About a fifth of humankind live in the countries of the Indian subcontinent - India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - which are the subject of this atlas. The region has been home to complex human societies from very ancient times. Two of the world's major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, came into being there, as many Muslims have lived there as in the rest of the world together, and it has sheltered, or given birth to, several important religious minorities.

This atlas sets out to provide an introduction to India's rich cultural history, its social and political organization, religions, arts and architecture, literature and science.

The themes of the atlas are to show that while the Indian subcontinent is in many ways culturally distinct, at no stage in its history has it been cut off from its neighbors or immune from external influences. This has resulted in great linguistic, ethnic and religious diversity. In their turn, the peoples of the subcontinent have influenced other societies and countries distant from them.

While there has been conflict, oppression and exploitation, its different societies and cultures have lived alongside each other over long periods of time, mingling and separating and coming together again. Far from being bound by the past, its societies are constantly reshaping and rediscovering themselves in the light of present experience.

1. The atlas concludes with brief surveys of the countries and regions of the Indian subcontinent today. The argument throughout is supported by detailed maps and by a wealth of illustration that allows the reader to glimpse some of India's cultural and architectural riches and to sample its unending variety.