Question

Why did the authors of Persian tawarikh criticize the Delhi Sultans?

Answer 1

Hint: The Persian authors wanted to preserve an ideal social order. According to the authors, the ideal social order was based on birthright and distinction of gender.

Complete answer:
Other than architecture, coins and inscriptions, the tawarikh are also an important source of information for historians. These tawarikh were chronicles written by Persian scribes. It was written in Persian, since it was the language of administration for the Delhi Sultans. These scribes were learned men, i.e. secretaries, administrators, poets and courtiers. They mostly lived in the capital (Lahore and Delhi) and very rarely in villages.

Writing the tawarikh was an additional service that they provided to the ruler apart from their assigned jobs. They did this to receive expensive rewards from the king. They recounted events to the ruler and in their writings. They advised the rulers on governance, administration and emphasized the significance of just rule.

According to the scribes, a ruler needed to preserve an ideal social order in his kingdom, and they advised him to do so. The ideal social order that they proposed was based on distinction of gender and birthrights. This was the exact opposite of what the Sultans did. The Sultans would appoint people from lower parts of society to very high offices. This enraged the Persian writers who then criticized the Delhi Sultans.

Note:
-The most famous known Persian writer of the tawarikh is Fakhr-I-Mudabbir.
-He is known for proposing the Circle of Justice, which suggests how a kingdom should work.
-It said that a king cannot survive without soldiers, and soldiers cannot survive without salary.
-The salary would be received from peasants who would pay revenue, and a peasant would only pay revenue if he is satisfied with the work of the king.