The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India

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The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India is a book by the historian K.S. Lal published in 1992. (ISBN 81-85689-03-2). The book not only assesses the legacy of Muslim rule in India, but also describes its history.

Lal tries to give a balanced appraisal of the legacy of medieval India: "...the history of Muslim rule in India is seen through many coloured glasses. It is necessary, therefore, to take a look at the “schools” or “groups” of modern historians writing on the history of medieval India so that a balanced appraisal of the legacy of Muslim rule in India may be made."

The astronomical sciences were respected by the Muslims. The Buddhist Halaku Kahn founded the Margha observatory at Szebaijain, and Ulugh Beg built one at Samarquand. Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur built observatories in Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Benares.

The book also describes the achievements in music, architecture, painting, and many other areas. About the achievements in music, he writes: "It is in the domain of music in particular that the contribution of Muslims is the greatest. It is, however, difficult to claim that it is really Muslim. What they have practised since medieval times is Hindu classical music with its Guru-Shishya parampara. The gharana (school) system is the extension of this parampara or tradition. ... Political or religious barriers have failed to divide musicians and lovers of music into narrow or antagonistic camps, as the Hindu classical music remains the common legacy of both Hindus and Muslims."

On the education system in medieval India, Lal writes: "No universities were established by Muslims in medieval India. They only destroyed the existing ones at Sarnath, Vaishali, Odantapuri, Nalanda, Vikramshila etc. to which thousands of scholars from all over India and Asia used to seek admission. Thus, with the coming of Muslims, India ceased to be a centre of higher Hindu and Buddhist learning for Asians. The Muslims did not set up even Muslim institutions of higher learning. Their maktabs and madrasas catered just for repetitive, conservative and orthodox schooling. There was little original thinking, little growth of knowledge as such."

[edit] Criticism

The book was criticized by Peter Jackson in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain, Third Series, Vol. 4, Part 3, November 1994, pp. 421-23. K.S. Lal wrote a rebuttal to Jackson's criticism in his book "Theory and Practice of Muslim State in India".

[edit] References

  • K.S. Lal. The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India
  • K.S. Lal. Theory and Practice of Muslim Rule in India

[edit] External links


The works of K.S. Lal

History of the Khaljis (1950), Twilight of the Sultanate (1963), Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India (1973), The Mughal Harem (1988), Indian Muslims: Who are they (1990), The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India (1992), Muslim Slave System in Medieval India (1994), Theory and Practice of Muslim State in India (1999))
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