Canberra, 1 January 2021 The four sons of Shah Jahan had started preparing for the inevitable succession struggle even before he actually fell ill. Each one attempted to win over as many nobles as possible to their individual camps; and the nobles responded in the only manner they would—attempting to side with the prince who […]
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Tag Archives: Gujarat
Indian History Part 81 Akbar Sect IV The Conquering Emperor 6. The North-West and the Deccan
August 22, 2020 
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Canberra, 22 August 2020 Even when the rebellion in Bengal was raging without an end in sight, and it was thought that the East would be lost to the Empire, Akbar did not march to Bengal. Though all his military instincts—which were highly developed—prompted him to rush to the East, he held back, for the […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 81 Akbar Section IV: The Conquering Emperor; 3. The Gujarat Campaign
July 24, 2020 0 Comments
Canberra, 24 July 2020 Gujarat, situated to the south-west of the Mughal province of Malwa and shored by the Arabian Sea was a rich kingdom, mainly because of its seaports that facilitated a flourishing maritime trade. It was geographically large and consisted of the territories and districts of Surat, Broach, Kaira, Ahmedabad, large parts of […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 80 Humayun – The Sentimental Dreamer Section I: A Royal Inheritance
April 10, 2020 0 Comments
Canberra, 10 April 2020 On his deathbed, Babur introduced his eldest son Humayun as his successor to a specially convened council of nobles and ministers. He then went on to advise the prince, to whom he had bequeathed his kingdom, ‘do naught against your brothers, even though they may deserve it’, an instruction that the […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 67 The Nizam Shahis of Ahmadnagar Section II: Consolidation: Burhan Nizam Shahi II
August 4, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 4 August 2018 Burhan Nizam Shah was only seven years old when his father, Ahmad Nizam Shah the founder of the dynasty, died. Ahmad had elicited an oath of allegiance towards the young prince from his nobles. They were true to the oath and the business of governance was undertaken by nobles loyal to […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 65 The Bahmani Kingdom Section III The Bidar Sultans
April 2, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 2 April 2018 Ahmad Shah Bahmani After Firuz abdicated, Ahmad Shah ascended the throne without any opposition. His minister and other supporters advised him to kill Hasan Khan, Firuz’s son, since they felt that he would be a threat to the new Sultan; even if not immediately but definitely in later times. This […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 58 The Sayyid Dynasty Section I: Khizr Khan Sayyid
September 29, 2017 0 Comments
Canberra, 29 September 2017 When Timur ‘the Scourge of God’ departed India, the Delhi Sultanate was in an appalling state of disintegration. The once large empire had fragmented into small independent states, some of which were larger than the core Delhi Sultanate itself. Even so, the Sultanate endured for another 114 years, mostly in perilous […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 57 The Disintegrated Sultanate
September 24, 2017 0 Comments
Canberra, 24 September 2017 Even though Timur had ravaged the land and sacked Delhi, for a few more years after his departure the Tughluqs continued their internecine war for control of the Sultanate. A little over a decade later, Khizr Khan, who had been appointed by Timur as the governor of Multan, but left without […]
Continue readingPart 55 KHILJI MILITARISM Section III Ala ud-Din Khilji – Military Conquests
March 12, 2017 0 Comments
Canberra, 12 March 2017 In medieval times a kingdom’s foreign policy was inextricably intertwined with both offensive and defensive military expeditions. This was the universal truth. Ala ud-Din was one of the most ambitious rulers to have sat on the throne of Delhi. Therefore, it is not surprising that after successfully establishing himself as […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 48 TWO HINDU KINGDOMS: VALABHI AND BROACH
February 5, 2016 0 Comments
Canberra, 5 February 2016 Most modern chronicles of Indian history tend to concentrate on the events that took place in the Punjab, Rajasthan and Central India, which makes the narrative somewhat skewed. By not considering incidents that were happening simultaneously in areas that were peripheral to the regions adjoining the two mountain passes that […]
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