A History of the Mahrattas - Volume 1

First published in 1826, this three-volume history of the Marathi people was written by Scots army captain James Grant Duff, who served in India for many years. Volume 1 focuses on the general history of the Marathi, starting with the conquest of the Deccan and finishing in 1740.

One of the many famous 'administrator-historians' of India, James Grant Duff (1789–1858), Captain of the First Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry, first arrived in India as a cadet at the age of sixteen. Quickly mastering the Marathi, Urdu, and Persian languages, Duff became well known for his ability to cut through the cultural divide, and was regarded as a valuable resource for the East India Company's expansion of trade. His wide-ranging network of connections enabled him to obtain unrestricted access to state papers, documents and temple archives. Consequently, Duff's history is comprehensive and thorough; it served as the best history of its kind for decades. This first volume includes preliminary observations on geography, climate, people, religion, and early history of the Maratha country. Its fourteen chapters detail the general history from 1000 CE to 1740, starting with the Islamic conquest of the Deccan.