MALAYALAM
Medieval history of India
B.R.P. BHASKAR
MADHYAKALA INDIA: Satish Chandra, Translated into Malayalam by A.Vijayaraghavan, DC Books, DC Kizhakemuri Edam, Good Shepherd Street, Kottayam-686001. Rs.150.
SATISH CHANDRA’S Medieval India is the second volume of a three-part series on Indian history, all of which have been brought out in Malayalam by the same publisher. The other volumes are R.S. Sharma’s Ancient India and Bipin Chandra’s Modern India.
The book begins with an overview of the state of the world during the medieval period and goes on to describe the rise and fall of empires in different parts of the subcontinent. In the north, there were incursions from across the mountains, leading to the emergence of the Delhi sultanates and the Moghul Empire. The southern empires of the period include those of the Cholas and the Vijayanagar rulers.
The book’s merit lies in that it departs from the path of dynastic history and looks at the social, economic and cultural developments of the period. These have contemporary relevance inasmuch as they have a bearing on some problems we are still grappling with, such as the caste system.
According to the author, it was during this period that some major caste groups such as the Rajputs and the Kayasths evolved. The period also saw a consolidation of Hindu society with the help of the Tantric movement in the north and the Bhakti movement in the south, following the decline of Buddhism and Jainism.
The role that the resulting accentuation of caste divisions played in India’s subjugation by external forces is a dark spot that remains to be explored.
The book has an index, which is unusual in Malayalam, but shoddy preparation has limited its usefulness.
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