Karawansarais in Hindustan: Travel and Hospitality in Mughal India by Ravindra Kumar

Karawansarais in Hindustan: Travel and Hospitality in Mughal India

AUTHOR- Ravindra Kumar

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INFORMATION

  • AUTHOR : Ravindra Kumar
  • HB ISBN : 978-93-7179-202-8
  • Year : 2026
  • Extent : 262
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Karawansarais in Hindustan takes readers on a journey through the historic rest houses that once lined the trade routes of the subcontinent. More than mere shelters, these inns were centres of commerce, cultural exchange, and statecraft. Drawing on historical records, travellers’ accounts, and architectural remains, the book reveals their striking designs—fortified gateways, vast courtyards, and arcaded chambers—and the lives they hosted: merchants, pilgrims, nobles, and common travellers. Illustrated with photographs and maps, this work opens a window into a forgotten world of movement, encounter, and exchange, offering both scholars and general readers a vivid portrait of Hindustan’s vibrant karawansarais.

The Author

Ravindra Kumar retired as Professor of History from Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. He specializes in Indian art and architecture, heritage and cultural studies, and provenance and adaptation of archi-technology in medieval India. He has done extensive fieldwork along the Mughal trade routes, documenting extant structural remains of a variety of forms. His special interest has been the surviving karawansarais on these routes. He has also been a proponent of open and distance learning, stressing standardization of content and pedagogical formats to ensure equity across geography and socio-economic status.