Routledge Indian Sufism since the Seventeenth Century - Deccan Saints & Empires

Indian Sufism since the Seventeenth Century examines the political and poetic dimensions of Sufi Islam through the lens of Islamic sainthood in the cosmopolitan Deccan region. Rather than treating Sufism as mystically detached from its surroundings, this Routledge study contextualises the spiritual traditions of Indian Islam within the wider cultural landscape of migrants, soldiers, litterateurs and princes. The book focuses on four Sufi saint shrines in the neglected Deccan and traces their evolving significance across different periods of rule, revealing how these sacred spaces functioned within broader systems of power, patronage and cultural exchange. This scholarly work bridges Islamic mysticism and Indian history, offering fresh perspectives on how Sufi communities shaped and were shaped by the political structures and social dynamics of their times.