This collection brings together comprehensive reference works that provide systematic surveys of India’s physical, cultural, and social landscape. These authoritative volumes, compiled by scholars and officials with deep knowledge of the subcontinent, offer detailed information on geography, natural history, ethnology, languages, religions, and demographics.
Published during the colonial period, these works represent the most extensive attempts to document and categorize knowledge about India. While reflecting the perspectives and limitations of their era, they remain valuable sources of historical and statistical information, offering insights into how India was understood and described in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.