The title of this book, Indika, has been derived from the Greek Megasthenes, perhaps the first chronicler to reveal the real life of India to the western world. Following the conquest of India by Alexander the Great Seleucos became the possessor of India. When his compromise with Chandra Gupta was arrived at, Megasthenes was sent by Seleucos as his ambassador to the court at Patna. The valuable work produced by Megasthenes on his return to Greece, entitled Indika (Indian Things), was lost by some important fragments of it were preserved in an scattered manner and give a very authentic account of the India of those days. John F. Hurst account, in the style of a travelogue-cum-historical survey provided many details about India past and present that were as valuable as those contained in any previous accounts before. The area surveyed by him includes what is now the Indian Union, along with Pakistan, considerable parts of Srilanka, Burma and Nepal. The subjects covered by him range from aspects of the historical and cultural heritage of the land, flora and fauna, demography, the religious and social life, arts and architecture, literary and linguistic traditions all in the background of the history of India in a nutshell from the earliest times. This important book is of great use to researchers of Indian history, students of customs and social practices and travellers with more than a tourist interest in the land. A must for all collections on India, past and present.
