This Handbook presents key issues in Indian and South Asian history from earliest time to 1947, with an emphasis on the modern period since 1600. Written by experts in their respective areas, the Handbook introduces the reader to the field. The book is structured chronologically and highlights issues that have most intensely concerned historians as well as innovative departures and areas of investigation in recent scholarship. Topics discussed include subjects that are still of relevance in contemporary India, such as Islamic, Hindu and Sikh Revivalism, Hindu nationalism, gender and the Indian family, and low-caste politics. Chapters included also deal with the histories of Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The last section of the book covers the partition of India and Pakistan and the modern history of South Asia after independence. It concludes with a summary chapter on South Asia and the modern world. Time lines, maps and complete bibliographies for further reading complement this comprehensive reference work. It will be an invaluable source of information to students and academics interested in South Asian studies, colonial history and modern Asian history.