Rakesh Kumar has obtained an MPhil and PhD in History from Delhi University, India. His area of specialisation is medieval Indian history, but his interest area goes beyond to cover studies dealing with the ancient and medieval world. He has written on several themes related to medieval Indian history such as ‘Nature of the Mughal State’, ‘Currency System during the Mughal Age’, ‘Art of Printing and Painting of Cloth during the Mughal Period’, ‘Ghalib’s Contribution towards Urdu Literature’, ‘Indo-Persian Literature-Works of Amir Khusrau’, ‘Labourers and Artisans in Seventeenth Century Ahmadabad’ to mention a few. His passion for teaching and caring for students has meant that most of his publications have been aimed towards benefitting the students. Present work is a move in a similar direction with a difference that while his earlier publications had readership primarily among students at Delhi University, this book, it is hoped, would benefit students and general readers at the pan-Indian and global level. His devotion towards teaching has earned him the ‘Teaching Excellence Award’ conferred by the University of Delhi on its Foundation Day, 1 May 2014. Dr Kumar’s MPhil dissertation is on ‘Labourers and Artisans in the City of Agra (16th–17th Centuries)’ and his PhD thesis is titled ‘Towns, Bazars, and the Working Population in the Ahmadabad Region during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries’.