Muslim–Hindu Relations in the Delhi Sultanate: A Socio-Political Analysis

Authors : Yalçin Kayalı

Pages : 169-191

Doi:10.33718/tid.1774119

View : 86 | Download : 1255

Publication Date : 2025-11-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This article examines Muslim–Hindu relations during the Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526) both within the framework of South Asian historiography and Area Studies, offering its original contribution through a reinterpretation of intercommunal encounters that transcends static religious categories by combining socio-political theory with critical source analysis. The Delhi Sultanate is approached not merely as a period of conquest or cultural accommodation, but as a multifaceted era in which political negotiations, social hierarchies, temple desecrations, cultural exchanges, and identity negotiations were deeply intertwined. This era represented the first enduring Muslim political presence in northern India, transforming not only administrative and military institutions but also everyday social interactions and religiously infused cultural practices. The article employs a historical-analytical method, drawing on chronicles, inscriptions, travelers’ accounts, and secondary literature, while critically engaging with historiographical debates ranging from conquest-centered narratives to interpretations of cultural synthesis. It further underscores the necessity of a close reading of Muslim court historians’ legitimacy-focused accounts alongside the ideological framings of indigenous Hindu sources. Findings suggest that patterns of conflict intensified during periods of political instability, whereas phases of stable governance expanded opportunities for coexistence and cultural interaction. In conclusion, the Delhi Sultanate must be evaluated not solely as a political regime but as a formative “contact zone” in which identities and practices of coexistence were shaped. Indeed, this process not only ensured the entrenchment of Islam in the Indian subcontinent during the period in question, but also left behind a lasting legacy that continues to directly shape the religion-based political dynamics of contemporary India.
Keywords : Hindoloji, Delhi Sultanlığı, Hindu–Müslüman ilişkileri, Kültürlerarası etkileşim, Güney Asya

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