The Persian chronicler Ferishta (1560-1620) composed his great work, published in this four-volume English translation in 1829, at the court of Bijapur - where he spent most of his life - under the patronage of King Ibrahim Adil Shah II. It covers Muslim India from around 975 to 1612 and is notable for its balance, despite Ferishta's close involvement with some of the events and people he records. In the translator's preface, East India Company officer John Briggs (1785-1875) highlights the danger of misconceptions about the people of India and the importance of religious policy in the success or failure of her various governments. Volume 1 includes introductory matter, a chapter on pre-Muslim India, histories of the Ghaznavid kings of Lahore, and information on the rulers of Delhi. Also included is Briggs' valuable comparative chronology of events in Europe and India.

The Persian chronicler Ferishta (1560-1620) composed his great work, published in this four-volume English translation in 1829, at the court of Bijapur - where he spent most of his life - under the patronage of King Ibrahim Adil Shah II. It covers Muslim India from around 975 to 1612 and is notable for its balance, despite Ferishta's close involvement with some of the events and people he records. Valuable additions to the text made by the translator, East India Company officer John Briggs (1785-1875), include genealogical tables and notes, as well as a comparative chronology of events in Europe and India. Volume 2 examines the descendants of Timur (or Tamerlane) and the founding by Babur of the Mughal dynasty in the early sixteenth century. It also contains coverage of the kings of the Deccan to the dissolution of the Bahmani sultanate after 1518.

The Persian chronicler Ferishta (1560-1620) composed his great work, published in this four-volume English translation in 1829, at the court of Bijapur - where he spent most of his life - under the patronage of King Ibrahim Adil Shah II. It covers Muslim India from around 975 to 1612 and is notable for its balance, despite Ferishta's close involvement with some of the events and people he records. Valuable additions to the text made by the translator, East India Company officer John Briggs (1785-1875), include genealogical tables and notes, as well as a comparative chronology of events in Europe and India. Volume 3 continues with coverage of the five Deccan sultanate states from 1518. This includes Briggs' own valuable account of the history of the kings of Golkonda and a chronology of the Portuguese wars in India. The coverage of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur in the sixteenth century notably draws on Ferishta's first-hand knowledge.

The Persian chronicler Ferishta (1560-1620) composed his great work, published in this four-volume English translation in 1829, at the court of Bijapur - where he spent most of his life - under the patronage of King Ibrahim Adil Shah II. It covers Muslim India from around 975 to 1612 and is notable for its balance, despite Ferishta's close involvement with some of the events and people he records. Valuable additions to the text made by the translator, East India Company officer John Briggs (1785-1875), include genealogical tables and notes, as well as a comparative chronology of events in Europe and India. Volume 4 covers the kings of Gujarat, Malwa, Khandesh, Bengal and Bihar, Jaunpur, and Multan. There are also histories of Sindh and Kashmir. A comparative chronology of the minor kingdoms that eventually became part of the Mughal empire is included, and Briggs' appendices provide glossaries of names and places.