Introduction A History of Hindu Society and of Hindu Civilization forms an important material for the study of sociology. The social history of India can claim the same importance in the sociological science as belongs to the social history of ancient nations like Sumer, Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Syria, China, Iran, Greece, Rome and Arabia or of modern countries like Germany, Spain, England, France and U.S.A. In some respects the history of Hindu society can claim an importance of an altogether special character. The reasons for this impor- tance are as follows: (1) Chronologically the Hindu society forms one of the most ancient societies in the world. In the opinions of the scholars of the West as well as of the East the history of Hindu society and of Hindu civili- zation is at least five thousand years old; and the Hindu civilization is one of the few great civilizations that have survived the ravages of time. (2) Hindu society stands first amongst the ancient civilizations outside China in view of its population and its geographical extent and diversity. (3) India would rank probably as the greatest meeting-place of conflicting civilizations of ancient and modern times. It has been a scene of the immigrations, of the invasions and of the fusion of various peoples belonging to known and unknown races of mankind, such as the Dravidians, Aryans, Nägas, S'akas, Hunas, Mahomedans and Europeans, and these diverse civilizations have made deep and lasting impressions on the soci- ology of this country. (4) Three of the greatest world reli- gions, viz. Brahmanism, Jainism and Buddhism had their rise and expansion here. (5) It was here that the Varga and Caste system, with the predominent pries- tly caste of Brahmans at the head, a feature which is peculiar to India, start- ed on its career and has enjoyed a stable existence extending over thousands of years. The Hindu society can very well claim to be distinguished from other so- cieties by this institution. (6) Hinduism,distinguished by the diver- sity of its methods of worship and of its faiths and well-known as a source of di- verse philosophies, complimentary and antagonistic to each other, is another feature of this society. (7) Like other ancient civilizations this civilization has also made great advances and original discoveries in Literature, Law, Logic, Metaphysics,' Medicine, Astronomy, Mathematics and other positive sciences and in fine arts such as painting, sculpture, architecture. Many scholars, in some rare cases from the East but mainly from the West, have in the past endeavoured to explore India's past and Indian scholars are now putting forth their best efforts to write a comprehensive history of Hindu society at the different epochs and in its diverse aspects, after carefully sifting the extant materials for such a history. They have explored the antiquities of India and museums have been founded and an archaeological department maintained by Govt. to collect and protect them. Stone- inscriptions, copper-plate grants and palm- leaf Mss.have been searched for and studi- ed. Scholars have also investigated into the customs and manners, the religious. belief, the dialects, the folk-lore and folk-
