Region and empire : Panjab in the seventeenth century

Product Description
The imperial administrative system of Panjab, often regarded as monolithic and highly centralized, is shown here to have demonstrated considerable flexibility: it responded to and reflected the local peculiarities of the area. The increasing use of different methods of irrigation and the
expanding cultivation of commercial crops came to play an important role in the laborious existence of the Panjab peasant. The picture that emerges from Singh's study is one in which town and country alike were bound firmly to each other in a relentless movement toward commercialization. Panjab,
with its abundant artefacts and numerous traders, was not only drawn into a commercial bond with other regions of the Mughal empire, but was also influenced by major trends in the world economy. This book provides insights into the remarkably stratified society that was continually generating and
adding new social sections. Toward the end of the seventeenth century, compelling reasons existed for the emergence of social unrest which eventually led to political conflict in the region.
Review
"A useful corrective to the traditional historiography on the Panjab and a welcome addition to the burgeoning group of regional studies on India under Mughal rule."--
American Historical Review

"An insightful analysis of the nature and extent of the revolts of several tribes/castes and the emerging Sikh community and their impact on the decline of the empire. The author has drawn on a wide variety of Persian, Panjabi, and English sources to offer an interesting study of the
region."--
Choice


About the Author
Chetan Singh is at Himachal Pradesh University, Simla, India.