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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
The Deccan is almost always overlooked when we speak of the 'history of India'- as if such a thing exists - yet, the dynasties, the people and the stories are as fascinating if not more so than those from the Delhi Sultanate.
In this book, the author takes a time and space that doesn't even merit a footnote in the middle school history curriculum, and presents it in aannwe that is quite unputdownable.
All the old chestnuts of Hindu v/s Muslims, and Islam came to India through the Khyber Pass are suitably demolished. What emerges is a society where is an interplay between Dakhanis, Westeners and Hindus, with the Arabs playing a significant role.
Read it to understand what India was, and to identify arcs that play out even today.
In this book, the author takes a time and space that doesn't even merit a footnote in the middle school history curriculum, and presents it in aannwe that is quite unputdownable.
All the old chestnuts of Hindu v/s Muslims, and Islam came to India through the Khyber Pass are suitably demolished. What emerges is a society where is an interplay between Dakhanis, Westeners and Hindus, with the Arabs playing a significant role.
Read it to understand what India was, and to identify arcs that play out even today.
I have been to Hampi just once and it has been almost five years since the trip and the mesmerising architecture that I saw all over the place will stay with me for a long time to come. There was next to nothing that I knew about the Vijayanagara Empire before my visit there and two days before the trip I sat down and pored over what Google could offer me. What fascinated me most was how most of the internet literature referred to ‘The Battle of Talikota’ as the swansong for a great civilization. Roaming around the ruins of the Vijayanagara empire gave me a fairly decent understanding of the scale of destruction that was visited on the Vijayanagara empire and its capital and with my limited understanding of history at that juncture, I naturally assumed that the Deccan sultanates (who were the perpetrators of the destruction) were nothing but evil personified. A few months later was when I read Dennis Kincaid’s brilliant book on Chhatrapati Shivaji and that did dispel quite a few myths about my misunderstanding on the Deccan Sultans. If history teaches us a simple lesson, it is that no one individual/kingdom/government/empire is absolutely black or white and there are shades of grey everywhere. Manu Pillai’s book explores the shades of grey surrounding the Deccan Sultanates and their role in shaping and forming the history of the India of today.
The names first and there were five states that constituted the Deccan Sultanates : Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. They were all as diverse as chalk and cheese and so were their rulers who ranged from chivalrous warriors to poets to absolute lunatics. Some of the rulers were born in India, some came from Persia and there was also Malik Ambar (an Ethiopian who rose to prominence in the Deccan) and it was a colourful cast that kept passing through the stage of history. As all this was happening, there were a multitude of other things happening in the background with advances in arts, warfare and architecture scaling great heights and ruthless battles for land being fought, won and lost in a sort of rhythmic way. While the South of India was going through these tumults, the north kept passing from one emperor to another before the Mughals finally kept their standards firmly entrenched for a long time. The Mughals had a love-hate relationship with Deccan for while they certainly wanted to expand their horizons to the south, these sultanates were a consistent thorn on their side and yet the tributes they paid were handsome enough to keep the Mughals at bay. While Akbar, Jahangir and Shajahan mixed muscle power and diplomacy while dealing with the Deccan, Aurangzeb had little time for diplomacy and wanted to expand all over the Deccan. In more ways than one, the campaigns in the Deccan were what finally tolled the death bell for the might of the Mughals under Aurangzeb. The long, costly and ultimately pointless campaigns in the south ultimately emptied the Mughal treasury and coupled to that was the rising threat of the Marathas who after the death of Shivaji (and the murder of his son Sambaji) had become a force to be reckoned with. In summary this is the story that this book talks about and Manu Pillai takes one chapter each for one empire and gives a bird’s eye view of it’s life from inception to oblivion.
My misconception about Hampi and it’s destruction was removed early in the book when I got to really understand what went on behind the scenes before the Talikota battle. The fact that the five kingdoms who never saw each other eye to eye banded together to crush a common enemy was indication enough that it was not a simple good vs evil battle. Vijayanagar was rich, luxurious and the behaviour from some of their kings left a lot to be desired even in matters of common courtesy. What followed the battle though was a ransacking which was unheard of in the south and it is only fortunate that all the relics of today were left to stand by the invaders. Right after the wave of destruction, the five kingdoms were at each other’s throats again ! It was a fickle alliance and once the common enemy was vanquished, nothing much held it together. The author gives a pretty well rounded perspective of the kingdoms, the key players and their role in the nation’s history. The narrative ends with the rise of Shivaji in Maharashtra and the epilogue talks about his rivalry with Aurangzeb and how the Marathas rose to be a superbly efficient force in the decades that followed.
What I did not really enjoy was the macro view of history. There is a lot of ground to cover and Manu Pillai pretty much makes a capsule out of each kingdom and gives it to us which means that an in-depth reading is just not possible. Another aspect that I noticed as a standout factor was that he is completely dismissive of the narrative of history in the Deccan to be one of Hindu-Muslim conflict. Instead of taking up, dissecting and proving wrong the evidence in the contrary, he pretty much outright says that ‘nope,this does not exist and so there is no point talking about it’. Personally I feel that an introspective and detailed approach would have strengthened the narrative much more. But ultimately history is also about the person who tells it and a reader should always be aware of not just history but also where it comes from.
Recommended as a high level summary of the history of the Deccan. Pillai’s witty, easygoing charm does rub off on the reader.
The names first and there were five states that constituted the Deccan Sultanates : Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. They were all as diverse as chalk and cheese and so were their rulers who ranged from chivalrous warriors to poets to absolute lunatics. Some of the rulers were born in India, some came from Persia and there was also Malik Ambar (an Ethiopian who rose to prominence in the Deccan) and it was a colourful cast that kept passing through the stage of history. As all this was happening, there were a multitude of other things happening in the background with advances in arts, warfare and architecture scaling great heights and ruthless battles for land being fought, won and lost in a sort of rhythmic way. While the South of India was going through these tumults, the north kept passing from one emperor to another before the Mughals finally kept their standards firmly entrenched for a long time. The Mughals had a love-hate relationship with Deccan for while they certainly wanted to expand their horizons to the south, these sultanates were a consistent thorn on their side and yet the tributes they paid were handsome enough to keep the Mughals at bay. While Akbar, Jahangir and Shajahan mixed muscle power and diplomacy while dealing with the Deccan, Aurangzeb had little time for diplomacy and wanted to expand all over the Deccan. In more ways than one, the campaigns in the Deccan were what finally tolled the death bell for the might of the Mughals under Aurangzeb. The long, costly and ultimately pointless campaigns in the south ultimately emptied the Mughal treasury and coupled to that was the rising threat of the Marathas who after the death of Shivaji (and the murder of his son Sambaji) had become a force to be reckoned with. In summary this is the story that this book talks about and Manu Pillai takes one chapter each for one empire and gives a bird’s eye view of it’s life from inception to oblivion.
My misconception about Hampi and it’s destruction was removed early in the book when I got to really understand what went on behind the scenes before the Talikota battle. The fact that the five kingdoms who never saw each other eye to eye banded together to crush a common enemy was indication enough that it was not a simple good vs evil battle. Vijayanagar was rich, luxurious and the behaviour from some of their kings left a lot to be desired even in matters of common courtesy. What followed the battle though was a ransacking which was unheard of in the south and it is only fortunate that all the relics of today were left to stand by the invaders. Right after the wave of destruction, the five kingdoms were at each other’s throats again ! It was a fickle alliance and once the common enemy was vanquished, nothing much held it together. The author gives a pretty well rounded perspective of the kingdoms, the key players and their role in the nation’s history. The narrative ends with the rise of Shivaji in Maharashtra and the epilogue talks about his rivalry with Aurangzeb and how the Marathas rose to be a superbly efficient force in the decades that followed.
What I did not really enjoy was the macro view of history. There is a lot of ground to cover and Manu Pillai pretty much makes a capsule out of each kingdom and gives it to us which means that an in-depth reading is just not possible. Another aspect that I noticed as a standout factor was that he is completely dismissive of the narrative of history in the Deccan to be one of Hindu-Muslim conflict. Instead of taking up, dissecting and proving wrong the evidence in the contrary, he pretty much outright says that ‘nope,this does not exist and so there is no point talking about it’. Personally I feel that an introspective and detailed approach would have strengthened the narrative much more. But ultimately history is also about the person who tells it and a reader should always be aware of not just history but also where it comes from.
Recommended as a high level summary of the history of the Deccan. Pillai’s witty, easygoing charm does rub off on the reader.
This book blew me away. The author manages to explore the complexity and volatility of the Deccan in a way I haven’t seen before. I was awestruck by how extensive the research is.
A lot of these incidents of that period are shrouded by myths and falsities which he tries to clear, if not highlight by mentioning where they come from and why they might be untrue.
That being said, I wish the book was longer.
A lot of these incidents of that period are shrouded by myths and falsities which he tries to clear, if not highlight by mentioning where they come from and why they might be untrue.
That being said, I wish the book was longer.
To be brutally honest, I don’t remember half or rather most of the names in the book, but I do remember instances of it.
It was like reading game of thrones and i had to remind myself that this in fact had happened for real and wasn’t fiction. Like his first book, Manu S Pillai has written a book that is readable and enjoyable as fiction, while sticking to the historical significance of it.
I was unaware of the diversity that was prevalent in the Deccan during the 14th-18th centuries, that people from across the globe had come to India. Artisans and merchants from Persia and slaves from Ethopia...
This book tries to explore all the principle powers of the area during the time and what led to their fall. We also come across some prominent Mughals of the era who had clashes swords with the Sultans of Deccan.
It was fun and entertaining, also informative.
It was like reading game of thrones and i had to remind myself that this in fact had happened for real and wasn’t fiction. Like his first book, Manu S Pillai has written a book that is readable and enjoyable as fiction, while sticking to the historical significance of it.
I was unaware of the diversity that was prevalent in the Deccan during the 14th-18th centuries, that people from across the globe had come to India. Artisans and merchants from Persia and slaves from Ethopia...
This book tries to explore all the principle powers of the area during the time and what led to their fall. We also come across some prominent Mughals of the era who had clashes swords with the Sultans of Deccan.
It was fun and entertaining, also informative.
An exhilarating yet introspective look at the courtly intrigues of various rulers in the Deccan, with a gentle argumentative thread woven through the book. Recommend!
Detailed review soon hopefully.
The book does a great job of bringing the Deccan to life, with all the intrigues and wealth of the area. While I thought that it could have had more stuff on the Vijayanagara kingdoms, the books title deals mainly with the Sultans, so that seems alright.
The book does a great job of bringing the Deccan to life, with all the intrigues and wealth of the area. While I thought that it could have had more stuff on the Vijayanagara kingdoms, the books title deals mainly with the Sultans, so that seems alright.
Like most of us raised in North India fed on Delhi focused history taught in school, I had a massive gap in my understanding of the south and specially these Rebel Sultans of the Deccan. And to cover the same I picked up this book. Probably the purpose of writing this book is also the same.
The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji seems like and indeed is a place filled with interesting characters from places as varied as Georgia & Netherlands, Portugal & Ethiopia, Persia & Yemen. The story is frequently dotted with intrigue and parricides. The slaves, woman from Haram, and eunuchs with whom the Emperors fell in love occupy very high and important place. There is of course the usual dash of foreigner versus locals spice at almost each and every court. The queens are Persian, Brahman and even Habshi. The spectacle of Persia looms large over all the 5 northern Deccan Kingdoms from far across.
But unfortunately 213 pages aren`t enough to cover that. And that`s where author despite his earnest efforts to cover every aspects fails. I got a great overview and timeline of the events taking place in the Deccan but I didn`t get even for once which dynasty and which ruler was ruling which kingdom from which city except of course the Qutb Shahis from Golconda. May be I was not very focused and may be it was also author`s intention to give a brief overview rather than going on detail. But it feels like a missed opportunity of compiling a magisterial book on such great and interesting times in Indian history.
The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji seems like and indeed is a place filled with interesting characters from places as varied as Georgia & Netherlands, Portugal & Ethiopia, Persia & Yemen. The story is frequently dotted with intrigue and parricides. The slaves, woman from Haram, and eunuchs with whom the Emperors fell in love occupy very high and important place. There is of course the usual dash of foreigner versus locals spice at almost each and every court. The queens are Persian, Brahman and even Habshi. The spectacle of Persia looms large over all the 5 northern Deccan Kingdoms from far across.
But unfortunately 213 pages aren`t enough to cover that. And that`s where author despite his earnest efforts to cover every aspects fails. I got a great overview and timeline of the events taking place in the Deccan but I didn`t get even for once which dynasty and which ruler was ruling which kingdom from which city except of course the Qutb Shahis from Golconda. May be I was not very focused and may be it was also author`s intention to give a brief overview rather than going on detail. But it feels like a missed opportunity of compiling a magisterial book on such great and interesting times in Indian history.
There are many fine reviews of this book which I have now read, so at the cost of this appearing a cop-out, just jotting down the highlights:
- Yes, this is indeed "pop history" as someone on GR put, simplified for an audience without the patience to dig through academic tomes but yet backed up with an impressive set of references for those who do dare look things up and give us a certain amount of confidence. 99% of us won't though...
- Most of us have heard of all of these characters in the history we learnt in school. Most of us also wouldn't be able to draw a dynasty other than the Mughal's straight with it all being a jumbled mess. What this book does is to at least create that high level structure in your mind and set the 'context' - you do now know who is in who's team, or which are the teams even...
- It is however easy (and tempting) to get lost in the details beyond a point. I almost wanted those summary boxes ("Key Points") we had in our school textbooks somewhere in the narrative.
- Yes, the fact that kings did not divide on religious lines in that era is a very relevant point to emphasize and take away. Also yes, this was repeated a few times too many perhaps.
- Maps. The book needed more maps. Lots of them. To be able to connect history to the geography of today is one of the best ways to make it come alive no?
- The dry humour and irreverence in general is a most excellent way of writing history. Yeh dil maange more.
- To have 2 full books out before you're 28 just makes the rest of us feel bad about our lives... :-)
- Yes, this is indeed "pop history" as someone on GR put, simplified for an audience without the patience to dig through academic tomes but yet backed up with an impressive set of references for those who do dare look things up and give us a certain amount of confidence. 99% of us won't though...
- Most of us have heard of all of these characters in the history we learnt in school. Most of us also wouldn't be able to draw a dynasty other than the Mughal's straight with it all being a jumbled mess. What this book does is to at least create that high level structure in your mind and set the 'context' - you do now know who is in who's team, or which are the teams even...
- It is however easy (and tempting) to get lost in the details beyond a point. I almost wanted those summary boxes ("Key Points") we had in our school textbooks somewhere in the narrative.
- Yes, the fact that kings did not divide on religious lines in that era is a very relevant point to emphasize and take away. Also yes, this was repeated a few times too many perhaps.
- Maps. The book needed more maps. Lots of them. To be able to connect history to the geography of today is one of the best ways to make it come alive no?
- The dry humour and irreverence in general is a most excellent way of writing history. Yeh dil maange more.
- To have 2 full books out before you're 28 just makes the rest of us feel bad about our lives... :-)