The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli c7.8

c7.8

About three centuries later, the Ghaznavids established their rule in the Panjāb, the importance of which, from the administrative point of view, has not been properly assessed. The main reason is the lack of relevant material. If only Baihaqī's magnum opus, the Tārīkh-i-āl-i-Sabuktigīn had survived in its entirety, our knowledge about the Ghaznavid administration would have been much fuller. There can, however, be little doubt that the sultans of Dehlī inherited the experience gained by the dynasty of Sabuktigīn from two centuries of rule in India. This view is confirmed by the existence of parallel and sometimes identical institutions under the sultanates of Ghaznah and Dehlī. It will be a great mistake to isolate these sultanates from the rest of the Muslim world for the purpose of examining their institutions. When the Caliphate was strong, even distant provinces were under effective control, and the Abbasid tradition had become deeply rooted throughout the caliph's dominions. This tradition was handed down to the Ghaznavids through their original overlords, the Samanids. Besides, a particular kind of statecraft had sprung up in these succession states; this uniformity was due to the essential unity of Muslim culture, the universality of Muslim law and the mobility of Muslim men of genius.² In their treatment of the Hindus, the Ghaznavids followed in the footsteps of the Arab conquerors of Sind. Notable generals and reliable contingents provided by the conquered race fought in wars waged by Maḥmūd and his successors; Hindu chiefs and their tribute figure conspicuously in the chronicles; the revenue administration of the Panjāb must have employed considerable native talent.