The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India

The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India is a book by the historian K.S. Lal published in 1992. (ISBN 8185689032). The book does not only assess the legacy of Muslim rule in India, but does also describe its history.

Lal tries to give a balanced appraisal of the legacy of medieval India: "...the history of Muslim rule in India is seen through many coloured glasses. It is necessary, therefore, to take a look at the “schools” or “groups” of modern historians writing on the history of medieval India so that a balanced appraisal of the legacy of Muslim rule in India may be made."

The astronomical sciences were respected by the Muslims. The Buddhist Halaku Kahn founded the Margha observatory at Szebaijain, and Ulugh Beg built one at Samarquand. Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur built observatories in Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Benares.

The book also describes the achievements in music, architecture, painting, and many other areas. About the achievements in music, he writes: "It is in the domain of music in particular that the contribution of Muslims is the greatest. It is, however, difficult to claim that it is really Muslim. What they have practised since medieval times is Hindu classical music with its Guru-Shishya parampara. The gharana (school) system is the extension of this parampara or tradition. ... Political or religious barriers have failed to divide musicians and lovers of music into narrow or antagonistic camps, as the Hindu classical music remains the common legacy of both Hindus and Muslims."

On the education system in medieval India, Lal writes: "No universities were established by Muslims in medieval India. They only destroyed the existing ones at Sarnath, Vaishali, Odantapuri, Nalanda, Vikramshila etc. to which thousands of scholars from all over India and Asia used to seek admission. Thus, with the coming of Muslims, India ceased to be a centre of higher Hindu and Buddhist learning for Asians. The Muslims did not set up even Muslim institutions of higher learning. Their maktabs and madrasas catered just for repetitive, conservative and orthodox schooling. There was little original thinking, little growth of knowledge as such."

Universities and educational centers in the 11 and 12 century CE were widespread and existed at Nalanda, Vikramshila, Odantapuri, Phullahari near Monghyr, Jagaddala, Somapura and Devikota in North Bengal, Vikrampuri in Dacca, Pattikeraka in Comilla, Panditavihara in Chittagong Gaya, Valabhi, Bundelkhand and other places. (Mazumdar 1960) Hieun Tsang's list of monasteries, which usually included universities or learning centres, included Nagarkot, Udyana, Jalandhar, Sthanesvara, Srughna Matipura, Brahmapura, Govisana, Ahichchatra, Samkasya, Kanauj, Navadevakula, Ayodhya, Hayamuka, Prayag, Visoka, Kapilvastu, Banaras, Ramagrama, Ghazipur, Tilosika, Gunamati, Silabhadra near Gaya, Kajangala, Pundravardhana, Kamarupa, Samatata, Orissa, Berar, Malwa, Valabhi, Anandapura, Surat, Ujjayini and Chitor.

In India, teachers and educational institutions were often attached to the temples and Buddhist monasteries, and the destruction of temples also led to the destruction of books and educational centers. Thus the Sanskrit College of Vishaldeva at Ajmer was destroyed by Qutbuddin Aibak, and between 1197-1202 the universities of Nalanda, Odantapuri and Vikramshila were razed by Ikhtiyauddin Bakhtiyar Khalji. Another example of the destruction of an educational center is recorded by The Maasir-i-Alamgir and states that in 1669 "It reached the ears of his Majesty [Aurangzeb], the protector of the faith, that in the province of Thatta, Multan, and Banaras, but especially in the latter, foolish Brahmans were in the habit of expounding frivolous books in their schools, and that students and learners, Muslims as well as Hindus went there, even from long distances, led by the desire to become acquainted with the wicked sciences they taught. The Director of the Faith, consequently issued orders to all governors of provinces to destroy with a willing band the schools and temples of the infidels. In obedience of this order the temple of Bishnath at Banaras was destroyed."

Criticism
The book was criticized by Peter Jackson in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain, Third Series, Vol. 4, Part 3, November 1994, pp. 421-23. K.S. Lal wrote a rebuttal to Jackson's criticism in his book "Theory and Practice of Muslim State in India"