This is a reissue, with corrections, in Oxford India Paperbacks, of two lectures by the eminent historian Romila Thapar.Professor Thapar argues that traditions which revolve around ideas are not handed down unchanged from generation to generation, but are oftenevolved in recent times, drawing on the perceived requirement of such times.Patronage is seen as a form of exchange between patron and creator, in the course of which the object or institution thus created takes on an entity of its own and performs a social role.Several examples from history serve as illustrations in both lectures.