Chapter 8
Sources & References
Every claim on this website is backed by documented historical sources. This page provides the complete bibliography, categorized and linked.
Every claim on this website is backed by documented historical sources. This page provides the complete bibliography, categorized and linked.
This website relies primarily on the following categories of evidence:
We have made every effort to rely on sources that are widely accepted by mainstream historians. Where interpretations differ, we note the debate.
These are the original historical texts that document Sikandar Lodi's reign. Many were written by Muslim historians who considered his acts praiseworthy.
Author: Abdullah
Date: Written c. 1610 CE, during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir
Coverage: Comprehensive history of the Lodi and Sur dynasties, from
Bahlul Lodi to Daud Khan Karrani
Significance: The most detailed primary source on Sikandar Lodi's reign.
Contains explicit descriptions of temple destructions at Mathura, the giving of idols
to butchers, bans on Hindu practices, and the establishment of Islamic institutions
on temple ruins. Written in Persian.
Availability: Translated extracts available in Sir Henry Elliot & John
Dowson,
The History of India as Told by its Own Historians, Vol. IV
Author: Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Ferishta
Date: c. 1606–1612 CE
Coverage: Comprehensive history of Islamic rule in India
Significance: Records Sikandar Lodi's "firm adherence to the Mahomedan
religion"
and his "passion for vandalising Hindu temples." Ferishta was a court historian of the
Bijapur Sultanate and generally sympathetic to Islamic rulers, making his documentation
of Sikandar's zealotry particularly significant.
Availability: Multiple translations available; referenced extensively in
academic literature
Author: Khvajah Ni'mat Allah b. Khvajah Habib Allah Haravi
Date: c. 1613–1630 CE
Coverage: History of Afghanistan with three dedicated sections on the Lodi
Sultans
Significance: Provides additional perspective on Lodi dynasty policies,
including
religious persecution. Contains historical narratives drawing from earlier works including
the Tabaqat-i-Akbari.
Availability: Key manuscripts held at University of Manchester John Rylands
Library
and other academic institutions
Author: Rizq Allah Mushtaqi
Date: 15th–16th century CE (contemporary accounts)
Coverage: Eyewitness accounts and stories of the Lodi and Sur dynasties
Significance: Mushtaqi was a Delhi-based historian whose patrons included
nobles
from the courts of Sultan Sikandar Lodi and Ibrahim Lodi. His work provides eyewitness
perspectives and firsthand documentation of the social conditions and religious policies
of the period. Contains the account of the Brahmin's execution.
Availability: Referenced in academic literature; key excerpts in
translation
Author: Major-General Sir Alexander Cunningham, Director-General of the
ASI
Date: 1882–1883 (Archaeological Survey of India, Report Vol. XX)
Coverage: Archaeological survey of temple sites in Eastern Rajputana,
including detailed documentation of destruction sites
Significance: Provides archaeological corroboration of the textual accounts
in
the Tarikh-i-Daudi. Cunningham was the founder and first Director-General of the
Archaeological Survey of India — his reports carry the weight of professional archaeological
investigation.
Availability: Available through the Archaeological Survey of India archives
and various digital libraries
Editors: Sir Henry Miers Elliot & John Dowson
Date: 1867–1877
Significance: The seminal English translation and compilation of Persian
historical texts relating to India. Contains translated extracts from the
Tarikh-i-Daudi, Tarikh-i-Ferishta, and other primary sources.
This work made medieval Islamic historical sources accessible to English-language
scholarship and remains a foundational reference.
Availability: Widely available in academic libraries; digitized versions
online
Author: Sita Ram Goel
Publisher: Voice of India
Date: 1990 (Vol. 1), 1991 (Vol. 2)
Significance: Comprehensive documentation of Hindu temple destruction
during
Islamic rule in India. Draws extensively on Islamic primary sources to document
temple destructions, including those by Sikandar Lodi. Volume 2 is subtitled
"The Islamic Evidence" — using the testimony of Muslim historians themselves.
Availability: Available in print and digital formats
Author: Arun Shourie
Publisher: ASA Publications / HarperCollins India
Date: 1998
Significance: Documents systematic historiographical bias in Indian
historical education, particularly the minimization of Islamic persecution.
Analyzes how textbooks and academic institutions have selectively presented history.
Availability: Widely available in print
Author: K.S. Lal
Date: 1973
Significance: Academic study documenting the demographic impact of
Islamic rule in India, including the effects of persecution, conversion,
and population displacement. Published by Research Publications.
Availability: Academic libraries and references
URL: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikandar_Lodi
Usage: Reference for basic biographical facts, timeline, and as a starting
point for primary source identification. Wikipedia's article on Sikandar Lodi itself
documents his temple destructions and religious persecution, citing primary sources.
URL: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikandar_Lodi's_Tomb
Usage: Architectural details of Sikandar Lodi's burial site, including
the ironic incorporation of Hindu architectural elements (chhatris) in the tomb of a
ruler who destroyed Hindu temples.
URL: ignca.gov.in
Usage: Reference for cultural heritage documentation and manuscript
catalogues.
The IGNCA's digital library contains references to texts discussed in this project.
URLs:
wikibharat.org,
reclaimtemples.com
Usage: Supplementary references for temple destruction documentation
and contemporary reclamation efforts. Cross-referenced with primary sources for
verification.
URL: historyunravelled.com
Usage: Historical analysis and documentation of temple destruction events,
with citations to primary sources.
This website is part of a broader educational initiative documenting the historically verified impact of medieval rulers on Indian civilization. Explore our sister projects for more.
The founder of the Lodi dynasty who established Afghan Sultanate rule in Delhi.
bahlullodi.com →The last Sultan of Delhi, whose defeat at Panipat ended the Lodi dynasty.
ibrahimlodi.com →The Mughal emperor known for widespread temple destruction and reimposition of Jizya.
aurangezebalamgir.com →The plunderer who raided India 17 times, destroying Somnath and looting vast wealth.
mahmudofghazni.com →The first Arab invader of the Indian subcontinent, who conquered Sindh in 712 CE.
muhammadbinqasim.com →The Ghurid Sultan who defeated Prithviraj Chauhan and established Islamic rule in India.
muhammadnaghori.com →The Mamluk general who built the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque atop destroyed Hindu temples.
qutbuddinaibak.com →The brutal Khilji Sultan who sacked Chittor, looted Devagiri, and crushed Hindu kingdoms.
alauddinkhilji.com →Founder of the Tughlaq dynasty who continued the Sultanate's policies of persecution.
ghiyasuddintuqhlaq.com →The eccentric Sultanate ruler known for disastrous experiments and forced relocations.
muhammadbinitughlaq.com →The Sultanate ruler who reimposed Jizya and destroyed temples as state policy.
firozshahtuqhlaq.com →Father of Mahmud of Ghazni, who initiated the Ghaznavid raids into India.
sabuktigin.com →The Sayyid dynasty ruler who preceded the Lodis in the Delhi Sultanate.
khwajajahansayyid.com →The last Mughal emperor — a poet and symbol of the dynasty's final chapter.
bahadurshahzafar.com →It is important to note that the most damning evidence against Sikandar Lodi comes from Muslim historians themselves. The Tarikh-i-Daudi, the Tarikh-i-Ferishta, and the Makhzan-i-Afghani were all written by Muslim authors who were, in many cases, sympathetic to Islamic rulers.
These historians did not record Sikandar Lodi's temple destructions as accusations — they recorded them as achievements. They did not frame his persecution as criticism — they framed it as piety. This makes their testimony particularly powerful: they are, in effect, confessions rather than accusations.
No serious historian disputes the basic facts documented in these sources. The debate is not about whether these events happened, but about how they should be interpreted and taught. This website takes the position that they should be taught honestly — as documented acts of religious persecution — rather than minimized, contextualized away, or omitted entirely.