Question

Why did the authors of tawarikh write their histories for Sultans?

Answer 1

Hint: A tawarikh is a chronicle which are valuable sources of information which were written in Persian, the administrative language of Delhi Sultanate.

Complete answer: The Delhi Sultanate was known for its architecture, inscriptions, coins and tawarikh(histories are written in Persian) The authors of tawarikh were learned men, secretaries, administrators, poets and courtiers who wrote about things and events which took place in the Delhi Sultanate. They mostly wrote about all the good things and nice things, so that they could get rewards from the sultans. The authors of tawarikh mainly lived in cities and hardly resided in villages. These authors also advised rulers on gender rights. Their ideas were not shared by everybody. They also advised rulers on governance emphasizing the importance of the just rule.
Actually, these authors were appointed by the Sultans to write about their political careers.
There were four stages of tawarikh writing;
At the first stage, a paper was prepared.
In the second stage, the text was written.
In the third stage, the important words and paragraphs are highlighted with gold.
The last step involves binding the texts.
There was an author of tawarikh called Minhaj-i-Siraj who wrote about gender differences; in 1236, Iltutmish’s daughter, Raziya became the sultan of Delhi. Minhaj-i-Siraj knew that she was more able and qualified than all her brothers, but he thought that the queen's rule was against the social order created by God. A woman should be inferior to man.

Note: The Tawarikh were written to keep records of the merits and achievements of the sultans, the authors in return of the chronicles used to get high rewards from the sultans.