Medieval Indian History
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| Book | Author | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kitab-ul-Hind (Tahqiq-i-Hind) | Al-Biruni | India under Mahmud of Ghazni |
| Tabaqat-i-Nasiri | Minhaj-us-Siraj | Dedicated to Nasiruddin Mahmud |
| Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi | Ziauddin Barani | Sultanate history |
| Rihla | Ibn Battuta | Travels incl. Muhammad bin Tughlaq's India |
| Padmavat | Malik Muhammad Jayasi | Awadhi epic (1540) |
| Humayun-nama | Gulbadan Begum | Babur's daughter |
| Akbarnama & Ain-i-Akbari | Abul Fazl | Ain is the third volume of the Akbarnama |
| Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh | Abdul Qadir Badauni | Critical of Akbar |
| Razmnama | Translation team under Akbar | Persian Mahabharata |
| Padshahnama | Abdul Hamid Lahori | Shah Jahan's reign |
| Majma-ul-Bahrain, Sirr-i-Akbar | Dara Shikoh | Confluence of Sufism & Vedanta; Persian Upanishads |
Traveller → ruler visited
| Traveller | Country | Ruler / period |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Biruni | Central Asia (Khwarazm) | Mahmud of Ghazni |
| Marco Polo | Venice (Italy) | Kakatiya queen Rudramadevi (late 13th c.) |
| Ibn Battuta | Morocco | Muhammad bin Tughlaq |
| Abdur Razzaq | Persia | Deva Raya II (Vijayanagara) |
| Domingo Paes | Portugal | Krishnadevaraya |
| William Hawkins | England | Jahangir (1608) |
| Sir Thomas Roe | England (envoy of James I) | Jahangir (1615) |
| François Bernier | France | Shah Jahan & Aurangzeb |
| Jean-Baptiste Tavernier | France | Shah Jahan (diamond merchant) |
Chronicles of the court
- Sultanate histories: Ziauddin Barani — Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi (and Fatawa-i-Jahandari, advice to kings); Amir Khusrau — the 'Parrot of India' (Persian poet, Khamsa, Tughlaq Nama); Isami's Futuh-us-Salatin.
- Mughal memoirs and histories: Babur — Baburnama in Turkish; Gulbadan Begum — Humayun-nama; Abul Fazl — Akbarnama (three volumes, the third being the Ain-i-Akbari, the administration gazetteer); Jahangir — his own Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri; Abdul Hamid Lahori — Badshahnama (Padshahnama) on Shah Jahan. These histories are court-centred: they praise patrons, so their numbers and claims need cross-checking with coins, inscriptions, architecture and the independent view of foreign travellers. Barani, for instance, writes as an orthodox critic of MBT's policies — useful, but angled.
The travellers' ladder
| Traveller | From | Visited | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marco Polo | Venice | Pandya coast (1290s) | 'Pearl fishery' accounts |
| Ibn Battuta | Morocco | MBT's Delhi (as qazi) | Book: Rihla |
| Nicolo Conti | Venice | Vijayanagara (Deva Raya I) | — |
| Abdur Razzaq | Persia (Timurid) | Vijayanagara (Deva Raya II) | Hampi's splendour |
| Athanasius Nikitin | Russia | Bahmani kingdom | Voyage to India |
| Domingo Paes / Duarte Barbosa | Portugal | Krishnadevaraya's court | Bazaars of Hampi |
| Ralph Fitch | England | Akbar's reign (1583) | First English merchant |
| William Hawkins / Thomas Roe | England | Jahangir's court | Roe = James I's ambassador (1615) |
| Tavernier, Bernier, Manucci | France/Italy | Mughal India (17th c.) | Diamond trade; Peacock Throne |
Vernacular classics of the age
Malik Muhammad Jayasi's Padmavat (Awadhi Sufi romance), Sur's Braj poetry, Tulsidas' Awadhi Manas, Tukaram's Marathi abhangas, and Krishnadevaraya's Telugu Amuktamalyada — the medieval literary map is multilingual, and each classic doubles as a social source: the Padmavat for Sufi storytelling, the Ain for prices and regulations, Rihla for daily Delhi under MBT.
What each source is best for
- Administration: the Ain-i-Akbari (mansabs, provinces, prices) and Sher Shah's revenue papers referenced by later writers.
- Daily life and courts: Ibn Battuta's Rihla, Paes' Hampi bazaars, Bernier's Delhi and the Peacock Throne.
- Trade: Tavernier on diamonds, Marco Polo on the pearl fishery, Nikitin on Bahmani markets.
- Court politics: Barani for the Tughlaqs, Badauni's Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh (an orthodox critic of Akbar) against Abul Fazl's praise — read both ends.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Chronicle ↔ author (Sultanate and Mughal)
'Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi was written by', who wrote Badshahnama, Ain-i-Akbari as part of Akbarnama.
Sultanate: Barani-Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi (+ Fatawa-i-Jahandari); Khusrau-Persian poet (Tughlaq Nama).
Mughal: Babur-Baburnama (Turkish); Abul Fazl-Akbarnama (Ain = vol. 3); Lahori-Badshahnama; Gulbadan-Humayun-nama.
Match emperor to historian before answering match-the-column.
The Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi, a history of the Tughlaq age, was written by —
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Ziauddin Barani, who also wrote the political guide Fatawa-i-Jahandari.
Foreign travellers ↔ the courts they visited
'Ibn Battuta came from', 'Abdur Razzaq visited whose court', Marco Polo in the Pandya kingdom, Roe-Jahangir.
The ladder: Marco Polo-Pandya; Ibn Battuta-MBT (Rihla); Conti-Vijayanagara (Deva Raya I); Razzaq-Deva Raya II; Nikitin-Bahmani; Paes-Krishnadevaraya; Fitch-Akbar; Roe-Jahangir.
Ibn Battuta = Morocco, served as Delhi's qazi.
Roe's embassy (1615) opened English trade — a recurring 'why' question.
Who visited the court of Deva Raya II of Vijayanagara as an envoy of Persia?
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Abdur Razzaq — his account praises Hampi's wealth.
Regional and vernacular classics of the medieval age
Padmavat-Jayasi, Khusrau's language, Amuktamalyada, Humayun-nama by Gulbadan Begum.
Jayasi's Padmavat — Awadhi Sufi romance; Khusrau wrote chiefly Persian.
Gulbadan Begum (Humayun's sister) wrote the Humayun-nama — a rare woman chronicler.
Krishnadevaraya's Amuktamalyada = Telugu court classic.
Padmavat, the Awadhi Sufi romance of Alauddin and Padmini, was written by —
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Malik Muhammad Jayasi (1540).
Mughal court literature and autobiographies
'Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri is an autobiography of', Baburnama language, Ain-i-Akbari's place in Akbarnama, Badshahnama author.
Two royal autobiographies: Babur (Baburnama, Turkish) and Jahangir (Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri).
Ain-i-Akbari = third volume of Akbarnama (Abul Fazl) — administration, provinces, foods, regulations.
Abdul Hamid Lahori chronicled Shah Jahan (Badshahnama).
The Ain-i-Akbari is which part of Abul Fazl's Akbarnama?
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The third volume — the administrative gazetteer of Akbar's empire.
Shortcuts that save time
Abul Fazl wrote the official, praising Akbarnama/Ain; Badauni wrote the bitter, critical Muntakhab.
Which historian wrote a critical account of Akbar's religious policy?
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Bitter → Badauni (Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh).
11th Al-Biruni → 13th Marco Polo → 14th Ibn Battuta → 15th Conti & Abdur Razzaq → 16th Paes & Nuniz → 17th Hawkins, Roe, Bernier, Tavernier.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Ibn Battuta was Moroccan, not Persian.
Humayun-nama was written by Gulbadan Begum, not Humayun.
Marco Polo visited the Kakatiya kingdom in the south, not the Delhi Sultanate.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Barani-Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi; Abul Fazl-Akbarnama (Ain = vol. 3); Lahori-Badshahnama; Babur-Turkish memoir.
Travellers: Marco Polo-Pandya; Ibn Battuta-MBT (Rihla); Conti & Paes-Vijayanagara; Razzaq-Deva Raya II; Nikitin-Bahmani; Fitch-Akbar; Roe-Jahangir.
Jayasi-Padmavat (Awadhi); Khusrau wrote chiefly in Persian.
Court histories are partisan — the exam often asks 'who visited whom', so memorise the ladder.
Practice: 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.