Anecdotes of Aurangzib (English translation of Ahkam-i-Alamgiri ascribed to Hamid-ud-din Khan Bahadur)

This book by Sir Jadunath Sarkar is an English translation of Ahkam-i-Alamgiri ascribed to Hamid-ud-din Khan Bahadur. It describes the life of Aurangzib in Sarkar's lucid, simple, inimitable style and incorporates historical notes which should be invaluable to the student of history and of interest to the layman. It also provides a unique insight into Aurangzib's character, administrative policies and reveals little known facts about his first love, his treatment of his sons, the nobles, the Hindus and the Shias.

Sir Jadunath Sarkar CIE FRAS (1870-1958) was a prominent Indian historian and a specialist on the Mughal dynasty. He graduated in English from Presidency College, Calcutta. In 1892, he topped the Master of Arts examination, in English at Calcutta University and in 1897, he received the Premchand-Roychand Scholarship. Sarkar's works faded out of public memory, with the increasing advent of Marxist and postcolonial schools of historiography. Academically, Jos J. L. Gommans compares Sarkar's work with those of the Aligarh historians, noting that while the historians from the Aligarh worked mainly on the mansabdari system and gunpowder technology in the Mughal Empire, Judunath Sarkar was best remembered for his historical works, including: A History of Jaipur, Military History of India, A History of Aurangzib (in 5 volumes), Studies in Mughal India, and Mughal Administration.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages