The Story of India

Michael Wood weaves a spellbinding narrative out of the ten-thousand-year history of India. Home today to more than a fifth of the worlds population, the subcontinent gave birth to the oldest and most influential civilization on Earth, to four world religions, and to the worlds largest democracy. Now, as India bids to become a global giant, Michael sets out to trace the roots of Indias present in the incredible riches of her past. From the Khyber Pass and the Himalayas to the tropical jungles of Indias Deep South, this original and striking survey of Indian history provides vivid portraits of Indias regions and cultures, and new insights into some of historys greatest figures: Nehru, Gandhi, and the Buddha.

The second episode in Michael Wood’s series moves on to the revolutionary years after 500BC - the Age of the Buddha. Travelling by rail to the ancient cities of the Ganges plain, by army convoy through Northern Iraq, and down Pakistan's Khyber Pass, he shows how Alexander the Great’s invasion of India inspired her first empire. The Rise of Maurya kingdom.