UPSC Notes / Medieval Indian History / Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of 24

Sources of Medieval Indian History

Persian chronicles, regional vernacular texts, epigraphy, coins, and foreign travellers' accounts used to reconstruct India's medieval past.

📖 ~13 min read 🕌 Medieval Indian History

Introduction

Medieval Indian History (c. 8th century CE to the mid-18th century) is far better documented than the ancient period, thanks to a rich tradition of court chronicles, official records, and firsthand foreign travel accounts — particularly from the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal periods onward.

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Image space — add illustration here
Suggested: A collage of a Persian manuscript page, an old coin, and an inscribed stone tablet
Suggested visual: Sources of Medieval India — manuscripts, coins, and inscriptions

Persian Chronicles (Delhi Sultanate & Mughal Era)

WorkAuthorPeriod Covered
Tarikh-i-Firoz ShahiZiauddin BaraniDelhi Sultanate, up to Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Tabaqat-i-NasiriMinhaj-us-SirajEarly Delhi Sultanate (up to Balban)
Tuzuk-i-Baburi (Baburnama)BaburBabur's own memoirs; founding of the Mughal Empire
Akbarnama & Ain-i-AkbariAbul FazlAkbar's reign — administration, revenue, culture (Ain-i-Akbari is a statistical/administrative gazetteer)
Tuzuk-i-JahangiriJahangirJahangir's own memoirs
PadshahnamaAbdul Hamid LahoriShah Jahan's reign

Regional and Vernacular Literature

  • Bhakti and Sufi poetry (Kabir, Tulsidas, Surdas, in Hindi/Awadhi/Braj) offer insight into contemporary social and religious life.
  • Regional chronicles like the Rajatarangini (continued for Kashmir) and various Rajput bardic traditions (e.g., Prithviraj Raso, though semi-legendary) supplement Persian sources.
  • Marathi bakhars (semi-historical narratives) document the rise of the Maratha Empire.

Foreign Travellers' Accounts

TravellerOriginPeriod/Ruler Visited
Ibn BattutaMoroccoMuhammad bin Tughlaq's court (14th century) — Rihla
Niccolò de' ContiItalyVijayanagara Empire (15th century)
Abdur RazzaqPersiaVijayanagara Empire, Deva Raya II's court
Domingo Paes & Fernão NunesPortugalVijayanagara Empire, Krishnadeva Raya's court
Francois BernierFranceMughal court, Aurangzeb's era

Epigraphy, Numismatics, and Architecture

  • Inscriptions on mosques, temples, and forts record patrons, dates, and administrative details.
  • Coins of the Sultanate and Mughal periods (in gold, silver, and copper) reveal economic conditions and, at times, religious/political messaging (e.g., calligraphic coins vs figural Mughal coins under Jahangir).
  • Surviving monuments — forts, tombs, mosques — serve as physical evidence for architectural evolution across dynasties (covered in detail in later chapters).
📌 Historiographical Note: Persian court chronicles, while invaluable, were typically written to glorify the ruling dynasty — historians must read them critically alongside epigraphic and archaeological evidence for a balanced picture.
✅ UPSC Focus: Author-work-period matching for key Persian chronicles · Foreign traveller-ruler matching · Ain-i-Akbari's unique administrative/statistical value · Critical reading of court chronicles vs independent evidence.

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