This collection of essays offers a comprehensive study of the impact of cultural life and intellectual thought on society in medieval India. The essays shift the foucs from the pre-occupation with battles and court politics that dominate the studies of the period and help us understand the complex social phenomena. Contributors include William C. Chittick, Ziya Uddin Desai, Peter Hardy, Afzal Husain, Iqtidar Husain Siddiqui among others.