Awadh Under the Nawabs

Awadh defies myths by showing Nawabi openness to communal harmony, culture, and political transformation.

This study, based on careful and detailed research, explodes the widely publicised myth, created by the western historians, of Nawabi being an effete culture. It holds the British and the Company responsible for emasculating the polity of Awadh and its annexation in 1856 as unjustified. Further, that his annexation led not only to Awadhs economic decline, but also triggered the nationalist War of Independence in 1857, dubbed all along as the Sepoy Mutiny.

It is a history of Awadh from a fresh point of view and seeks to inter-relate and inter-weave the patterns of political, administrative and cultural changes during the period. It provides an objective account of the growth

of communal relations in Awadh.

The author commendably argues that the liberal Nawabi regime gave full rein to the indigenous tradition of communal amity and folk culture, while adding the veneer of Mughal and Persian cultures which the rulers were heirs to. The court patronised Insha and Mir, Kathak and Thumri, and an interesting variant of Mughal architecture.

The work is based on massive sources including oral traditions and is a noteworthy contribution in the field of Awadh history.

Text: English