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Forgotten Kings: The Story of the Hindu Sahi Dynasty
‘This Hindu Sahiya dynasty is now extinct, and of the whole house there is no longer the slightest remnant in existence. We must say that, in all their grandeur, they never slackened in the ardent desire of doing that which is good and right, that they were men of noble sentiment and noble bearing.’
People and their acts of bravery are often lost to the annals of history. But what of mighty lineages? Generations of kings and the lands and people they fought for? What of kings who fought against their own people?
The Hindu Sahi kings, to whom honour and pride were more important than their own survival, fought a near 150 year rear-guard action as they continued to be pushed east from Kabul, their original homeland, changing their capitals and defending themselves from their own countrymen.
The last of their house had the misfortune of confronting the juggernaut that was Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Where obedience to the Sultan would have allowed their house to endure, their honour would have them confront him over and over.
But who were they?
This book tries to piece together their story from the limited sources that are available from an age where historical sources were few and, in the case of the Sahis, mostly from the point of view of their enemies.
This is the story of a dynasty that represented a resurgent Hindu faith in a land that was long dominated by Buddhism but also coincided with the arrival of the Muslims.
People and their acts of bravery are often lost to the annals of history. But what of mighty lineages? Generations of kings and the lands and people they fought for? What of kings who fought against their own people?
The Hindu Sahi kings, to whom honour and pride were more important than their own survival, fought a near 150 year rear-guard action as they continued to be pushed east from Kabul, their original homeland, changing their capitals and defending themselves from their own countrymen.
The last of their house had the misfortune of confronting the juggernaut that was Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Where obedience to the Sultan would have allowed their house to endure, their honour would have them confront him over and over.
But who were they?
This book tries to piece together their story from the limited sources that are available from an age where historical sources were few and, in the case of the Sahis, mostly from the point of view of their enemies.
This is the story of a dynasty that represented a resurgent Hindu faith in a land that was long dominated by Buddhism but also coincided with the arrival of the Muslims.
184 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 18, 2022
2 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 13, 2023
An amazing read! Tells you the history that deserves to be known widely. The author has done an extensive research.
This book showed me a peak into the vastness of unexplored history and unsung heroes. Beautiful.
This book showed me a peak into the vastness of unexplored history and unsung heroes. Beautiful.
November 11, 2024
Forgotten Kings, The Story of the Hindu Sahi Dynasty is a unique book in itself. It's the tale of a dynasty whose rule extended from Kabul to Peshwar, but with time this illustrious empire and its rulers faded into oblivion. But, kudos to the author, who not only shed light on the history of the Hindu Sahi Kingdom and its rulers, but without showing any bias, he tried to convey the story with all the limited resources available related to the Hindu Sahis.
Who were the Hindu Sahis?
The Hindu Sahis were the Hindu Kings who ruled from their capital Kabul (Afghanistan), which later on shifted to Waihind (Pakistan). The founder of this dynasty was Kallar or Laliya Sahi, who established it in the late 9th CE. The Hindu Sahis had a great connection with Kashmir also. In fact, the Hindu Sahi King, Bhimdeva's, granddaughter, Dida, was the Queen of Kashmir. Although, with the constant conflict with Mahmud of Ghaznavi, the Hindu Sahis dynasty not only lost all their territories, they also became oblivious to the pages of history.
Who were the Hindu Sahis?
The Hindu Sahis were the Hindu Kings who ruled from their capital Kabul (Afghanistan), which later on shifted to Waihind (Pakistan). The founder of this dynasty was Kallar or Laliya Sahi, who established it in the late 9th CE. The Hindu Sahis had a great connection with Kashmir also. In fact, the Hindu Sahi King, Bhimdeva's, granddaughter, Dida, was the Queen of Kashmir. Although, with the constant conflict with Mahmud of Ghaznavi, the Hindu Sahis dynasty not only lost all their territories, they also became oblivious to the pages of history.
September 26, 2024
Really enjoyed reading this small book about the Hindu Sahi dynasty and the intricacies of their kingdom. Learned some more about the Geography of the area.
A very honest effort to highlight this great dynasty who fought against Mahmud Ghazani.
The references used were very genuine and legitimate.
A very honest effort to highlight this great dynasty who fought against Mahmud Ghazani.
The references used were very genuine and legitimate.
September 5, 2022
𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 (𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙪 𝙎𝙖𝙝𝙞 𝘿𝙮𝙣𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙮) by 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙯 𝙅𝙖𝙣
"𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮"
The words above play a crucial and fundamental role behind this book, or moreover the words themselves inspired the author to write the book. The words were spoken by the king from Hindu dynasty to Mahmud, while he was under attack by rebel turks.
The Hindu Sahi kings, to whom honour and pride were more important than their own survival, fought a near-150-year rear-guard action as they continued to be pushed east from Kabul. their original homeland. changing their capitals and defending themselves from their own countrymen.
The last of their house had the misfortune of confronting the juggernaut that was Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Where obedience to the Sultan would have allowed their house to endure, their honour would have them confront him over and over.
This book tries to piece together their story from the limited sources. The book is written with the approach of an unbiased pov, stating the facts that were present. It took me some time to get suited to the writing style but the charts and maps made the reading experience fantastic.
A perplexing read and informative read indeed. Must recommend to whosoever wishes to learn about history apart from the classroom textbooks. Though it might take some to get a grip but eventually you'll. It will fall into the category of "History Made Easy", if you ask me.
"𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮"
The words above play a crucial and fundamental role behind this book, or moreover the words themselves inspired the author to write the book. The words were spoken by the king from Hindu dynasty to Mahmud, while he was under attack by rebel turks.
The Hindu Sahi kings, to whom honour and pride were more important than their own survival, fought a near-150-year rear-guard action as they continued to be pushed east from Kabul. their original homeland. changing their capitals and defending themselves from their own countrymen.
The last of their house had the misfortune of confronting the juggernaut that was Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Where obedience to the Sultan would have allowed their house to endure, their honour would have them confront him over and over.
This book tries to piece together their story from the limited sources. The book is written with the approach of an unbiased pov, stating the facts that were present. It took me some time to get suited to the writing style but the charts and maps made the reading experience fantastic.
A perplexing read and informative read indeed. Must recommend to whosoever wishes to learn about history apart from the classroom textbooks. Though it might take some to get a grip but eventually you'll. It will fall into the category of "History Made Easy", if you ask me.
November 6, 2022
"Forgotten kings" by Changez Jan is ready to take you back to the early india and it also shed light on history of modern india . The biggest speciality of this book is that it is based on the story of hindu sahi dynasty.
To be honest I haven't read any book related to indian history since long, so it came like a wish come true for me to get a chance to read this highly anticipated period drama.
The story begins by listing out the sahi kings, and pointing out their respective ruling periods and describing each and every detail about them.
The flow chart given at the beginning of the book is quite helpfulfor us to understand the entire generations of rulers and their relatives . Moreover it help us to understand each and every relation. So , that at the time of reading we dont get confuse.
Author has made this book quite informative for its readers. If you are not someone who regularly reads books on indian history, then you dont need to worry in case of this book . Because with the help of flow charts and maps . Everything looks simple and easy to understand.
The language of the book is lucid with remarkable usage of vocabulary . Overall author has weaved a intriguing and tempting tales of indian history . Cover of the book is appealing and fascinating moreover it completly goes well with the theme and concept of the book . At last I must recommend this book to all the lovely readers who wants to read about indian history.
Must read❤❤
To be honest I haven't read any book related to indian history since long, so it came like a wish come true for me to get a chance to read this highly anticipated period drama.
The story begins by listing out the sahi kings, and pointing out their respective ruling periods and describing each and every detail about them.
The flow chart given at the beginning of the book is quite helpfulfor us to understand the entire generations of rulers and their relatives . Moreover it help us to understand each and every relation. So , that at the time of reading we dont get confuse.
Author has made this book quite informative for its readers. If you are not someone who regularly reads books on indian history, then you dont need to worry in case of this book . Because with the help of flow charts and maps . Everything looks simple and easy to understand.
The language of the book is lucid with remarkable usage of vocabulary . Overall author has weaved a intriguing and tempting tales of indian history . Cover of the book is appealing and fascinating moreover it completly goes well with the theme and concept of the book . At last I must recommend this book to all the lovely readers who wants to read about indian history.
Must read❤❤
March 1, 2023
☘️This book is meant for all the curious readers and people who enjoy reading history in the most raw and real form, we have all read about the kings we already know but what about the brave hearts we haven’t discovered yet, this book is exactly about them!
I liked each bit of it, especially the fact that the content of the book is very rare and I honestly haven’t read it anywhere before and that’s what makes it special, the writing is classy yet it’s easy to understand, the myth that historical fictions are lengthy and boring is broken by the author, this is a 200 pages read that’s creative, informative and interesting.
The historical timeline provided at the very beginning is helpful to understand a lot of things and events in the book, a great read for historical enthusiasts and also the general audience would enjoy it because it’s something new that’s being presented.
It’s also a very strong read and I will surely recommend it.
Rating: 4.25⭐️
August 15, 2022
A very informative and nicely written non fiction history book. We know that India was attacked from ancient time by intruders, some are very famous like Alexander, Mahmoud of Ghazani and thennthere were various nomads like Shakas and Huns. It has been observed that whenever there was a strong and large kindom in the northern India, these intrusions were not very effective. Well when Mahmoud decided to plunder India and did 17 times, there was no large kindom in India to stop him. But there was a small kindom in Kalubistan, Gandhara upto some parts of Punjab that faced this fierce attacks. It took Mahmoud 11 attempts to obscure them before entering further in India. Who were they? They were the Sahi kings, a hindu lineage of kings for 200 years. Read this book to know about them, alongside you will know the history of these attakced that happend over a thousand years. A must read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews