Epigraphy and Islamic Culture : Inscriptions of the Early Muslim Rulers of Bengal (1205-1494).
- 1st ed.
- 1 online resource (297 pages)
- Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series .
- Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series .
Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- List of figures -- Sigla -- Note on transliteration -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- List of abbreviations -- Introduction: epigraphy of Muslim Bengal -- 1 Epigraphy as an important source for Islamic history and civilization -- Epigraphy in Islamic tradition -- Use of inscriptions in Islamic architecture -- Emergence of Islamic epigraphy -- Importance of Islamic epigraphy -- Thematic variety of Islamic inscriptions -- Use of inscriptions as legal deeds -- Globalization and cultural continuity of the Islamic world: comparison of some inscriptions of Bengal with those of Andalusia -- Diversity of materials and features in Bengal inscriptions -- Comparison of Islamic inscriptions with Sanskrit inscriptions in Bengal -- Some conclusive remarks -- 2 The diffusion of Islam in Bengal and the articulation of a new order -- The land -- The advent of Islam and the Bengal hinterland -- Merchants and the faith: early Islamic contacts with Bengal -- The Muslim conquest of Bengal and the beginning of Islamic consolidation -- The emergence of the independent Sultanate and the spread of Islamic culture -- From syncretistic tradition to Islamic reassertion: the mighty Mughals and the British Raj -- Royalty and ruling establishment -- Commerce and maritime activities -- Mosques: the nucleus of Islamic society -- The role of 'ulamā' and madrasas in the transmission of knowledge -- 3 Nature, aesthetic perception and mysticism: spiritual dimensions of the Islamic inscriptions of Bengal -- 4 Worldly authority and paradisiacal ambition: diversity of titles in the Islamic inscriptions of Bengal -- Titles in Islamic culture and their historical importance -- 5 Early Islamic inscriptions -- Inscriptions of the Khaljī chiefs. Inscriptions of the early rulers appointed by the Delhi Sultans -- Inscriptions of the Balbanī rulers -- 6 Inscriptions of the Sultanate period -- Inscriptions of the early Ilyās Shāhī rulers -- Inscriptions of the indigenous Bengali sulṭāns (Sulṭān Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Shāh and his son) -- Inscriptions of the later Ilyās Shāhī rulers (the restored dynasty) -- Inscriptions of the so-called Ḥabashī rulers of Abyssinian origin -- Bibliography -- Index.
This book is an interpretive study of the Arabic and Persian epigraphic texts of Bengal in the wider context of a rich epigraphic tradition in the Islamic world. While focusing on previously untapped sources, it takes a fresh look into the Islamic inscriptions of Bengal and examines the inner dynamics of the social, intellectual and religious transformations of this eastern region of South Asia. The first survey of the Muslim inscriptions in India ever to be attempted on this scale, the book reveals the significance of epigraphy as a source for Islamic history and culture.