How ancient India transformed the world

PTI

Historian William Dalrymple has been awarded the 2026 Mark Lynton History Prize for his book, ‘The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World’. The USD 10,000 annual award recognises historical works that best combine “intellectual or scholarly distinction with felicity of expression”, with judges lauding Dalrymple’s work for its “literary grace, commitment to serious research and social concern”.

In their formal citation, the jury, chaired by Scott Reynolds Nelson and including Geraldo Cadava, Ann Fabian and Manisha Sinha, described the book as a “perspective-shifting” work that places India at the center of ancient Asian history. The judges noted that Dalrymple’s research makes it difficult to discuss the traditional Silk Road without acknowledging the “Golden Road”, which spread Indian influence through trade, religion and mathematics.

The prize is one of three honours under the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, administered by the Columbia University School of Journalism and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism. It is named for the late Mark Lynton, a business executive and author whose family has sponsored the project since its inception. Siddharth Kara was the other finalist in the category for his book, ‘The Zorg: Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery’.

Reacting to the win, Dalrymple said he was “completely thrilled’, noting that previous winners include historians he admires, such as Robert Caro, Jill Lepore and Rebecca Solnit.  Rahul Srivastava, Managing Director of Bloomsbury India, which published the book, said the award shows the lasting importance of India’s civilisational legacy in shaping the world.