History of India - VII (c. 1605-1750)

By Dr. Bedavati Laishram | Assistant Professor, Department of History, Manipur University

Learners enrolled: 611

Medieval India has a rich literary culture in various genres and languages. These include autobiographies, court chronicles, official documents, farmans, bardic literature, religious works, accounts of foreign travellers, ambassadors, missionaries etc. These sources have left valuable accounts of India. The complex labyrinth of her cultural, economic and political milieu has attracted diverse and endless opinions. Through this rich history, one needs to examine the motives and sequel of the ideals of kingship adopted in the imperial capital of the Mughals as well as in the contemporary regional kingdoms of both north and south India. A thorough investigation of the state policies of conquest, expansion and consolidation will yield a better reckoning of the dynamics of politics prevalent at the various courts.

The interplay of indigenous and foreign culture and traditions apparent in the art and architecture put India in the world map of flair and aptitude. The economy, particularly trade and commerce, monetary system, markets, transportation and the Indian Ocean trade network had made India one of the major players in the Indian Ocean trade. An in depth study of India’s political situation under the Mughal rulers, the Rajput and Deccan counterparts, their relationship and nature of alliances with each other will help one to understand the mechanism of state and the system of administration operative during the period under study.

The debates and the various historiographical interventions around 18th century India and what went through the late 17th century crisis of the Mughal Empire and the ensuing transition: economy, society and polity, require deeper study. Through this paper, one can examine the regional aspirations and politics of assertion and equally the patterns of regional politics.

This course aims to introduce the learners to the huge corpus of sources available of this period. This will help them to investigate thoroughly the dynamics of Medieval politics, the ideals of kingship, the administrative mechanisms and the aesthetic essence of Medieval rulers. It will also enable learners to develop a critical and objective approach towards understanding the rise and fall of states during this period.

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	15 weeks
Category :	History
Credit Points :	5
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	12 Jan 2026
End Date :	30 Apr 2026
Enrollment Ends :	28 Feb 2026
Exam Date :
Translation Languages :	English
NCrF Level	5.0
Industry Details :	Teaching
Exam Date and Shift :	Will be announced Later

Page Visits

Course layout

WEEK 1

Persian Sources - Autobiographies

Persian Sources - Court Chronicles - I

Court Chronicles and Histories - I

Chronicles and Histories - II

Official records & other Documents - I

Official records & other Documents - II

WEEK 2

5.1 Vernacular literature & Travellers Accounts

5.2 Foreign Accounts during 1605-1750- I (A)

5.3 Foreign Accounts during 1605-1750- I (B)

5.4 Foreign Accounts during 1605-1750- II (A)

5.5 Foreign Accounts during 1605-1750- II (B)

Extension of Mughal rule -1

Extension of Mughal rule – 2

Extension of Mughal rule – 3

WEEK 3

Changes in mansab and jagir systems – 1 (Jahangir)

Changes in mansab and jagir systems – 2

Imperial Culture

Orthodoxy and syncretism - Naqshbandi Sufis,

WEEK 4

Miyan Mir, Dara Shukoh, Sarmad Kashani

State and religion under Aurangzeb -1

State and religion under Aurangzeb - 2

Issues in the war of succession

WEEK 5

Policies regarding Religious groups and institutions

Conquests and limits of expansion – 1

Conquests and limits of expansion – 2

Beginning of the crisis: contemporary perceptions

WEEK 6

Agrarian and jagir crises;

Revolts – 1

Revolts - 2

WEEK 7

Painting under Jahangir

Painting under Shah Jahan

Painting under later rulers

WEEK 8

Architecture under Jahangir

Architecture under Shah Jahan

Architecture under Aurangzeb and his successors

WEEK 9

Rajput political culture and state formation

Deccan kingdoms -1

Deccan kingdoms -2

WEEK 10

Emergence of the Marathas

Shivaji

Expansion under the Peshwas

WEEK 11

Mughal decline – 1

Mughal Decline - 2

Emergence of successor states -1

WEEK 12

Emergence of successor states -2

Interpreting eighteenth century India: recent debates - 1

Interpreting eighteenth century India: recent debates – 2

WEEK 13

Crafts and technologies -1

Crafts and technologies -2

Monetary system

WEEK 14

Markets

Transportation

Urban Centres – 1

WEEK 15

Urban Centres - 2

Indian Ocean Trade Network – 1

Indian Ocean Trade Network - 2

Books and references

Alam Muzaffar, Sanjay Subramanyam (edited). 2010. The Mughal State 1526-1750. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Ali M. Athar. 2012. Mughal India. Studies in Polity, ideas, Society, and Culture. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Chandra Satish. 2005. Medieval India. From Sultanate to the Mughals. Mughal Empire (1526-1748) Part Two. New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications Pvt. Ltd
Lal Ruby. 2018. Empress The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan. Haryana: Penguin Random House India.
Mukhia Harbans. 2009. The Mughals of India. Blackwell Publishing Limited.
Prasad Beni. 2013. History of Jahangir. Delhi: C.P. Gautam Bharatiya Kala Prakashan.
Rogers Alexander (translated) and Henry Beveridge (edited). 2021. The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri or Memoirs of Jahangir. Volume -1. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd.
Rogers Alexander (translated) and Henry Beveridge (edited). 2021. The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri or Memoirs of Jahangir. Volume – 2. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd.
Sharma Sri Ram. 1988. The Religious Policy of the Mughal Emperors. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Private Limited.

Instructor bio

Dr. Bedavati Laishram

Assistant Professor, Department of History, Manipur University

Dr Bedavati Laishram is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History, Manipur University. She has teaching experience of more than 8 years. She has received her PhD from Manipur University. Her specialisation is Medieval Indian History. Her areas of interest are Culture and Gender Studies. She has many research papers published in journals. She has also contributed chapters in books and articles in newspapers. She has presented papers in national and international conferences and seminars. She has delivered lectures as a Resource Person in workshops and induction training.

Course certificate

1. End-Term Examination:

· Weightage: 70% of the final result

· Minimum Passing Criteria: 40%

2. Internal Assessment:

· Weightage: 30% of the final result

· Minimum Passing Criteria: 40%

Calculation of IA Marks:

· Out of all graded weekly assessments/assignments, the top 50% of assignments shall be considered for the calculation of the final Internal Assessment marks.

· All students who obtain 40% marks in the internal assessment and 40% marks in the end-term proctored exam separately will be eligible for the SWAYAM Credit Certificate.

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