Indian History

One of the foremost medieval historians of India, Ziauddin Barani was born in 1286 during the reign of Salve Sultan Balban of Delhi Sultanate. His famous works are Tarikhi-Firozshahi and Fatwa –i- Jahandajri which were written under the patronage of Firoz Tughlaq, the last prominent ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty.  A highly educated man of noble descent, Barni lived more than seventy five years and was a contemporary of Muhammad bin Tughluq and Friuz Shah Tughluq. Completed in 1359 AD, Tarikh-i-Firozshahi begins with the accession of Balban and concludes with the sixth year of the reign of Firoz Firoz Tughlaq. Fatwa –i- Jahandajri describes about principles and ideals of government.

Located in the Malakapur village near Vasant Kunj in Delhi, Sultan Ghari tomb is the first Turkish tomb in India. It was built by Slave Sultan Iltutumish on the grave of his eldest son Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, who died in April, A.D. 1229, while looking after the state of affairs in Bengal as the governor of that province. Nasir-ud-din Mahmud is not to be confused with his namesake who later became a ruler of the Slave dynasty. Architecturally, the Sultan Ghari tomb is more Hindu than any other tomb in India.

Rajendra Chola I is one of two greatest kings of the Chola dynasty which, one of three ancient dynasties in the Tamil tradition, again rose in the middle of the 9th century and ruled for well neigh three centuries over a large part in South India with their capital at Tanjuvur (modern Tanjore also  Thanjavur ). The power of the Chola dynasty reached its pinnacle during the reigns of Rajendra Chola (1014- 1042) and his father Rajaraja I (985-1014). Rajendra Chola was the worthy son and successor of his father. Though he succeeded to the Chola throne in 1014, his regal years are counted from 1012 AD when he was declared heir-apparent. By his military prowess and administrative skill, Rajendra Chola raised the Chola power to the zenith of glory. Probably in 1017 AD, he conquered the whole of Sri Lanka, the northern part of which was already annexed to the Chola empire during the reign of his father Rajaraja I. In the next year (1018 AD) Rajendra Chola forced the rulers ...

Ishwar Das Nagar was the most remarkable Hindu historiographer during the reign of the sixth and last most notable Mughal monarch Aurangzeb.  He was the author of the Fatuhat-i-Alamgiri, t he only literary work that was composed under the patronage of Aurangzeb who was otherwise opposed to the encouragement of arts and letters.  The Fatawa-i-Alamgiri has been described as "the greatest digest of Muslim law made in India".

It was during the reign of Nasiruddin Mahmud (1394-1413), the last of the Tughluq rulers, in the years 1398-99, that Amir Timur, the terrible Mongol military leader of Central Asia, invaded India creating havoc in the forms of massacres and plunders. Also known as Tamerlane, Timur (April 8, 1336–February 18, 1405) was a ferocious conqueror who is known in history for razing cities to the ground and putting entire populations to the sword.  Amir Timur was born in A.D. 1336 at Kesh (now known as Shahrisabz) in Transoxiana. Son of Amir Turghay, chief of the Gurkan branch of the Barlas Turks, Amir Timur ascended the throne of Samarqand in 1369 and overran the countries of Persia, Afghanistan and Mesopotamia. Amir Timur was emboldened to attack India due to the chaotic condition prevailing during the times of the later Tughluq rulers. However as his nobles and soldiers were not in favour of undertaking military campaign to India, he declared that his main object for invading the country...

Malik Maqbul, more famously known as  Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul, was the prime minister (Na'ib Wazir) of Firoz Shah Tughlaq, the last great ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty. He was given the title of Khan-i-Jahan by the Tughlaq Sultan. Maqbul, though illiterate but a very able administrator, was originally a Brahmin from Telangana in the service of Kakatiya Kingdom  which was annexed to the Delhi Sultanate during the Tughlaq rule. He was brought to Delhi where he became a convert to Islam. As is the case with neo-converts, he tried his best to show his zeal for new faith.  Impressed by his talent, Muhammad bin Tughlaq gave Maqbul the fief of Multan. As mentioned at the outset Maqbul was elevated to the exalted position of the prime minister by Firoz Tughlaq, successor of Muhammad bin Tughlaq. After the death of Maqbul in 1370, his son, Juna Shah, was made the prime minister by Firoz. He was, however, killed by Muhammad Khan, the third son of Firoz Tughlaq, when Juna Shah trie...