Author: Percival Spear
Narayani Gupta/R E Frykenberg
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2002
Language: English
Pages: 919
ISBN/UPC (if available): 019565983X
Description
This collection of four books captures the essence of Delhi, India's capital and one of the world's legendary cities. Delhi's importance lies not just in its past glory as the seat of empires and its magnificent monuments, but also in the rich and diverse cultures that have arisen here. Taken together, these four well-researched books provide different yet complementary viewpoints on the history, culture and architecture, and urbanization of Delhi over the centuries.
Of the many visitors to India who have written on aspects of its history Percival Spear was an exceptional historian, explorer and teacher. "Delhi: A Historical Sketch" details the origins of the city while "Twilight of the Mughuls" traces the late medieval history of Delhi unto the end of the Mughal Empire.
"Delhi Between Two Empires" explores the socio-political history of Delhi from 1803 when it was conquered by the British, to 1931, when New Delhi was formally inaugrated. In this well-researched study Narayani Gupta provides a lively portrait of the city during a crucial phase of its more recent history.
Finally, "Delhi Through the Ages", a collection of essays edited by R E Frykenberg, focuses on the strategic importance of Delhi, its architecture, the schools of philosophy that flourished here, the impact of modern religious movements on the city, as well as its urban growth.
In an introduction written especially for this volume, Narayani Gupta pays tribute to Spear, reiterating, with a sense of nostalgia unique to the older residents of this bustling city, that "Dilli Dur Ast" will be even truer in the days to come than when Nizamuddin Auliya said it seven hundred years ago.
Contents
Introduction by Narayani Gupta
BOOK ONE
Delhi - A Historical Sketch
Introduction
Hindu Delhi
The Delhi Sultanate, 1191-1398
The Fifteenth Century
The Mogul Empire
The Eighteenth Century
The Twilight of the Moguls
The Mutiny of Delhi
Modern Delhi
BOOK TWO
Twilights of the Mughuls - Studies in Late Mughul Delhi
List of Plates
Preface
Introduction
The Kingdom of Delhi
The Mughuls and the British
The Mughul Court and Family
The British Administration
The Rural Life of the Delhi Territory
The British in Delhi
The Colebrooke Case
William Fraser's Murder
Appendix A: Fraser's Tomb
Appendix B: Hindu Rao's House
The Mutiny in Delhi
The Aftermath
Glossary
Notes on Authorities
notes
Bibliography
Index
BOOK THREE
Delhi Between Two Empires 1803-1931: Society, Government and Urban Growth
Preface
Twenty Years After
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
The British Peace and the British Terror (1803-58)
Portrait of the City (1858-1931)
Recovery and Realignments (1858-76)
Public Opinion: Education and Elections (1877-85)
Confrontations: Citizens and Government (183-1908)
The Strains of Urban Expansion (1892-1912)
City, Province, and Nation (1911-31)
Conclusion
Members of Delhi Municipality (1863-1931)
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
BOOK FOUR
Delhi Through the Ages: Selected Essays in Urban History, Culture and Society
Preface to the Paperback Edition
Contributors
The Study of Delhi: An Historical Introduction
Pre-Modern Delhi
Delhi ion Twilight and Transition
Modern Delhi and New Delhi
Epilogue by and on an Old Delhi Scholar