Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

Jainism in Ancient Bengal

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

R. C. Mazumdar surveys the history of Jainism in Bengal from its earliest references to its eventual decline. He begins by noting that Jaina texts recount visits by Lord Mahāvīra to the eastern…

The Date of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

The article "The Date of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea" re‑examines the dating of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, an anonymous Greek travelogue describing maritime trade between the Red Sea,…

The Epoch of the Ganga Era

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

This article engages in a scholarly debate about the starting point of the Ganga era, an era used in inscriptions of the Eastern Gangas of Kalinga (modern Odisha) and neighbouring dynasties. The…

Buddhism in South-East Asia

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

Majumdar surveys the history and spread of Buddhism across South‑East Asia. He begins with the arrival of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, tracing its introduction by missionaries…

The Harsa Era

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

In this rejoinder to D.C. Sircar, historian R.C. Majumdar reassesses the chronology of King Harsa’s reign and the so‑called Harsa Era. Sircar had argued for an era beginning in 606 A.D., partly based…

The Constitution of the Licchavis and the Sakyas

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

The article examines the republican constitutions of the Licchavis and the Sakyas in ancient India, directly challenging the critical analysis of Dr. U. N. Ghoshal. The author, R. C. Majumdar, argues…

The Harsa Era

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

The article questions the widely accepted belief among scholars that the great Indian emperor Harsavardhana (Harsha) inaugurated a calendar era beginning with his accession in A.D. 606. The author…

Epigraphic Notes

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

The epigraphic notes section contains two short studies. The first critiques the published edition of a copper‑plate grant issued by Arthapati Bhattāraka of the Nala family. The author points out…

Achaemenian Rule in India

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

The article opens with an examination of how some nineteenth‑ and early twentieth‑century historians over‑estimated the reach of Cyrus and Darius in northern India. Drawing on Greek sources such as…

The Seal of Vainya-gupta

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

The brief communication entitled “The Seal of Vainya‑Gupta” reports the discovery of a clay seal at Nālandā that has important implications for the genealogy of the Gupta emperors. The seal bears a…

The Indian Epics in Indo-China

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

This brief note surveys the influence of India’s two great epics, the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa, on the literatures and performing arts of mainland Southeast Asia. The author observes that…

A forged Purana-text on the Imperial Guptas

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

R. C. Majumdar examines a controversial passage from the Bhaviṣyottara Purāṇa used by some scholars to reconstruct Gupta history. In 1937 M. Krishnamachariar cited a section of the Kaliyuga‑vṛttānta…

Miscellany: Bhattasali's comments on Rimacarita

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

This short ‘Miscellany’ note responds to criticisms raised by the historian N.K. Bhattasali in his article on the second struggle of Bhima and his friend Hari in the Rāmacaritam. Bhattasali had…

Lama Taranatha’s Account of Bengal

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

This article summarises Taranatha's account of the Candra dynasty in Bengal. It analyses the reliability of Taranatha's narratives and cross-checks with other sources. It describes the early kings…

Reviews

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, U. N. Ghoshal

Vainyagupta Dvadasaditya

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

Dr. D. O. Ganguly identified Vainyagupta’s coins, challenging Allan’s reading of the legend as “Candam” by proposing “Vainya” instead. Ganguly argued Vainyagupta belonged to the Gupta dynasty,…

Literary Reference to Samudragupta

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

The Kingdom of Kira

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

The Kingdom of Kira, located in the North-East division of India, has been identified with the region around modern-day Baijnath (Kiragrama) in Himachal Pradesh, near Jalandhar. Historical references…

Nalanda Stone Inscription of Yasovarmadeva

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

The Nalanda Stone Inscription of Yasovarmadeva centers on a scholarly debate over its attribution, with the author defending their original contention that it belongs to Yasovarmadeva rather than…

King Nanyadeva of Mithila

By Ramesh Chandra Majumdar