Archival Extracts

Explanatory Note

These archival compilations were prepared by Shri Dharampal over a ten-year period (between 1996 and 2006), with the aim of making his invaluable historical corpus (collected in British archival depositories, mainly from 1966 until 1982) more easily accessible for researchers interested in gaining a more accurate understanding of the existing pre-colonial empirical reality and the transformations undergone in different regions of the Indian subcontinent from the eve of the British conquest and during the subsequent colonial rule. The total period covered (ca. 1600-1947) comprises a focus on a crucial century (1757-1857), highlighting the transformative impact of colonial intervention.

With the aim of facilitating crucial insights into this transformative period of Indian history, from his extensive collection of archival data (comprising about 15,500 pages), Dharampalji made a circumscribed selection, defined by specific topics of crucial importance pertaining to the polity, economy and society of the respective regions, and structured this selected material into thematically separate volumes (in all 18 in number). Their textual contents were then systematically computerised and meticulously checked with the original archival documents to validate the authenticity of the reproduction (with the expert and unstinting support of Ram and Rama from 2000-2006).

The archival (or bibliographical) reference for each extracted document has been provided at the beginning of the reproduced historical text, so that the researcher can consult the original source for validation as also for the purpose of conducting more extensive research.

For conducting more in-depth research, it is recommended that the individual researcher consults the Dharampal Archives lodged at the Centre for Policy Studies, Chennai. For facilitating research, Dharampalji’s complete archival corpus has been digitized (in collaboration with the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi) and can thus be accessed online at http://cpsindia.org/index.php/dh-archive

The archival compilations (selected by Dharampalji, as explained above) are being made available to researchers interested in embarking on a pioneering investigation of India’s recent history that has as yet not been adequately depicted by conventional historiography.

The list of contents, comprising 18 volumes, is as follows. These compilations will be made available shortly. Titles are given below.