Descended from the Kakatiya and Vijayanagar kingdoms a discreet group of Hindu kings flourished in what is now modernday Telangana. Surviving into the colonial era these samasthan kingdoms found new and creative ways to survive in the Nizam’s Dominions while simultaneously negotiating with the British powers situated at Hyderabad Madras and beyond. Rejecting simplified notions of ‘civilizational clashes’ this book argues for a new perspective on power relations in nineteenth and twentiethcentury Hyderabad State. A classic in Hyderabad history this new Indian reprint edition now makes this chapter of Hyderabad Telangana and Deccan history readily available. About the Author Benjamin B. Cohen is a Professor of History at the University of Utah USA. He is author of three books most recently An Appeal to the Ladies of Hyderabad
