The first volume of dictionary on inscriptions, prepared by Indian Council of Historical Research, would hit the stands by year-end, a member of the council has said.
Around 4,500 cards were computerised in Delhi for the volume on North Indian inscriptions, being edited by Prof K M Shrimali, ICHR Member-Secretary Prof Ishrat Alam said.
The 10-volume dictionary comprising social, economic and administrative terms of Indian/South Asian inscriptions would be of help for scholars.
The first volume in the series on Economic History of British Rule in India, 1858-1947, edited by Calcutta University’s Arun Bandopadhyay, had been received by ICHR and was due for publication any time now, Mr. Alam said.
The volume pertaining to Arabic, Persian and Urdu inscriptions, prepared by ICHR’s Aligarh unit, was expected to be ready in a few months, he said.
The project was initially suspended by the ICHR in 1999.
It was, however, revived in May 2005.
Mr. Alam, who was here recently for a ICHR-sponsored workshop on Historiography and Research Methodology hosted by Bharathidasan University, expressed hope that all volumes would be ready for publication by March 2010.
Since the revival of the project, over 4,500 pages of documents and 370 pages of calendars had been published, he informed.
