Asaf Khan And His Times (An Old And Rare Books)

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In the present age of analytical study of the forces shaping a particular period or a cause or a movement, the individual contribution is given secondary importance. The significance of the methodology cannot be denied or disputed. But to ignore the individual contribution of a king or noble in shaping the course of history in a parti- cular period of time would also be a great mistake. Most of the recent researches on Medieval Indian History are focus- ing light on the social, economic and cultural life of the people of the time and less attention is being paid to the study of individual heroes, kings, wazirs and their political systems. But at the same time the researchers forget the contribution of the individuals who carved out a place for their own in the period they lived. That is why I have taken this work which depicts the life and achievements of Asaf Khan, one of the important figures of the Mughal period. He contributed a great deal in strengthening the Mughal Empire and that accounts for the fact that the Mughal nobi- lity has been called "Arkan-i-daulat" (pillers of the state).

In this work I have dealt with the ancestry of Asaf Khan and the patronage given by the Mughal emperors to Iranis. I have also discussed the manifold activities of Asaf Khan in the various fields-political and administrative. Asaf Khan had to deal with delicate problem when his son-in-law Khurram revolted against his father, Emperor Jahangir since he occupied an important office of the empire at that time. But he faced this difficult situation with tact and foresight and came out of this labyrinth successfully. Immediately after the death of Jahangir Asaf Khan tackled the difficult issue of succession single handed and made the path easier for the succession of his son-in-law to the throne.