Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, A.D. 1000–1800 c10.20

c10.20

All these factors contributed towards irreparable shrinkage of Indian population. Nor should the ravages of famine on population be ignored. Throughout the medieval times, droughts, pestilences and famines were a common feature of Indian economic life. During this period too famines claimed their toll of victims. Throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries famines continued to occur off and on. Besides wars which brought famines and pestilences in their wake, drought, inundation, failure of crops, devastation of rural areas, and consequent loss of labour for fields, locusts and similar other causes were also responsible for scarcity. But the chief determinant of good crop was rainfall; and rainfall in India has never been regular. Hence there were intermittent occurrences of famines.