<p>The expansion of the Cholas from their base in the Kaveri Delta saw this growing power subdue the kingdoms of southern India as well as occupy Sri Lanka and the Maldives by the early eleventh century. It was also during this period that the Cholas initiated links with Song China. Concurrently the Southeast Asian polity of Sriwijaya had through its Sumatran and Malayan ports come to occupy a key position in East-West maritime trade requiring engagement with both Song China to the north and the Chola kingdom to its west. The apparently friendly relations pursued were however to be disrupted in 1025 by Chola naval expeditions against fourteen key port cities in Southeast Asia. This volume examines the background course and effects of these expeditions as well as the regional context of the events. It brings to light many aspects of this key period in Asian history. Unprecedented in the degree of detail assigned to the story of the Chola expeditions this volume is also unique in that it includes translations of the contemporary Tamil and Sanskrit inscriptions relating to Southeast Asia and of the Song dynasty Chinese texts relating to the Chola Kingdom.</p>

<p>North Indian or Hindustani art music has a wealth of vocal genres and instrumental styles some of them rooted in the past and others of a more recent origin. Although Indian music is primarily an oral tradition it has a long practice of written music theory. Through dozens of musicological treatises and other historical documents we know that changes in patronage and musical taste have had a profound effect on ragas talas style and repertoire. This collection of twenty-five essays by prominent scholars provides a major overview of the history of Hindustani music from the thirteenth to the twentieth centuries and the sources that make up this history. The essays are thematically arranged into five parts: (1) The Formative Period (2) The Modern Period (3) Musical Instruments (4) Indian Music and the West and (5) Concepts and Theories. Addressing a broad range of issues the authors raise questions about the sociocultural and political contexts in which new musical forms and instruments arose. Much attention is given to the developments that took place in music life during the last three centuries and to the impact of the colonial encounter and nationalism when Hindustani music acquired its modern identity. Covering eight centuries this 736-page volume has a comprehensive introduction and extensive bibliographies. With such a variety of topics and source materials it is invaluable for anyone interested in Hindustani music and its history. About the Author Joep Bor a specialist of Hindustani music and professor emeritus at Leiden University was the founder of the World Music Academy at Codarts Rotterdam. His publications include The Voice of the Sarangi and The Raga Guide. Françoise ‘Nalini’ Delvoye a scholar of medieval and pre-modern Hindi literature and Indo-Persian Culture is Directeur d'études emerita at the École Pratique des Hautes Études-PSL Paris. She edited Confluence of Cultures and co-edited The Making of Indo-Persian Culture. Jane Harvey has been involved with Hindustani music for more than forty years as a vocal student publications editor teacher and organizer. She works at Codarts and is co-author of The Raga Guide. Emmie te Nijenhuis retired university professor of Indian musicology and member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences is a prolific writer on Indian music. Recent publications are Sa?gitasiroma?i and Var?am.</p>