| Editor | Bahadur Singh |
|---|---|
| Language | Persian |
| Subject | geography, history, science, art |
| Genre | non-fiction |
| Published | 1834 |
| Publication place | Mughal Empire |
Yadgar-i-Bahaduri (lit. 'The Memorial of Bahadur') is an IndianPersian languageencyclopaedia of history, geography, science and art. Edited by Bahadur Singh, it was completed in 1834 CE inLucknow.
Bahadur Singh was originally a resident of Gondiwalpargana inShahjahanabad (otherwise known asOld Delhi). He was the son of Hazari Mal, who belonged toBhatnagar clan of theKayasthacaste. He mentions that he was forced to leave Shahjahanbad due to circumstances, and arrived inLucknow in 1817, under "great distress". At that time, Lucknow was ruled byGhazi-ud-Din Haidar. At Lucknow, Bahadur Singh read severalHindi andPersian language works on history. He was inspired to write a connected history based on all these works. He finished the work on the first day ofRamazan in 1249A.H. (12 January 1834 CE).[1]
Bahadur Singh states that he has only copied content from other books, and organized it into an encyclopedia. But according toCharles Rieu he evidently added original content, especially on the later history ofAwadh andBengal.[2] The detailed account of theNawabs of Awadh, their families and their ministers is unique to this encyclopedia among other contemporary works.[3]
For some reason, Bahadur Singh strongly resentedKashmiri people. In his book, Singh describes rape and murder ofKashmiri Hindus by Muslims over the centuries. He states that underAurangzeb's rule, the total weight ofsacred threads collected from Hindus forcibly converted to Islam was 10seers. He further states that many of these later converted back to Hinduism. Singh's account does not aim to present Muslims as savages, rather to present Kashmiris as a group more degraded thanmlecchas because of their illegitimacy. He urges other people to not only avoid Kashmiris, but destroy them. According toChristopher Bayly, as a lowly clerk, he was envious of the success of his Kashmiri rivals.Henry Miers Elliot suggests that he might have lost a job to a Kashmiri.[3][4]
The encyclopedia is divided into 4 books (Sanihah), which are further sub-divided into chapters (dastan).[2][3]
Information onprophets fromAdam toMuhammad.
This book begins with an introduction (mukaddimah) of theOld World and theNew World.
The introduction is followed by 8 chapters (fasls):
Munshi Sadasukh Lal partially translatedYadgar-i-Bahaduri into English. This translation appears inHenry Miers Elliot'sHistory of India.[2]