From ancient times to the present, South Asia has figured prominently in world history and this website highlights two important aspects of the history of that region. It presents information on the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and the more recent Raj period of Indian history through images, film, audio, and essays. It offers an impressive collection of primary source material.

The site is divided into five thematic sections. “Images” offers more than 600 images of South Asia and South Asians from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, including presentations on photographs, lithographs, postcards, and engravings. The photographs section highlights several European and American photographers who photographed Indian landmarks, temples, architecture, and daily life. This section also includes an interactive map of 130 photographs separated by region.

“Indus Valley“ offers “1,020 illustrated pages by the world’s leading ancient Indus Valley scholars.” It has an introduction to the ancient Indus Valley and four presentations on the archeological discoveries at the Harappa site from 1995 to 2001, each with 90 images. “Postcards” offers 77 “early and exemplary postcards of India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka from the golden age of postcards, 1900-1920.” “Movies” offers 30 archival films, rare film clips, and newsreels of India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka before Independence.

“Sounds” is an illustrated oral archive that features sound recordings, full text, and images. It includes the voices of key figures in independence such as Gandhi, Jinnah, and Nehru, as well as interviews with observers of Indian and Pakistani independence such as the fiction writer Attia Hosain, the Pushtun poet Ghani Khan, the Princess of Bhopal Abida Sultaan, and the veteran Punjabi politician Syed Amjad Ali.

In addition to its interest for those teaching or studying world history or the history of South Asia, this site offers useful resources for those researching American and European representations of the Indian subcontinent.

Read a more in-depth review written by George Mason University professor Robert DeCaroli at historymatters.gmu.edu. Or explore other website reviews at World History Sources—Finding World History.