Warfare in Pre-British India - 1500BCE to 1740CE
Warfare in Pre-British India - 1500BCE to 1740CE

Author: Kaushik Roy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-06-03

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 1317586913

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This book presents a comprehensive survey of warfare in India up to the point where the British began to dominate the sub-continent. It discusses issues such as how far was the relatively bloodless nature of pre-British Indian warfare the product of stateless Indian society? How far did technology determine the dynamics of warfare in India? Did warfare in this period have a particular Indian nature and was it ritualistic? The book considers land warfare including sieges, naval warfare, the impact of horses, elephants and gunpowder, and the differences made by the arrival of Muslim rulers and by the influx of other foreign influences and techniques. The book concludes by arguing that the presence of standing professional armies supported by centralised bureaucratic states have been underemphasised in the history of India.

A Global History of Pre-Modern Warfare
A Global History of Pre-Modern Warfare

Author: Kaushik Roy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-09-14

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1000432122

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This book examines the military histories of the regions beyond Western Europe in the pre-modern era. Existing works on global military history mainly focus on the western part of Eurasia after 1500 CE. As regards the ancient period, such works concentrate exclusively on Greece and Rome. So, ‘global’ military history is actually the triumphal story of the West from Classical Greece onwards. This volume focuses not only on the eastern part of Eurasia but also on South America, Africa and Australasia and seeks to explain the history and varied trajectories of warfare in non-Western regions in the pre-modern era. Further, it evaluates whether warfare in non-Western regions should be considered primitive or inferior when compared with Western warfare. The book notes that Western Europe became militarily significant only in the early modern era and argues that the military divergence that occurred during the early modern era is not unique – it had also occurred in the Bronze Age, the Classical era and in the medieval period. This was due to the dynamism and innovativeness of non-Western militaries and the interconnectedness that existed in parts of the Eurasian landmass. Further, those polities which were able to construct a balanced military force by synthesising diverse elements were not only able to survive but also became capable of projecting power across continents. This book will be of much interest to students of military history, strategic studies and world history.

The Making of Medieval Panjab
The Making of Medieval Panjab

Author: Surinder Singh

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-09-30

Total Pages: 485

ISBN-13: 1000760685

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This book seeks to reconstruct the past of undivided Panjab during five medieval centuries. It opens with a narrative of the efforts of Turkish warlords to achieve control in the face of tribal resistance, internal dissensions and external invasions. It examines the linkages of the ruling class with Zamindars and Sufis, paving the way for canal irrigation and agrarian expansion, thus strengthening the roots of the state in the region. While focusing on the post-Timur phase, it tries to make sense of the new ways of acquiring political power. This work uncovers the perpetual attempts of Zamindars to achieve local dominance, particularly in the context of declining presence of the state in the countryside. In this ambitious enterprise, they resorted to the support of their clans, adherence to hallowed customs and recurrent use of violence, all applied through a system of collective and participatory decision-making. The volume traces the growth of Sufi lineages built on training disciples, writing books, composing poetry and claiming miraculous powers. Besides delving into the relations of the Sufis with the state and different sections of the society, it offers an account of the rituals at a prominent shrine. Paying equal attention to the southeastern region, it deals with engagement of the Sabiris, among other exemplars, with the Islamic spirituality. Inclusive in approach and lucid in expression, the work relies on a wide range of evidence from Persian chronicles, Sufi literature and folklore, some of which have been used for the first time. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

Shilahara of Sristhanaka
Shilahara of Sristhanaka

Author: Rupali Mokashi

Publisher: Notion Press

Published: 2023-10-09

Total Pages: 477

ISBN-13:

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Inscriptions suggest that Kapardi I, the founder of the Shilahara dynasty of Thane emerged in the early 9th CE as the feudal lord of the Rashtrakuta King Govinda III. They have left several epigraphical footprints in the form of Copper Plate and Stone Inscriptions in North Konkan. Rupali Mokashi has presented an extensive and holistic study of the Shilaharas of Thane as gleaned through recently discovered epigraphical sources. These inscriptions have unveiled new rulers like Mahakumara Keshideva. A revised chronology with the help of six new Copper Plate and Stone inscriptions of the Shilahara dynasty will be the highlight of this work. Kings Jhanjha and Jaitugi are explored by her in the light of epigraphical data. Epigraphical references of coalescence of scribal class into a caste, Kumarisahasadanda, resettlement of the learned Brahmanas of Karad to North Konkan offer an insight into the society of early medieval North Konkan. A critique is done of Brahmanical, Buddhist and Jain sacred sites of North Konkan as gleaned through the inscriptions. Rise of Chalukya King Kedaradeva vividly explains the emergence of contemporary power centres on the eve of decline of the Shilaharas in South Konkan. The transfer of power from the decline of Satavahanas to the rise of the Shilaharas of Thane, as well as from the decline of Shilaharas till the firm footing of the Portuguese in North Konkan is traversed with the help of epigraphical footprints.

The Mughals and the North-East
The Mughals and the North-East

Author: Sajal Nag

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-07-17

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 100090525X

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There is a perception that the region of north-east India maintained its ‘splendid isolation’ and remained outside the reach of the Mughals and did not have a pre-colonial past. The present book is an attempt to decenter and demolish the said perceptions and asserts that north-east India had a ‘medieval’ past through linkage with the dominant central power in India – the Mughals. The eastern frontier of this Mughal Empire was constituted by a number of states like Bengal, Koch Bihar, Assam, Manipur, Dimasa, Jaintia, Cachar, Tripura, Khasi confederation, Chittagong, Lushai and the Nagas. Of these, some areas like Bengal were an integral part of the Mughal Empire, while others like Koch Bihar and Assam were in and out of the empire. Tripura, Manipur, Jaintia and Cachar were frequently overrun by the Mughals whenever the State was short of revenue and withdrew soon without incorporating them in the state. Despite not being a formal part of the Mughal Empire, the society, economy, polity and culture of the north-east India, however, had been majorly impacted by the Mughal presence. The brief, but effective advent of the Mughals had supplanted certain political and revenue institutions in various states. It generated trade and commerce, which linked it to the rest of India. A number of wondering Sufi saints, Islamic missionaries, imprisoned Mughal soldiers and officers were settled in various states, which resulted in a substantial Muslim population growth in the region. Besides the population, there are numerous Islamic and syncretic institutions, cultures, and shrines which dot the entire region.