Assessing the Role of Religion in the Political Relation of India with Turkey – 16th to 18th Century Sonker Amita Assistant Professor, Department of Western History, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, Email id: amitasonker79@gmail.com Online Published on 29 June, 2023. Abstract India has shared political, economic and cultural relations with neighbouring and far off countries from ancient times. Turkey lies on the west of India. Both countries shared commercial relation but the political and diplomatic alliance was not formed. Turkey was consolidated under the Ottoman dynasty as an empire in late thirteenth century. In India Muslim domination was established from thirteenth century with founding of Sultanate period. Mughal dynasty was established in mid sixteenth century. The Ottomans were approached by the Indian rulers on religious basis from sixteenth century when they acquired the title of Khalifa. This research paper focuses on how the political and diplomatic relations between the Indian rulers majorly the Mughals, the rulers of South India like Tipu Sultan and others, and the Ottomans in sixteenth to eighteenth century were formed, has religion affected these relations, whether they shared amicable relation with each other due to similar religion. Besides how far the pragmatism in politics played role in these political and diplomatic relation has been discussed in this research article. Top Keywords Religion, Khalifa, Supremacy, Politics, India, Mughal, Turkey, Ottoman. Top |