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) |
Detailed notes
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.
Quick revision
- 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.
Types of questions asked
Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.
Type 1: Chronicle ↔ author (Sultanate and Mughal)very common3 practice Q
'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.
Example: The Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi, a history of the Tughlaq age, was written by —
Ziauddin Barani, who also wrote the political guide Fatawa-i-Jahandari.
Type 2: Foreign travellers ↔ the courts they visitedvery common3 practice Q
'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.
Example: Who visited the court of Deva Raya II of Vijayanagara as an envoy of Persia?
Abdur Razzaq — his account praises Hampi's wealth.
Type 3: Regional and vernacular classics of the medieval agecommon2 practice Q
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.
Example: Padmavat, the Awadhi Sufi romance of Alauddin and Padmini, was written by —
Malik Muhammad Jayasi (1540).
Type 4: Mughal court literature and autobiographiesvery common2 practice Q
'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).
Example: The Ain-i-Akbari is which part of Abul Fazl's Akbarnama?
The third volume — the administrative gazetteer of Akbar's empire.
Shortcut tricks
⚡ Mughal chroniclers — "Abul = Ain, Badauni = Bitter"
Abul Fazl wrote the official, praising Akbarnama/Ain; Badauni wrote the bitter, critical Muntakhab.
Example: Which historian wrote a critical account of Akbar's religious policy?
Bitter → Badauni (Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh).
⚡ Travellers by century
11th Al-Biruni → 13th Marco Polo → 14th Ibn Battuta → 15th Conti & Abdur Razzaq → 16th Paes & Nuniz → 17th Hawkins, Roe, Bernier, Tavernier.
Where students lose marks
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.
Practice sets — 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.