Life and Conditions of the People of Hindustan (1200–1550 A.D.) c8.3

c8.3

1. *Population.*—It is difficult to form any clear idea of the population of Hindustan during the period under review. No systematic record was ever kept by the government of the population of the kingdom. It is reported that once when Sultan Muhammad Tughluq decided to give relief to the people of Delhi, he ordered the judicial functionaries to compile census registers of the various quarters of the capital city. The results of even this solitary attempt are unknown. Further, we do not know if this was the usual procedure in the organization of relief, or if the operations extended to areas beyond the city of Delhi.¹ In the absence of official statistics, most of our attempts can be little different from speculation.