Overview

Medieval India has a rich literary culture in various genres and languages. These include autobiographies, court chronicles, official documents, farmans, bardic literature, religious works, accounts of foreign travellers, ambassadors, missionaries etc. These sources have left valuable accounts of India. The complex labyrinth of her cultural, economic and political milieu has attracted diverse and endless opinions. Through this rich history, one needs to examine the motives and sequel of the ideals of kingship adopted in the imperial capital of the Mughals as well as in the contemporary regional kingdoms of both north and south India. A thorough investigation of the state policies of conquest, expansion and consolidation will yield a better reckoning of the dynamics of politics prevalent at the various courts.The interplay of indigenous and foreign culture and traditions apparent in the art and architecture put India in the world map of flair and aptitude. The economy, particularly trade and commerce, monetary system, markets, transportation and the Indian Ocean trade network had made India one of the major players in the Indian Ocean trade. An in depth study of India’s political situation under the Mughal rulers, the Rajput and Deccan counterparts, their relationship and nature of alliances with each other will help one to understand the mechanism of state and the system of administration operative during the period under study.The debates and the various historiographical interventions around 18th century India and what went through the late 17th century crisis of the Mughal Empire and the ensuing transition: economy, society and polity, require deeper study. Through this paper, one can examine the regional aspirations and politics of assertion and equally the patterns of regional politics.This course aims to introduce the learners to the huge corpus of sources available of this period. This will help them to investigate thoroughly the dynamics of Medieval politics, the ideals of kingship, the administrative mechanisms and the aesthetic essence of Medieval rulers. It will also enable learners to develop a critical and objective approach towards understanding the rise and fall of states during this period.

Syllabus

WEEK 1Persian Sources - AutobiographiesPersian Sources - Court Chronicles - ICourt Chronicles and Histories - IChronicles and Histories - IIOfficial records & other Documents - IOfficial records & other Documents - II
WEEK 25.1 Vernacular literature & Travellers Accounts5.2 Foreign Accounts during 1605-1750- I (A)5.3 Foreign Accounts during 1605-1750- I (B)5.4 Foreign Accounts during 1605-1750- II (A)5.5 Foreign Accounts during 1605-1750- II (B)Extension of Mughal rule -1Extension of Mughal rule – 2Extension of Mughal rule – 3
WEEK 3Changes in mansab and jagir systems – 1 (Jahangir)Changes in mansab and jagir systems – 2Imperial CultureOrthodoxy and syncretism - Naqshbandi Sufis,
WEEK 4Miyan Mir, Dara Shukoh, Sarmad KashaniState and religion under Aurangzeb -1State and religion under Aurangzeb - 2Issues in the war of succession
WEEK 5Policies regarding Religious groups and institutionsConquests and limits of expansion – 1Conquests and limits of expansion – 2Beginning of the crisis: contemporary perceptions
WEEK 6Agrarian and jagir crises;Revolts – 1Revolts - 2
WEEK 7Painting under JahangirPainting under Shah JahanPainting under later rulers
WEEK 8Architecture under JahangirArchitecture under Shah JahanArchitecture under Aurangzeb and his successors
WEEK 9Rajput political culture and state formationDeccan kingdoms -1Deccan kingdoms -2
WEEK 10Emergence of the MarathasShivajiExpansion under the Peshwas
WEEK 11Mughal decline – 1Mughal Decline - 2Emergence of successor states -1
WEEK 12Emergence of successor states -2Interpreting eighteenth century India: recent debates - 1Interpreting eighteenth century India: recent debates – 2
WEEK 13Crafts and technologies -1Crafts and technologies -2Monetary system
WEEK 14MarketsTransportationUrban Centres – 1
WEEK 15Urban Centres - 2Indian Ocean Trade Network – 1Indian Ocean Trade Network - 2