History of Medieval India

by Satish Chandra

Satish Chandra’s History of Medieval India is a comprehensive overview of the history of the Indian subcontinent between the eighth and eighteenth century. It focuses

The histories of the Chola, Bahmani and Vijayanagara kingdoms.
The influence exerted by the Surs, Lodis, the Delhi Sultanate, and the Mughals.
The importance of the Rajput kings and the Marathas.
Religious movements, such as Sufism and the Bhakti movement.
The changing political, economic and agrarian scene.

482 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2022

About the author

Satish Chandra was an Indian historian whose main area of specialisation was medieval Indian history.

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Reviews

[Dhevaguru S · Rating 5 out of 5]

The medieval history of India spanning roughly a millennium that is from 700 to 1700 CE, is more often than not painted with strokes of religious colours as a period of communal conflicts and intolerance, a stereotypical portrayal that obscures the nuanced pages of a multifaceted era. This narrative is primarily used to fuel the flames of communal animosity between the two prominent religions in the contemporary socio-political state of affairs. It has been incentivized to exploit the masses of their emotions for the political advantages of few dogmatists from the two faiths. This was mainly attributed to the infusion of foreign forces of power from the central asia settling in the native lands just like it transpired during the post-harappan period. Satish chandra's book carefully elucidates a deeper and nuanced understanding of the intricate interplay of socio-political, economic and cultural factors of the country during this period with all the complexities involved and by transcending the conventionally oversimplified binary narrative of communal interpretations. It delves into the multifaceted reality of such times, touching the rich tapestries of cultural synthesis, proving the generalised and prejudiced perceptions to be inaccurate as it lays out facts as it is, which does not deny the conflicting nature of the times while also emphasising on the cooperation between different factions. The mediaeval period is a complex mosaic of interactions with periods of conflicts, cooperation and coexistence, reducing it to any further narrowed down narrative is not only inaccurate but harmful and derogatory to the religious diversity and complex political dynamics.