The Persian chronicler Ferishta (1560–1620) composed his great work, published in this four-volume English translation in 1829, at the court of Bijapur - where he spent most of his life - under the patronage of King Ibrahim Adil Shah II. It covers Muslim India from around 975 to 1612 and is notable for its balance, despite Ferishta's close involvement with some of the events and people he records. Valuable additions to the text made by the translator, East India Company officer John Briggs (1785–1875), include genealogical tables and notes, as well as comparative chronologies of events in Europe and India. The work also includes Briggs' own account of the history of the kings of Golkonda and a chronology of the Portuguese wars in India. The coverage of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur in the sixteenth century notably draws on Ferishta's first-hand knowledge.
Contents
Volume 1: Preface; The life of the author; The author's preface; Introductory chapter on the Hindoos; Introduction; 1. History of the kings of Lahore; 2. History of the kings of Dehly. Volume 2: 2. History of the kings of Dehly (cont.); 3. Of the kings of the Deccan. Volume 3: The author's preface to Volume 3; 3. Of the kings of the Deccan (cont.). Volume 4: 4. History of the kings of Guzerat; 5. History of the kings of Malwa; 6. History of the kings of Kandeish; 7. History of the kings of Bengal and Behar, commonly called Poorby; 8. The history of the kings of Mooltan; 9. The history of Sind and Tutta; 10. The history of Kashmeer; 11. Some account of the Mahomedans in Malabar; Appendix.
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