Indian Sufism since the Seventeenth Century

Indian Sufism since the Seventeenth Century

How have Sufi shrines and devotional practices in the Deccan region of India evolved under changing political regimes from the Mughals to the modern Indian state?

About the Book

Indian Sufism since the Seventeenth Century: Saints, Books and Empires in the Muslim Deccan, authored by Nile Green and published in 2006 by Routledge, examines the mystical traditions of Indian Islam through the lens of four Sufi shrines in the Deccan region. The book traces the changing roles of these shrines and their associated saints under Mughal rule, the independent state of Hyderabad under the Nizams, and after 1948 under the Indian nation. Using historical texts and anthropological fieldwork, Green explores the vibrant intellectual and cultural history of cities like Awrangabad, revealing how Sufism adapted to political transformations while maintaining its devotional core.

What You Will Discover

• The historical development of Sufi shrines and saints in the Deccan region
• The impact of Mughal, Nizam, and post-independence Indian rule on Sufi institutions
• The intellectual and cultural life centered around Sufi shrines in cities like Awrangabad
• The adaptation of devotional Islam to changing political and social contexts over three centuries
• The interplay between Sufi literature, saint veneration, and political power
• Anthropological and historical perspectives on the continuity and change in Indian Sufism
• The role of Sufism in shaping Muslim identity and practice in South Asia

About the Author

Nile Green is a historian of Islamic societies with a focus on Sufism and Muslim cultures in South Asia and beyond.

Who Is This Book For?

This book is suitable for students and researchers of Sufism, South Asian Islam, and religious history, as well as anyone interested in how mystical traditions adapt to political and cultural change.