The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli c13.62

c13.62

Fīrūz, who once again brought peace and prosperity to the remaining part of the empire, devoted himself to repairing old colleges and establishing new ones. He put these institutions on a firm basis by making new grants of land and renewing old endowments.⁶ He also granted land to scholars and teachers; aid was given to poor students.⁷ Fīrūz Shāh had some Sanskrit books translated into Persian; a work on physics was named *Kitāb-i-Fīrūzshāhī*.⁸ Fīrūz Shāh himself was a learned lawyer, a student of anatomy and a successful physician. He compiled a book on medicine called *Ṭibb-i-Fīrūzshāhī*.⁹ He was also interested in astronomy: he built an observatory, improved the instruments and drew up new tables.¹ The restoration of peace revived confidence and there was a fresh stream of distinguished immigrants.² He was not so fortunate in poets, only a second rate poet Zāhir sang in praise of the new monarch.³ The new cultural centre at Jaunpūr, of Fīrūz Shāh’s creation, kept the torch burning during the days of anarchy.⁴ It is difficult to assess the extent of the loss sustained by the culture of the sultanate as the result of Tīmūr’s invasion; for the student of cultural history the centre of interest shifts from Dehlī to the provincial capitals until the establishment of the Lodī dynasty.⁵