Set of 3 Books on The Kingdom of Ahmadnagar

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Mughals and The Deccan (Political Relations with Ahmadnagar Kingdom)

The Kingdom of Ahmadnagar (An Old and Rare Book)

Cultural Archaeology of Ahmadnagar During Nizam Shahi Period (An Old An Rare Book)

Most of the modern studies on the theme of relations of the mughals with the deccan kingdoms are centred around either on the deccan policy of the mughals or their political aims in the deccan. But these studies do not fully explain the varied problems relating to the relations of the mughal empire with the deccan kingdoms.

The present work is an attempt to study the relations of the mughal empire with one of the deccan states, namely ahmednagar, which from its very inception was involved in the complex pattern of relationship with its northern neighbours, viz. khandesh, Gujarat and malwa. Simultaneously, with its southern neighbours, it was involved in mutual conflicts on one or the other issue. Because of their role played in the deccan politics, the nizam shahi rulers attracted the active attention of the mughal emperors from a very early date. In this work, the mughal's growing involvement in the affairs of the deccan kingdoms in the context of their relations with Ahmadnagar down to its final extinction, has been examined in the light of contemporary Persian texts and records.

While dealing with the mughal-ahmadnagar relations, the role played by the safawid rulers of Iran has also been examined in a separate chapter. Whether their official moves against Qandahar were really planned to divert the mughal military pressure on the deccan kingdoms, is analysed in the light of a diplomatic correspondence available in the contemporary Persian chronicles and insha collections.

Dr. M. Siraj Anwar is a senior lecturer in history at the national council of educational research and training (NCERT). Before joining the NCERT, he had served as Senior Research Assistant and Research Associate at the center of advanced study in history, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, from where he had obtained his M. Phil. and Ph. D. Degrees. Besides publishing many articles in various journals, he has also edited An Annotated Bibliography on Value Education in India, Published by the NCERT in 2002.

The disintegration of the erstwhile Bahmane Kingdom in the last quarter of the fifteenth century gave rise to Ahmadnagar, one of four independent kingdoms. A remnant of the times of Mohamad bin Tughlaq, it is replete with historical buildings, palaces and forts evoking nostalgia for the past. In the present book, the author has traced the history of this fascina ting place from the times of Nizam Shahi, Himself a resident of Ahmad nagar, Gadre has supplemented the work with his own drawings and research. He has quoted from a number of works in Persian, Portuguese, Italian and English which give the reader a cosmoramic view of the Nizam Shahi rule. The book deals with all aspects of the society and culture prevalent in Ahmad nagar under the Nizam Shahi. The topography and the physical features of the land around Ahmad nagar have also been gone into and supplemented with maps and charts.

The author's erudition, objectivity and commitment to his craft cannot be questioned. Written in a delight fully racy and readable style, this book cannot be passed up even by the layman. Scholars and researchers in the fields of History and Archaeology are, of course, going to find the book indispensable.

How I was inclined to peep into the depth of the Nizam Shahi history of Ahmadnagar, is an interesting story. Since 1949, the year I settled down in Ahmadnagar, the historical buildings, including the famous fort and the palaces fascinated me. I often visited them and made my own drawings of the same. During the famine of 1952-1954, I casually visited the old aqueduct of Vadgaon, which was opened by the Municipality, in the course of their desperate attempt to find additional sources of drinking water for the city. I was thrilled to see the construction of the underground vault and the channel. I made sketches, hardly realizing, then, that they would prove so helpful later. The - Vadgaon aqueduct diverted my curiosity towards the old water supply system of Ahmadnagar. From the description in the Bombay Gazetteer, (Ahmadnagar District), I traced the sources of fifteen aquducts that once supplied drinking water to the city of Ahmadnagar. Since 1957, I kept the track of new pipe lines, cisterns and the constructions found while digging the foundations for the new buildings in Ahmadnagar. Every time, I took notes and recorded the new discoveries on the copy of the map in the Gazetteer. I was simply thrilled, when in 1963, a chanced discovery of an earthen urn, containing the Chinese Celadon ware and glass bottles, was ascribed the date to 15th century to which Ming Pottery belonged, by the Department of Far Eastern Studies of the Harvard University (U.S.A.). D:. H.D. Sankalia always appreciated my interest in archaeology and history. His encouragement finally induced me to undertake a more systematic study of the cultural aspects based on the archaeological survey of the society that lived under the Nizam Shahi Rule.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages