Question

Who among the following is author of the book ‘Ancient Indian Historical Tradition’?

• A. K.M. Panikkar
• B. V.S. Pathak
• C. F.E. Pargiter
• D. Romila Thapar

Hint:

Important historian-book pairs:
• F.E. Pargiter → Ancient Indian Historical Tradition
• Romila Thapar → Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas
• R.C. Majumdar → The History and Culture of the Indian People Memorizing historian-book combinations is very useful for competitive exams.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: Books and literary works written by historians are extremely important sources for understanding ancient Indian history. Competitive examinations frequently ask questions regarding famous historians and their books. Therefore, knowledge of historical authors and their works is essential for scoring well in history sections. The book Ancient Indian Historical Tradition is a famous historical work written by F.E. Pargiter, a British scholar known for studying ancient Indian genealogies and Puranic traditions.

Step 1: Understanding the importance of the book. The book Ancient Indian Historical Tradition examines historical traditions preserved in ancient Indian literature, especially the Puranas. The author attempted to reconstruct ancient Indian chronology and dynastic history through literary evidence. This work became important because early Indian historical traditions were often preserved through religious and literary texts rather than formal historical records.

Step 2: Identifying the correct author from the options. Let us examine every option carefully:
• Option (A) K.M. Panikkar: K.M. Panikkar was a noted Indian historian and diplomat, but he did not write Ancient Indian Historical Tradition.
• Option (B) V.S. Pathak: V.S. Pathak contributed to Indian historical studies, but this particular book was not written by him.
• Option (C) F.E. Pargiter: F.E. Pargiter was the actual author of the famous historical work Ancient Indian Historical Tradition. Therefore, this option is correct.
• Option (D) Romila Thapar: Romila Thapar is a renowned modern historian of ancient India, but she is not the author of this book.

Step 3: Arriving at the final answer. Since historical records clearly state that the book Ancient Indian Historical Tradition was written by F.E. Pargiter, the correct answer is: \[ \boxed{\text{F.E. Pargiter}} \]