ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the entanglement of the languages of warfare and religion in the making of the political structure of the Delhi Sultanate and argues how much of it could be properly understood if one looks at the processes dispassionately. It offers a critical overview of some key themes in Sultanate history and indicates the need to rethink some of the older propositions. The chapter presents a synthesis of existing literature and attempts to chart fresh vistas for understanding the complexities of religion and politics in the Delhi Sultanate. It discusses a dispassionate history of warfare and religion in the Delhi Sultanate, warfare and religion being two of the most contested terrains in Indian history. Escaping the wrath of the Tartars, Islam prospered in the Delhi Sultanate with the name of the caliph still being mentioned in the khutba and the sikka. A number of Sufi saints had also come to settle here.
