The Last Spring Part II: Life in India?s Last Golden Age

by Abraham Eraly

Please Read Notes: Brand New, International Softcover Edition, Printed in black and white pages, minor self wear on the cover or pages, Sale restriction may be printed on the book, but Book name, contents, and author are exactly same as Hardcover Edition. Fast delivery through DHL/FedEx express.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, India

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2015

About the author

Abraham Eraly is an Indian writer. He has written many acclaimed books on Indian history.

Reviews

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A newer edition of the book originally published as The Mughal World, The Last Spring is a brilliant look at life during the reigns of the Mughal emperors up to Aurangzeb. This is not a book to understand the political history of the age, what battles were fought, what campaigns launched, what areas annexed. This, instead, is about how people—both the general public as well as the nobility, the powerful and wealthy—lived. Their food, their religious beliefs, their arts and crafts. What they wore, how they worked, how they were educated, how they interacted with each other. Birth and death, marriage and festivals, travelling and more. Eraly discusses everything from trade to architecture, from the sati system and its ramifications to the revenue administration of the empire. From the military to the belief in astrology.

I had first read this book in its avatar as The Mughal World, and it had proven then to be an invaluable asset for background research for the Muzaffar Jang series. It is a superb book: very well-written, providing lots of rich detail (and some very interesting trivia) which really brings alive the life of people in Mughal India. In the process, Eraly also manages to bust several myths about the Mughal era, and clarifies many of the long-held beliefs that endure to this day about not just the Mughals but some of their contemporaries too (like the Marathas and Rajputs).

Eraly quotes extensively from the accounts of various European travellers in India, like Manucci, Roe, Bernier and Tavernier, besides looking at works by contemporary Indian chroniclers like Badauni and Abul Fazl (or Jahangir and Babar themselves, in their memoirs). The result is often entertaining, at times a little shocking (especially when it comes to the often virulently biased opinions expressed by the Europeans) —but all taken together, a gem, and an eye-opener.

If you want to read just one book to understand what life in Mughal India was like, make it this one. Highly recommended.

[Munaza Kazmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good research however in the end it was a disappointment, as the author seems more or less inclined to British.

[Rahul Khanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books delves deeper in to culture and life of common people and ruling class during Mughal rule. It's good look into the life of people but often repetitive and redundant information is given.

[Lakshmi Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not just for the history buffs. As rightly said by ‘William Dalrymple’, these books give us an extensive and interesting introduction to the first six Mughal Emperors of India. Starting from the fearless Babur to determined Aurangzeb, the story of the last golden age of mother India unfolds gradually.
My personal favorite – Akbar.
Akbar, the great, stands true to his title. India flourishes to reach its peak during his reign. Oh the art and architecture marvels! The cultural advancement! It was plain abundance in everything!
And after that comes the descend. Naturally, what goes up has to come down, isn’t it?
If our history teachers at school could have taken us through our country’s history with a narrative like Eraly’s, every student would have become a fan of Indian history.

A must read for everyone to enjoy and relive our history during the Mughal period.

[KHALID KOUBEISI · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fm p386 without any comment: "What saved India from terminal chaos was the establishment of British rule."
Fm p387: "The British of course, did not conquer India out of altruism, for the benefit of Indians, but to exploit the country for their own gain. ..... British rule brought peace to the land by ending the political anarchy. They also, incidentally, provided the lifeline for India to pull itself out of the vortex..!!