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History of the Deccan
The Deccan, historically, is that portion of Southern India which is bounded by the Godavari and the Vindhya mountains on the north and the Krishna and the Tungabhadra to the south. Apart from inscriptions and architectural remains, there were practically no authentic records of its history till the end of the thirteenth century, when the Delhi Sultans made their presence felt here. An independent Mughal kingdom was established in the Deccan, which lasted for more than three hundred years, a period full of the most interesting and romantic episodes. The present volume was an attempt to write a connected history of the Deccan, piecing together scattered references in existing histories, in some cases relying on the author's close study of the subject. The work can be read in two parts, the opulence of the Mughal kingdom of the first giving way to the political fortunes of the French and the British in Hyderabad in the next. Anecdotal in character, supplemented by delightful sketches and photographs, the History of the Deccan is an interesting as well as informative read.
291 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 28, 2026
This excellent medieval history of deccan is written by a 19th century English civil servant. As a result, the book does not carry the ideological tilts of 20th century. On the other hand the book certainly carries the imperial justification of how English brought in peach (and thus prosperity) to a land afflicted by centuries of internecine warfare.
The book starts in 1294 when Allauddin Khilji becomes the first muslim ruler to ravage the deccan and ends in 1883 with the death of Salar Jung, the reforming prime minister of the state of Hyderabad. In between we witness four different epochs: i) impact of delhi sultanate (Khiljis and Tughlaqs) on the ancient hindu system of governance; ii) Rule of Bahmanis for about two centuries starting early 14th century, this period was also coterminous with the bahmanids’ arch rivals Vijaynagara empire into the southern peninsula; iii) disintegration of bahmani empire into five muslim kingdoms which came together to end the last hindu kingdom of Vijaynagara in mid 16th century and went on to rule for 100 years until the million strong army of Aurangzeb dismantled and absorbed all of them into the Mughal empire; iv) Mughal empire soon collapses after the death of Aurangzeb and is replaced by Marathas which then in few decades is supplanted by English with the help of an erstwhile Mughal tributary in the form of Nizams of Hyderabad. This expansive tale of so many fascinating characters of this vast region is done expertly and dispassionately (at least until the advent of English on the scene).
The author(s) here clearly delineate between the hindu and muslim way of rule in deccan which tells you why during the nearly 1000 years rule by muslim empires, the Indian subcontinent did not build upon the natural prosperity of the land. For instance, before the depredations of Khilji and Tughlaq, the author tells the that the prosperous kingdom of Telingana had numerous irrigation ponds which were destroyed and were never rebuilt during the entire period of the muslim rule. It feels that the rulers of those times who traced their lineages to foreign countries never were serious about administering the lands here. There were always busy in one military campaign after another. Only way of prosperity for them was the snatch from the other by way of arms. Chief source of revenue was land and thus the entire effort was centred around getting more of it.
The author stresses that the biggest calamity in these 600 years was the brutal campaign of subjugation by Aurangzeb which lasted for 25 years ending in his death. The vast army which continuously marched across the plateau degraded the lands to the extent of depopulation.
In short the author paints those centuries as the dark ages of the land with interminable fightings, no political unity, foreign rulers having no attachment to the land (with no sense of irony), and having no vision. In all this excellent history of emperors, princes, and generals, the history of ordinary people is not attempted here That is the only shortcoming of an otherwise masterly piece of writing.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in Indian history.
The book starts in 1294 when Allauddin Khilji becomes the first muslim ruler to ravage the deccan and ends in 1883 with the death of Salar Jung, the reforming prime minister of the state of Hyderabad. In between we witness four different epochs: i) impact of delhi sultanate (Khiljis and Tughlaqs) on the ancient hindu system of governance; ii) Rule of Bahmanis for about two centuries starting early 14th century, this period was also coterminous with the bahmanids’ arch rivals Vijaynagara empire into the southern peninsula; iii) disintegration of bahmani empire into five muslim kingdoms which came together to end the last hindu kingdom of Vijaynagara in mid 16th century and went on to rule for 100 years until the million strong army of Aurangzeb dismantled and absorbed all of them into the Mughal empire; iv) Mughal empire soon collapses after the death of Aurangzeb and is replaced by Marathas which then in few decades is supplanted by English with the help of an erstwhile Mughal tributary in the form of Nizams of Hyderabad. This expansive tale of so many fascinating characters of this vast region is done expertly and dispassionately (at least until the advent of English on the scene).
The author(s) here clearly delineate between the hindu and muslim way of rule in deccan which tells you why during the nearly 1000 years rule by muslim empires, the Indian subcontinent did not build upon the natural prosperity of the land. For instance, before the depredations of Khilji and Tughlaq, the author tells the that the prosperous kingdom of Telingana had numerous irrigation ponds which were destroyed and were never rebuilt during the entire period of the muslim rule. It feels that the rulers of those times who traced their lineages to foreign countries never were serious about administering the lands here. There were always busy in one military campaign after another. Only way of prosperity for them was the snatch from the other by way of arms. Chief source of revenue was land and thus the entire effort was centred around getting more of it.
The author stresses that the biggest calamity in these 600 years was the brutal campaign of subjugation by Aurangzeb which lasted for 25 years ending in his death. The vast army which continuously marched across the plateau degraded the lands to the extent of depopulation.
In short the author paints those centuries as the dark ages of the land with interminable fightings, no political unity, foreign rulers having no attachment to the land (with no sense of irony), and having no vision. In all this excellent history of emperors, princes, and generals, the history of ordinary people is not attempted here That is the only shortcoming of an otherwise masterly piece of writing.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in Indian history.
January 18, 2016
The extensive history is in two volumes of which the first one is more painstakingly researched and thus thorough. The author having stayed in Deccan (at times it seems he was in service of Nizam) used local folklore knowledge, hearsay, traditions, travelogues & historiography written earlier and builds a fine narrative to aquaint the reader with southern India or shall v say Deccan. His travellings in the area to the ancient buildings and sights helps to narrate a befitting tale. Anyone with no knowledge of the history of the area can pick up volume one and feel enriched. It is towards the end of volume one and almost complete volume two one sees the author glossing over the history and at times simply missing facts (some times it seems intentionally) may be in order to spare the House of Nizam some shame that's their due in history. But another reason is the death of the author. after which volume 1 concluded and volume two (using his notes and writtings) his daughter completed.
There are no maps so it's highly suggested that anyone not familiar with the area (especially ancient names) must keep an old map , political if possible, alongside.
Over all a good read based on good lengthy sources such as biographies, government gazettes, travelogues and traditions . Not at all a waste of money
There are no maps so it's highly suggested that anyone not familiar with the area (especially ancient names) must keep an old map , political if possible, alongside.
Over all a good read based on good lengthy sources such as biographies, government gazettes, travelogues and traditions . Not at all a waste of money
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews