History of Firuzshah Tughluq (An Old and Rare Book)

Firuz Shah Tughluq was one of the most outstanding rulers of India and his life and work has got a great significance and value for the history of Northern India.

The present work takes the history of the Tughluq dynasty a step further, the early phases having been dealt with assiduous. erudiation by well-known savants. The author has very carefully utilised the original sources in this study and in seven chapters he has discussed the various events of Firuz's reign and throw light on several obscure points like his succession etc. He has refuted Sir Wolseley Haig's theory of usurpation and tried to establish his view by cogent arguments. Then he deals at length with the administration of the Sultan and the various reforms introduced by him.

The author has discussed the principal contemporary sources in detail at the end.

The book is a valuable contribution to our medieval historical literature.

I HAVE great pleasure in commending this book to the consideration of students and scholars of Medieval India. It takes the history of Tughluq dynasty a step further, the early phases having been dealt with assiduous erudition by well known savants like Dr. Ishwari Prasad and Dr. Agha Mehdi Hasan. Dr. Jamini Mohan Banerjee spent several years in collecting the relevant material and giving it shape. He has interpreted the life and achievements from an altogether different angle of vision and has attempted to present an objective picture. He has dealt with the various aspects of the life and activities of this sovereign and has thrown light on motives behind the policies enunciated and implemented by him.

Modern writers attach too much importance to the Futuhat- i-Firuz Shahi which they accept as the conclusive proof of Sultan's orthodoxy and intolerance, which in their opinion, contributed to the disintegration of Tughluq empire. But this is not only a partial but vitiated approach because it does not take into account the fact that this pamphlet was composed for consumption among a particular class of men and that it did not correspond to realities. In fact, all-India empires in our country, particularly in this period, were no more than occasional experiments in polity. They could not last for any considerable time because of the working of numerous adverse factors e. g. difficulty of enforcing a uniform pattern of administration, hostile attitude of the people, and above all, the impossibility of overcoming the problem of distance. Therefore to hold Firuz Tughluq responsible for the downfall of Tughluq empire is neither fair nor just. On the other hand, he strove hard to keep together what he had actually inherited from his immediate predecessor. Dr. Jamini Mohan Banerjee has very successfully sustained this view by dealing at length with the administrative and social reforms undertaken by the Sultan.

**Contents and Sample Pages**