintains links with China and the significance of Silk Route, the northern territories of Pakistan. There is a major Indus route which linked China with Civilization site in the Oxus valley. This is a pattern the Mediterranean, there is a which is also repeated by the occurrence of the Greek whole chain of routes linking city of Ai Khanum in the same area. Along with the different parts of Afghanistan Indus valley Afghanistan was within the Achaemenid and central Asia, all forming empire, and this is something which continues in the an interlinked passage subcontinent’s history till the Sikh kingdom when Ranjit towards west and central Asia Singh’s kingdom included a large chunk of the Afghan including the western most territory. Politically Afghan is a kind of shatter zone with part of China. political power being shared among diverse groups. Although it is currently fashionable to emphasize the significance of Silk Route, the route which linked China with the Mediterranean, there is a whole chain of routes linking different parts of Afghanistan and central Asia, all forming an interlinked passage towards west and central Asia including the westernmost part of China. Further, the whole of Afghanistan witnessed a significant penetration of Buddhism. Two hoards from Afghanistan, one from Begram and the other from Ilya Tepe, are among the most important hordes of traded objects in the early centuries AD. Central Asia Central Asia has long been considered a pivotal area of world geopolitics mainly because of the various waves of people it has seen moving both eastward and westward. As far as the subcontinent is concerned, the links are rooted in prehistory but become more National Security Vol.III Issue I | ISSN 2581-9658 (O) | 127 Book Discussion | Understanding Indian Borderlands marked with the onset of the Indus Civilization when sites with Indus contact appeared in Turkmenia. The tradition continues in the historical periods with the Achaemenids, Indo-Greeks, Scythians and Parthians, and much later, the India is likely to have Mongols and the Mughals belong to the same historical played a major role in turn of events. It was during the Kushan period that Central the development of city Asia and large parts of India including major sections of states in the Tarim basin the Ganga valley got politically intertwined, leading to as the archaeological various manifestations in the cultural and other spheres. ruins here have The development of Gandhara art, the spread of Buddhism extensively displayed in central Asia including the entire stretch of Xinjiang, the traces of Buddhism, intensification of trade through the connecting areas, Brahmi and Kharosthi including Afghanistan, and the coming together of the scripts and visual arts entire Himalayan belt west of Ladakh are some of the major including painting. features of this period. India is likely to have played a major role in the development of city states in the Tarim basin as the archaeological ruins here have extensively displayed traces of Buddhism, Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts and visual arts including painting. It is probable that they were all Indianized states in the Tarim basin in the early centuries AD, playing a catalytic role in maintaining links with China via Dun Huang and the Hexi corridor leading to the interior of China. The traces of these states in the Tarim basin call for detailed site-by-site studies from the Indian point of view. The way these vast geographical stretches in Xinjiang have come to be buried under the impact of Uigur-speaking Islam and the Han Chinese may make many strands of the modern history of the region clear. Our understanding of the archaeology and history of Central Asia has to a great extent been impaired by our obsession with the population movements of various kinds out of this vast region, but behind all the noise raised by horses’ or camels’ hooves lies a quiet world of traders’, pilgrims’ and artists’ travels enriching the world of both India and central Asia.

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