The period between 1000 and ca.1800 CE marks one of the most consequential and controversial eras in India’s long history. It witnessed profound transformations, including the disappearance of Buddhism from the subcontinent, the emergence of Sikhism, the growth of the world’s largest Muslim society, India’s rise as a global industrial powerhouse, and the appearance of one of the world’s most powerful and dazzling empires – the Mughals (1526-1858). And yet, popular narratives often portray India as a stagnant civilization awakened only by European rule, or they depict this era through the narrow lens of alleged religious conflict that, among other things, would serve to justify that rule.

Eaton begins by addressing several persistent stereotypes about Indian history. One such misconception is the idea of India as a self-contained, territorially bound essence, historically isolated from outside influences. Contrary to this notion, Eaton emphasises the importance of India’s connections with neighbouring regions, particularly Central Asia and the Middle East. Many of the significant changes that occurred in India during this period cannot be understood without considering these external relationships.

Another stereotype Eaton challenges is the portrayal of India as an essentially self-generated Hindu and Sanskritic civilization. Instead, he presents India as a hybrid composite, shaped by prolonged interaction with other cultures.

To truly understand this period, Eaton argues, we must examine it through the complex interactions between two vast cultural spheres: the Sanskritic world and the Persianate world. Central to his argument is the idea of the “Sanskrit cosmopolis,” a term coined by scholar Sheldon Pollock. This refers to the vast geographical and cultural space across Southern Asia where Sanskrit texts circulated and were considered normative between the 4th and 14th centuries. These texts covered a wide range of topics, from grammar and kingship to architecture and social regulation. The Sanskrit cosmopolis created and sustained a network of shared idioms and styles that transcended linguistic and political boundaries.

Parallel to the Sanskrit world, Eaton introduces the idea of the Persianate world. This cultural sphere emerged around the 9th century and by the 13th century had expanded to encompass much of West, Central, and South Asia. Like the Sanskrit cosmopolis, the Persianate world was characterised by the transregional circulation of texts in a prestige language (in this case, Persian) that conferred elite status on its users. It also elaborated its own models of worldly power and universal dominion, often transcending religious boundaries, as well as distinctive styles of architecture, dress, music, courtly comportment, cuisine and, especially, vocabulary. 

Eaton argues that much of India’s history between 1000 and 1800 can be understood in terms not only of how these two trans-regional worlds interacted with each other, but how they interacted with India’s many local, vernacular cultures. This framework allows for a far more nuanced understanding of cultural interaction and exchange than do traditional narratives focused mainly on alleged Hindu-Muslim conflict.

To illustrate the complexity of this interaction, the book’s first chapter examines two significant military raids that occurred in the early 11th century. The first, led by Rajendra Chola in 1022, saw a South Indian army march north to defeat the Pala ruler of Bengal. The second, led by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1025, involved a Turkish-speaking ruler from Afghanistan attacking the wealthy temple of Somnath in Gujarat.

While these raids might seem similar on the surface, Eaton reveals how they reflected very different political cultures. The Chola raid operated within the Sanskrit world’s notion of the mandala (a system of concentric circles of allies and enemies) and the digvijaya (conquest of kingdoms to the north, east, south, and west). In contrast, Mahmud’s raid was driven by the need to finance imperial ambitions in Central Asia and Iran, reflecting the expansive and predatory nature of emerging Persianate political systems.

Eaton goes on to explore how the Delhi Sultanate, established in the 13th century, became a key site for the interaction between the Sanskritic and Persianate worlds. He examines how sultans such as Iltutmish (r. 1210-36) navigated between Persian imperial traditions and local Indian political concepts, often adopting hybrid practices that drew from both worlds.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Eaton’s analysis is his examination of how ordinary Indians perceived their new rulers. He presents evidence from Sanskrit inscriptions suggesting that many Hindus integrated the sultanate’s authority into their own historical memory and notions of political legitimacy. This challenges the idea of a sharp break or civilizational rupture between Indian and Turkish rule.

Eaton’s work also sheds light on the complex social dynamics within the Delhi Sultanate’s ruling class. Far from being a monolithic “Muslim” elite, this group was divided along ethnic, linguistic, and even religious lines. Tensions between ethnic Turks and Persians, as well as between military slaves and free-born nobles, shaped the politics of the era in ways that go beyond simple religious categories.

Throughout the book, Eaton emphasises the importance of moving beyond the old tripartite Hindu-Muslim-British scheme of Indian history. Instead, he understands the period from 1000 to ca. 1800 as one characterised by the eastward diffusion of Persianate culture across the Indian subcontinent and its interaction with both the Sanskritic world and local cultures.

This approach allows for a highly nuanced understanding of cultural relations, political legitimacy, and social dynamics in pre-modern India. It reveals a world of complex interactions, where identities were fluid and cultural borrowing was the norm rather than the exception.

India in the Persianate Age, offers a fresh and engaging perspective on a crucial period of Indian history. By challenging long-held assumptions about the fixity of Hindu and Muslim identities and their alleged mutual hostility, this work opens new avenues for understanding the rich tapestry of Indian civilization prior to British colonial rule. It serves as a reminder that history is rarely as simple as popular narratives suggest, and that true understanding requires us to look beyond surface-level distinctions to the complex processes of exchange and integration that shape societies over time.