This book presents a comprehensive survy of warfare in India up to the point where the British began to dominate the sub-continent. It discusses such issues as How far was the relatively bloodless nature of pre-British Indian warfare the product of stateless Indian society? How far did technology determine the shape of warfare in India? and Did warfare in this period have a particular Indian nature and was it ritualistic?

Preface Introduction 1. From Tribe to Kingdom: Chariots and Transformation of Warfare in South Asia, 1500 BCE-300 BCE 2. Theory and Practice of Warfare in the Maurya and Gupta Empires: 300 BCE-500 CE 3. Theory and Practice of Warfare from Post Gupta Era to the Beginning of Islamic Intrusion in South Asia: Circa 500 CE to 1000 CE 4. Horses and Government under the Sultans: 700 CE-1500 CE 5. Horses, Guns and Warfare in South Asia: 1500-1740 6. Naval Warfare in Pre-modern South Asia Conclusion

Kaushik Roy is Guru Nanak Professor in the Department of History at Jadavpur University, India and Global Fellow at PRIO, Norway