The social history of the deccan

Methodology
- Social history ---
- What is a history? – an account/story of the past – telling the causes and conditions
giving rise to its present formation/construction.
o Hayden White – everything we think of as literature – symbols, characters, --etc.
that we analyze a novel is also present in history. History is not separate from
other narratives. Tropics of discourse. Tropse – meaning themes. How do you
construct histories that are not empirical but narratives? Fact, objectivity, etc.
bourgeoisie metaphors that poststructuralist narratives…
o History is a play for power – claim for power.
o Subjectivity of the narrative – doesn’t dissolve the existence of that object…
o Material basis or evidence – texts, epigraphy, coins, architecture/build
environment (water tanks in Deccan are very important), oral
narratives/hagiographies/folk stories and songs, biological remains (genetic
analysis/carbon dating) – humans, animals,
o
- Social history comes as a result of Marxism – contesting dynastic history, political
histories…
- Eaton’s argument – any biography of an individual is already a social document…

- Frontier – Eaton’s term – shadow zone, not centered on any big river, not hospitable, - a
region very hard for any emperor to have a center …
- Deccan – itself a linguistic zone…
- Vithoba – identified as Krishna – in a way he is iconographically composite of siva and
Visnu… known as vitthala – Pandharpur (somebody who is Marathi and somebody who
goes to Pandharpur for pilgrimage…) – whole tradition of
- Genealogy of devotional figures in Marathi tradition --- Namdev, Jnadev, Eknath,
Tukaram,
- Virupaksha – a name of Śiva – Pampa Devi

- Language as a shared religion -

The trope of the South Indian temple, p.15

Deccan’s geopolitical
situation had resolved into just two large successor-states to the Tughluqs’
imperial presence in the Deccan. One of these, the Bahmani
kingdom, established its capital at the former Yadava fort of Gulbarga.
The other, the Sangama kingdom, arose on the site of an ancient pilgrimage
center on the shores of the Tungabhadra River; it would become famous as
Vijayanagara. p.22
Just as they detached religion from statecraft, sultanates also detached culture
from sovereign territory; that is, political frontiers knew no boundaries
based on kinship, language, religion, or any other cultural marker. P.23
Deepening the sultanate system in the Deccan was the institution of the
iqta , a unit of land over which a military officer was given temporary rights
of revenue collection. p.25
padmanayakas as “respectable sudras” is significant, p.29

spiritual sovereignty (wilayat) p.56

the presence and blessings of great Sufi shaikhs
could transform yesterday’s Abode ofWar (Dar al-Harb) into today’s Abode of Peace (Dar al-
Islam), p.56

Sangama brothers becoming aimeers p.38

Virupakasha as the sangam a family deity, p.42
the logic of hagiographic writing, p,48 prophecy of Gisu Daraaz…
Frizz’s lavish wedding 2000 slaves p.50
flow of Persian cultural influence into the Deccan quickened dramatically
during Firuz’s reign (1397–1422). p.51
Gisu Daraz teaching the Fusus of Ibn al-arabi…53
 Attitude to the supernatural…
Virupaksha also became identified as a form of ´Siva, and Pampa as a
form of Devi, affording a classic instance of “Sanskritization,” i.e., the process
by which local deities became assimilated into the wider Indian pantheon. p.82 it
appears that the Sangamas chose theVirupaksha–Pampa cultic center as the site
for their capital largely because of the ritual and political benefits they could
derive from being the “protectors” of the cult.