The Emergence Of The Delhi Sultanate

DETAILS : 

• Author: Sunil Kumar
  
• Publisher: ‎ Permanent Black
  
• Publication date: ‎ 1 January 2010
  
• Language: ‎ English
  
• Print length: ‎ 440 pages
  
• ISBN-10: ‎ 8178243067
  
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-8178243061
  
• Item Weight: ‎ 500  g

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Emergence of the Delhi Sultanate: 1192–1286, authored by the distinguished historian Dr. Sunil Kumar, is a seminal, critically acclaimed historiographical masterwork. Published by Permanent Black (and distributed internationally by Oxford University Press), this academic volume offers a rigorous, groundbreaking re-evaluation of the early history of the Delhi Sultanate. The core philosophy of this text centers on deconstructing the traditional, teleological narratives of medieval South Asia. Rather than viewing the Sultanate as a pre-planned, monolithically unified Islamic empire that emerged overnight after the battles of Tarain, Dr. Kumar presents its formation as a highly fractured, experimental, and contingent process of state-building.

The volume is structurally organized into a meticulous chronological and thematic investigation spanning nearly a century, from the initial Ghurid conquests to the end of Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Balban’s reign. Dr. Kumar moves away from standard court histories (tawarikh) to explore the shifting dynamics of political power, unpacking how a loose confederation of military commanders and slave-officers (bandagan) gradually transformed into a centralized structural state. The book provides an exhaustive analytical breakdown of:

• The Bandagan System: Analyzing the complex social and political roles of military slaves who rose to positions of supreme governance under rulers like Iltutmish.
• Geopolitical Fragmentation: Mapping out the intense ideological and military competition between regional centers like Lahore, Uchch, and Delhi before Delhi emerged as the undisputed capital.
• The Construction of Authority: Evaluating how early Sultans manipulated architectural landscapes, religious patronage, and elite networks to legitimize their rule over a highly diverse population.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Sunil Kumar (1956–2021) was an elite Indian historian, academician, and public intellectual who served as a Professor of Medieval Indian History and Head of the History Department at the University of Delhi. Renowned for his deep expertise in textual archives, political systems, and medieval architecture, he was also the long-time editor of the prestigious journal The Indian Economic and Social History Review (IESHR).

Dr. Kumar’s historical and analytical style is extraordinarily meticulous, objective, and deeply revisionist. Writing with the brilliant precision of a veteran researcher, he challenges both colonial and nationalist stereotypes, utilizing a vast array of Persian chronicles, epigraphic evidence, and archaeological data. By balancing sharp ideological deconstructions with clear institutional timelines, his literature remains an enduring national benchmark for research scholars, university faculties, and civil services aspirants seeking a sophisticated understanding of early medieval South Asia.