Delhi Through the Ages: Essays in Urban History, Culture, and Society

by Robert Eric Frykenberg (Editor)

Delhi is one of the legendary capital cities of the world, its origins dating back to prehistoric times. This collection of multi-disciplinary essays by an international group of distinguished scholars explores aspects of the city's life--military, social, cultural, architectural,
nationalist, artistic--over a 3,000-year period.

564 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 1988

About the author

Emeritus professor University of Wisconsin-Madison

Reviews

[Madhulika Liddle]

A collection of essays by some of the world's most eminent historians specialising in Indian history, Delhi Through the Ages is aptly titled: it focuses on Delhi from its earliest to when the book was published (late 20th century). The essays cover a vast range of Delhi-related subjects, all the way from an examination of Delhi's location in terms of political, economic and strategic significance, to the Sufis of the city; Kashmiri Pandits in Delhi; the layout of Shahjahanabad; biographies (in connection with Delhi) of personalities like Sir Syed Ahmed and CF Andrews; the rise of Hindu orthodoxy in Delhi; the setting up of Delhi University, and much else. The essays are arranged more or less chronologically into three sections, and combine to form an interesting and composite picture of the city, not just in terms of politics, but society, culture, economics and more.

Given that the essays are by varied scholars, it's not surprising that the writing styles differ widely. Some are rather academic; others seem to have been written for a more lay audience. All in all, though, I found these very informative, insightful, and useful. Two essays - one on Delhi University, another on king-makers in medieval Delhi - I found rather dry and tedious (though I will admit they will probably be very useful to someone researching these subjects), but other than these, each essay was very interesting and very readable.