Five Facets of Medieval India

The first chapter of the book is on Bhakti Movement in medieval India. Over the period of a few centuries, the Bhakti Movement started and grew all over Indian sub-continent and was sustained by active participation of common people. The path of Bhakti propagated by the famous Bhakt-saints provided to the people the means of attaining spiritual aspirations. This chapter tries to highlight the progress of Bhakti Movement in various parts of the country and the contributions of some famous Bhakt-saints. Emphasis has been given to showcase some of the far-reaching transformations that were brought about in the society as a direct result of the Bhakti Movement. The chapter on Temple Architecture shows some basic features of architecture of a Hindu temple. It also tries to highlight the thinking and philosophy that form the basis of temple architecture. The historical growth of size and scope of temples have been briefly touched upon. Short descriptions of few existing temples have been provided. The third chapter deals with various facets of Hindustani Music. Starting with evolution of music it goes on to describe Vedic music and the innovations of music during the medieval period. Subjects like Raga and Ragini, rhythm, Rasa are touched upon. Besides these, forms of various musical compositions, Ragamala- Dhyanmantram and Bhakti Sangeet are discussed. The fourth chapter is about Musical instruments. It begins with an outline of “History of music.” It is followed by classification of musical instruments. Details about string instruments, wind instruments, hide instruments and metal instruments are depicted in this chapter. Some comparisons are drawn about the instruments used for North and South Indian music. A glimpse of Instruments used for folk music and instruments used by tribals are also depicted. The fifth and last chapter gives a very vivid description of the economic condition of medieval India. It highlights the reign of various emperors in their respective times. The subjects like, social order in different classes, economy, land settlement and land revenue are discussed in great detail. Besides these, agriculture, market conditions, transport, communication, postal services and trade are also researched and presented in a systematic manner.