In praise of kings Rajputs, sultans and poets in fifteenth century Gujarat

Description

In Praise of Kings is a ground breaking study of the long-neglected fifteenth century in South Asian history. Contrary to the conventional focus on the Delhi-centred empires which consider this period as an age of decline, this book illuminates the cultural and political dynamism of the era. It reconstructs the fascinating world of the royal courts of Gujarat, including those of the Rajput chieftains and the regional sultans, through close readings of rarely used literary works in Sanskrit and Gujarati. The book also complicates another popularly held perception: that of Gujarat as the land of traders and merchants. Instead, it shows how Gujarat's warrior past was also integral to this region's identity and history.;Setting the stage : contextualizing fifteenth century Gujarat -- RaṇMallachand : a warrior imagined -- Gangadhara's oeuvre : cosmopolitan poetry for local kings -- Rājavinoda : the sultan as an Indic king -- Rās Mālā : re-discovering a warrior past.