Coming soon, ICHR book to tell history of Indian villages

The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), which operates under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), is working on a 'Dictionary of History of Indian Villages'.

Being touted as the "most comprehensive" document on the Indian history by the Council, the book will have all available history and details of folklore in Indian villages, right from the times dating back to the Mahabharata era. The dictionary will have information about 500 villages and 30,000 towns of India. Separate teams will be sent to each village and help will be sought from locals who are aware of their village's history. The document will also include various folk stories and popular beliefs, apart from factual information.

According to ICHR officials, as a pilot, they will start with mapping towns of Haryana. According to researchers, many evidences suggest that episodes from Mahabharata took place in Haryana.

"There are more than 5 lakh villages in the country and every Indian village has a history associated with it. For the first time, we are going to explore all that history and put that information on record. We are starting with Haryana because it has very old history. The area of Kurukshetra, for example, is very significant for our research," ICHR Member Secretary Rajaneesh Kumar Shukla told DNA.

"There are two parts to the research — first is the collection of information and second is the systematisation and synchronisation of that data. Apart from our own team, we would also like to engage the local youths interested in history," Shukla added.

The official said the council has already started work on the dictionary and will target to finish the work within the next two years. A meeting to decide the future course of action will soon be held.