The Rise of Muslim Power in Gujarat

This study traces the history of Gujarat from the beginning of Muslim rule at the close of the thirteenth century to the end of the reign of Ahmad Shah in the middle of the fifteenth. The history of Gujarat is sketched against the background of the Turkish and post-Turkish rule in Delhi and the emergent kingdoms of Malwa, the Deccan and Rajputana. The first part deals briefly with the changing patterns in Delhi since the beginning of Muslim rule, especially with the change in the structure of the ruling elite and their socio-political concepts. The second part sketches the history of Gujarat as a part of the Sultanate of Delhi, until it became independent. The third and last part sketches the history of the Sultanate of Gujarat from its foundation by Muzaffar Shah to the end of the reign of Ahmad Shah. While mainly concerned with political history and institutions, this study also essays an examination of the cultural, socio-religious and economic structure on which these institutions functioned. Special attention has therefore been paid to the different patterns of authority evidenced in different zones, near and distant to the centre of Muslim power, and to the attitudes evinced by different groups and committees in relation to them. Not only Persian and Arabic literary, numismatic and epigraphic material has been used for this work, but also Rajput and Jain sources have been utilised to give a fuller picture of the age, from both the sides.