Chronicles on stone: A Kadamba inscription and historical consciousness in pre-modern India

Abstract

A few scholars who studied India's sense of history and attempted to find historical consciousness argued that India did not have the tradition of writing down its history. Based on this finding, it was argued that Indians lacked a sense of history and the need to preserve their past. A few imperialist historians made this argument. However, several Indian scholars have attempted to prove that Indians did write about their past. They present Rajatarangini of Kalhana as a classic example. Since then, scholars have found several works exhibiting historical consciousness. It shows that like other nations of Asia and Europe India also exhibited a sense of history. Such an argument can be made based on a study of inscriptions. Thousands of inscriptions have been discovered in different parts of South India. The present attempt is to study an inscription of the Goa Kadambas. The present work will study the content of this inscription while at the same time, analyzing its function and audience.