The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c3.12

v4.c3.12

Personal names cause greater difficulty. Those of Hindus are usually derived from Sanskrit, but in the modern vernaculars have assumed differing forms, so that a single Sanskrit name may have even more spellings in its modern dress than “Philip” has in the languages of Europe, and a still larger number of pronunciations. While names of Muslims are more regular an additional complication arises from the use of titles, especially during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when we find a series of individuals each with the title of Khān Jahān or Fīrūz Jang, or on the other hand an individual bearing different titles in succession. In the text an attempt has been made to reduce confusion by using the appellation held for the longest period, while the index includes other titles and cross-references to them.