Authority and legitimacy in medieval India: The Chisti Order in the Mughal Empire and Deccan sultanates, 16th--18th centuries

This thesis examines the popular authority of the Chishti Sufi Order in medieval India, and how the Order interacted with both the Mughal Empire and the 'Adil Shah i and Niz&dotbelow;am Shah i sultanates of the Deccan. As an Indianized Sufi Order, the Chishtis provided the Mughal emperors with a point of engagement with the non-elite population of medieval India. Through the bestowal of patronage to the Chishti Order, the Mughal rulers were able to bolster their political and spiritual authority and legitimacy. Within Deccan society, the 'Adil Shahi and Niz&dotbelow; am Shahi rulers were less interested in engaging with Indian society, and looked west to Persia for political and spiritual legitimacy. As a result, the Chishtiyya experienced far less state attention.