About the Book The Book (in 2 volumes) is the collection of some select research papers of Prof. R.C. Gore, published in various journals and collected volumes or presented at different seminars and symposiums held in our country and abroad from time to time. Many of these have been published in several felicitation and commemoration volumes. The necessity of this book was felt for a long time by several research scholars and post-graduate students and University teachers, as these were found scattered at different places in and outside the country.
Therefore, it was decided. to publish a collection of some of the selected papers of Prof. Gaur in a book form. These papers provide a new vision on the related subjects and compels one to think further.
About the Author Prof. R.C. Gaur (b. 1929) retired Chairman of the Department of History and Dean, faculty of Social Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, got his training in Field Archaeology from well known Archaeologist Prof. B.B. Lal, and is the editor of the present volume. Gaur is the founder of the Archaeological Section and its Museum in the Department of History and initiated the studies of Archaeology at M.A. and Reachers levels; of course, he received full support and co-optation in his efforts, from the late prof. S. Nurul Hasan, the then Head of the Department. Gaur also developed his close contacts with Sir Mortimer Wheeler since 1971, when he was a Visiting Fellow of the famous Institute of Archaeology at London. This Seminar, has the distinction of being the first Seminar of the Center of Advanced study in History A.M.U... , of which prof. Gaur was the convener. He has Excavated many sites including Atranjikhera and Lal Qila -the two well known proto-historic sites and also directed the excavations at Fatehpur Sikri-A National Project in collaboration with the A.S.1. He has contributed immensely in the field of Archaeology and has published a large number of papers in various National and International Journals. He has travelled extensively visiting Archaeological sites and delivering lectures in the U.S.A., Europe, Britain, Egypt, Middle Eastern countries and the former Soviet Union. On behalf of the Govt. of India. he visited Syprus to seek the possibility of co-operation in the filed of Archaeology between the two countries. He is a Life Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, Indian Archaeological Society, Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies and is member of many other Learned Societies. He was elected unanimously the President of the Indian Archaeological Society for the year 1988, the Annual Session of which was held the same year in the month of December at Shantiniketan.
Preface This book (in two volumes) is the collection of some of my research papers published in various journals and collectives volumes or presented at different seminars and symposiums held in our country and abroad from time to time. Some of them were reported for inclusion in the official Annual Journal of the Archaeological Survey of India the Indian Archaeology-A Review. I sincerely apologize the publishers of the various journals, proceedings and other learned volumes for not being able to obtain their permission before including my earlier published papers in these two volumes owing to my prolonged ill-health. I have taken this liberty knowing their benevolence and their kind attitude towards me. I have done this exclusively from academic point of view. Papers have been published more than once, on the repeated request of my friends owing to the inordinate delay in their publication. I sincerely apologize for doing so.
The necessity of this book was felt for quite long by my several research and post-graduate students and colleagues as these were found scattered at different places in and outside the country. I therefore, thought it better to publish a collection of my selected papers at one place in book-form, for making them accessible to the readers in general and the senior students in particular.
I will feel amply rewarded if these papers provoke the readers to think further. I will feel obliged if I receive critical comments on them.
I am thankful to Kern. Roopam Bala for correcting the proofs of this book and to Dr. Anil Gadodia for helping her in this task. While preparing the press copy of the book, I am thankful to my typist Mr. Shahib Khan and computer assistant Mr. M. Shakeb Naseem for typing and computer printing respectively .. Though it would be too formal, I want to acknowledge the help rendered by my wife Kamla Gaur in arduous conditions. Also want to thank MIS Publication Scheme, Jaipur, its managing director, Mr. S.S. Natani and his son Mr. Sapan Khandelwal for printing and publishing this collection, carefully and neatly.
I am also thankful to Mr. Kamal Ajmera of Seema Printo Fast, for good typesetting and Miss Anju Jain, Staff member of Publication Scheme for presentation and layout plan of these volumes carefully.
Book's Contents and Sample Pages
