Maasir-i-Alamgiri: A History of the Emperor Aurangezib-Alamgir (reign 1658-1707 AD) of Saqi Must'ad Khan

by Jadunath Sarkar

English
350


Foreword

Saqi Must'ad Khan's Maasir-I-Alamgiri is an annal of the events which occurred during the reign of Aurangzib- Alamgir, the last great Mughal Emperor of India. The work is based upon certain types of documentary evidence, which has been noted by Sir Jadunath Sarkar, who has translated this work in a condensed form, in the Introduction. Saqi Must'ad Khan describes in this work the wars waged by Aurangzib. It is very obvious that the Emperor was always in trouble-a fact which might have made him entirely dependent on the mercy of God. Aurangzib upset the administrative and financial system perfected by Akbar. Maasir-I-Alamgiri contains hints of Aurangzib's bias against the so-called ‘infidels'. It profoundly disturbed the plural culture of India, and enfeebled the fabric of Indian civilization. A redeeming feature of the work is the description of many interesting places in the Indian subcontinent.

The condensed translation of this work by Sir Jadunath Sarkar is an evidence of his great capacity for hard work. The translation is remarkably lucid. The Glossary is useful, and the Index, prepared by Professor Nirod Bhusan Roy, is exhaustive. The reprint of this work in the Bibliotheca Indica series would be beneficial to the students of the history of the later Mughals.

Translator’s Preface

The Emperor Akbar (reign 1556-I605 A.D.) set the example of having a detailed history of his reign written by official command. The result was the Akbar-namah or ‘Book of Akbar’ of Abul Fazl (completed by other hands after that author’s death). Then came the Emperor Jahangir, who dictated his own memoirs, known as the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, and therefore no official Jahangir-mimah had t

362 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2009

About the author

Sir Jadunath Sarkar was a prominent Indian Bengali aristocrat and historian.

Reviews

[Nikhil Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone trying to secularize Aurangzeb needs to read what his official autobiographer states about his life, the destruction of Hindu temples and artifacts off immense value and then make a call whether this secularization of a heinous figure is a political ploy merely to garner votes or not.

[Himali Kothari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A chronicle of events through Aurangzeb's reign, it makes for interesting reading for two key reasons. One, the detailing from names, descriptions, customs ... It is elaborate to the tee. And second, the perspective of an insider who may be biased to his emperor-boss but whose job description is to report sans opinion. So, while his vocabulary may occasionally glorify, one can be assured that the information is largely conveyed truthfully.
The prose did not charm but the narrative was engrossing.