Lekhapaddhati: Documents of State and Everyday Life from Ancient and Medieval Gujarat

A unique collection of Sanskrit documents by unknown compilers belonging to pre-Sultanate Gujarat, the Lekhapaddhati is a sourcebook of immense historical importance. Presumably written as a guide for official scribes and professional letter writers, it is the sole non-epigraphic repository of grants and other public and private documents form early medieval India.

No English translation or even a detailed study of the text has ever been attempted. Prasad puts together for the first time a complete translation of the documents with annotations and a detailed critical introduction. Careful, literal, and yet comprehensible, this study sheds light on various aspects of administrative, economic, and social history. It contains numerous selections of letters and documents, treaties between kings, rules of administration, and model drafts of private letter.

The volume contains valuable information of the functioning of the judicial system, caste system, slavery, position of women, social customs like divorce, remarriage, and various aspects of economy such as agriculture, credit, banking, types of taxes levied, and coinage.

In her insightful introduction, Prasad examines the significance of Lekhapaddhati documents for numerous aspects of late ancient and early medieval society. She investigates several terms used in these documents by reference to their use in inscriptions and literary texts. She also elucidates the historical context of the documents. This sourcebook will be very useful for scholars, researches, and students of ancient and medieval Indian history, judicial history, literature, and Sanskrit language; particularly those concerned with Gujarat and Western India.