By Karan Thapar

William Dalrymple’s latest book should bring cheer to his Indian readers. It establishes what we’ve always believed is the case. But it’s best to hear it from him. Of the period his book covers, which is roughly the 3rd century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE, he writes: “What Greece was first to Rome, then to the rest of the Mediterranean and European World, so at this period India was to South East and Central Asia and even to China.” ‘The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World’ is, therefore, not just about the wonder that was India but its influence on the rest of the world.

In telling this tale, Dalyrmple makes a second point that would be equally welcome to Indian ears. This time it’s in relation to China, a country that traditionally presents itself as the middle kingdom i.e. the centre of the world. But the truth is that there was hardly any direct trade between China and the West during the period his book covers. In fact, as he told me, the Europe of that time and China were “only dimly aware of each other”.

In contrast, such was the extent of trade between the Roman Empire and India that by one estimate custom taxes may have generated one-third of the total income of the Roman exchequer. Another ‘proof’ of this is that Indian museums contain more Roman coins than any other country outside the boundaries of the Roman Empire. Isn’t this a significant re-setting of the India-China rivalry?

All of this emerges out of the three big narratives in his book. They are, first, the spread of Buddhism to China and Central Asia and onto Siberia and Mongolia, second, the spread of Indian concepts of mathematics and astronomy to the Arab world and thence to Europe and, third, the spread of Hinduism and Sanskritik culture to South East Asia, all the way to Cambodia, Laos and Java. Each is a fascinating story peopled with extraordinary characters ranging from the Viziers of Baghdad to Italian mathematicians, from the Qazi of Toledo to the only female emperor of China, from Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Java to Nalanda in Bihar.

This was the age of India. As the Qazi of Toledo wrote in an intellectual history of the world in 1068, around the time William the Conqueror first stepped onto British soil, India was celebrated for its gifts. “Over many centuries, all the kings of the past have recognized the ability of the Indians in all the branches of knowledge. The Indians … are the essence of wisdom … the Indians have made great strides in the study of numbers and geometry … they have surpassed all the peoples in their knowledge of medical science.”

For me three things stand out. The Golden Road of Dalrymple’s title is not a land route. It’s a set of sea lanes, which the powerful monsoon winds made possible for Indian seafarers to traverse, either westwards to Arabia or eastwards all the way to Sumatra and Java.

Hinduism and Sanskritik culture were not carried to South East Asia by conquering armies. They were first brought by missionary Brahmins and later by merchants and traders. But the amazing thing is India’s iniquitous caste system did not accompany them. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, Dalrymple doesn’t explain that.

Most intriguingly of all, it could just be – but this is an intelligent hunch not historical fact – that Nalanda is the concept on which famous universities like Sorbonne, Oxford and Cambridge, the latter two with their secluded quads and courts, are inspired by.

Finally, a few critics are riled by the fact the book appears to support the Hindutva theory that ancient India was a vishwaguru, a golden period that ended with the arrival of Muslim rulers in the 12th century. Dalrymple rightly gives this short shrift. It’s “coincidental and irrelevant”. Actually, he has a lot more to say but I’ll leave you to find out for yourself.