Medieval Period

In Europe, the period from fifth to fifteenth century CE is known as the medieval period. In India, the
period from eighth to eighteenth century CE marks the beginning and the end of the medieval period.
During this period, several important changes took place in the social, economic and political structures
of Europe, America and Asia. Though in the ancient period, Indian culture had remained aloof from the
outside world, during the medieval period Indian culture was highly influenced by changes that took
place in other countries. These influences are evident in the culture, administration, economy, language
and religious beliefs of the people even today.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

The main sources of information of the medieval period are literature and archaeological
findings. The literature of this period consists of religious works and commentaries (based on
Puranas, Smrities, etc.). We get a lot of information about the social, economic, political and
military conditions of that period from non-religious works on medicine, astronomy, dramas,
stories and other literature. The autobiographies, orders of the rulers and letters written during that
period also help us to understand the life of the people during the medieval period. For example,
Prithviraj Raso written by Chand Bardai throws light on the
administration and the life of the people in north India during the
reign of Prithviraj Chauhan.
Muslim rulers encouraged the writing of historical accounts.
The well-known works of history of this period are Tahqiq-i-Hind
(Al-Biruni), Ain-i-Akbari (Abul Fazl), etc., which were written mainly

in Persian. The travel accounts of foreign visitors, like Ibn Battutah,Marco Polo and Bernier are also important sources of information
about that time.
The significant achievement of this period was the popularity
and availability of paper, which encouraged the writing of records.
Rulers, temples and monastries collected these manuscripts which are major sources of information about this period.
Historical records of that period exist in a variety
of languages. Over a period of time, they have
undergone various changes in grammar, vocabulary
and meaning or interpretation of different words.
For example, the word ‘Hindustan’ is referred by
some people, as a place where Hindus live. But
today many people take an exception to the word
and want to refer to it as ‘India’ only. According to
our Constitution, the name of our country is India,
i.e. Bharat. Hence, terms that are used in different
context, at different times take into account the
cultural, social and political conditions.

Though manuscripts provide a lot of useful

Mughal library

information to historians, yet the fast pace of
development during this period makes their job
quite tough. The movement of people in search
of opportunities resulted in exchange of ideas
regarding agriculture, weaving, food, etc. Many

old fort,delhi

ranks and differentiations emerged in the society. This was also a period of great technological
developments like the Persian wheel, spinning wheel, etc.
Excavation of medieval towns, sarais and villages

along with paintings, monuments, sculptures, coins and
inscriptions, also give us a lot of information about the
different aspects of the society and culture.