Printing science: Nawab Faḳhruddin Khan Shams-ul-Umara's epistemological interventions in princely Hyderabad

This paper examines the epistemological interventions of Nawab Fakhruddin Khan Shamsul Umara (henceforth NFKSU) in the field of science and knowledge production within princely state of Hyderabad. In the early nineteenth century, NFKSU established a printing press and an institute of learning, facilitating the translation of scientific works from English and French into Urdu. These texts encompassed diverse subjects such as astronomy, geography, and biology. Rather than passively adopting Western scientific paradigms, NFKSU actively engaged with them, integrating religious perspectives into the epistemological discourse and fostering a dynamic interplay between science/reason and religion/tradition. Drawing upon archival data, biographical sources, and secondary literature, this study contextualizes the development of science and technology within the socio-cultural and political landscape of princely Hyderabad.