History of the Deccan

by James Dunning Baker Gribble

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

Reviews

[Mansoor Azam · Rating 3 out of 5]

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