Bengal Nawabs

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This work was first published by the Asiatic Society in 1952. It was reprinted in 1985. This is the Second reprint of this valuable work.

Sir Jadunath Sarkar prepared a scheme in 1945 for the publication of a work by the society to commemorate the 200th birth year of sir William Jones in 1946. Dr. Meghnad Saha, President of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1945, endorsed his proposal. This was the society’s tribute to its founder. Bengal Nawabs published under Sir William Jones Bicentenary Series contains Azad-al-Husaini’s Nawbahar-i-Murshid Quli Khani Karam Ali’s Muzaffarnamah and Yusuf Ali’s Ahwal-i-Mahabat Jang. These Persian Sarkar these are original sources of Bengal Bihar History during the muslim rules. Needless to point out here that this work is essential for studying the political scenario of Bengal and Bihar in the eighteenth century.

I am confident that this third edition will also draw the attention of the scholarly world.

The doyen of historians in India and a giant among historical researchers Sir Jadunath Sarkar suggested to Dr. Meghnad Saha, the then President of the Asiatic Society, that the most befitting thing to celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of Sir William Jones in 1946 would be the publication of some source-materials of history relating to the Nawabs of Bengal who ruled before and after the advent of the British, lying buried in Persian manuscripts written by Azad-al-Husaini, Karam ‘Ali and Yusuf 'Ali Not stopping at just suggesting the idea, Sir Jadunath, characteristically, offered to assemble the material translated into English by himself, for the first volume of the project entitled Bengal Nawabs.

Published in 1952 Bengal Nawabs has since been a veritable treasure trove to scholars and historians. The book, after remaining out of print for sometime, is being published again by the Asiatic Society and it is only fitting that this new edition forms a part of our publications synchronizing with the bi—centenary programmes of the Society itself which was the dearest brain—child of Sir William Jones.

A new spurt of activities of the Society has begun after it was declared an “Institution of National Importance" by the Government of India at the instance of the late Prime Minister Shrimati Indira Gandhi who was, in fact, the architect of this new phase of the Society ushering in its third century of existence. One of the most important activities of the Society is, and will be, research and research publication. We hope that the re-publication of Bengal Nawibs will be followed by similar other publications in a series. We want to uphold and enhance the glory of the Asiatic Society and will devote all efforts to make its publication a source of its perennial pride.

The members of the staff of our Publication Section deserve special thanks for the renewed vigor and awareness with which they have worked.