M.A.

INTEGRATED HISTORY: CULTURAL HERITAGE

School of Social Sciences
Cluster University of Jammu

Course: M.A Integrated History Sem. 4th

Course code: 4HISTC0402
Subject: DSC-9-Cultural History of Delhi Sultanate
Teacher Concerned: Dr. Nitin Chandel
Topic: Growth of Literature
Sub-Topic: Persian Literature

OBJECTIVES
 To discuss about the introduction and growth of Persian language and
literature in India.
 To analyze the nature of cultural and literary synthesis achieved in
Delhi sultanate period.
 To give a brief idea of main Persian sources during Delhi Sultanate.

MODULE FIRST- PERSIAN LITERATURE

INTRODUCTION: A new language, Persian was introduced in India

during the period of Ghaznavi rule in the Punjab. There was remarkable
growth in Persian literature in Iran and Central Asia from the tenth century
onwards. Some of the great poets of Persian language such as Firdausi and
Sadi, composed their works during this phase of growth of Persian literature
in Iran and Central Asia. Lahore which was the centre of Turkish political
authority in India before the beginning of the 13th century fascinated many
Persian poets from the Islamic countries of Iran and Central Asia. The works
of only a few of the early writers of Persian literature in India have survived.
One of them was a poet Masud Sad Salman in 1131A.D, whose
compositions reflect a sense of attachment for Lahore. It was after the
establishment of the Delhi Sultanate that Indian influence began to exert
itself on Persian works written in India as is evident from the literary
compositions of Amir Khusrau.
Historical Works in Persian: Many historians wrote the story of the
Sultanate period in Persian language. The most important of these:
 Tahquiq-i-Hind (11th century A.D.) Written by Al-Beruni who
accompanied Mahmud Ghazni provides valuable account regarding
affairs of India in the 11th century. Al-Biruni was a pioneer in the
study of comparative religion. He studied Zoroastrianism, Judaism,
Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and other religions. He
treated religions objectively, striving to understand them on their own
terms rather than trying to prove them wrong.
 Taj-ul-Maasir (13th century) written by Hasan Nizami dealing with
the events of the Slave Dynasty. Tajul Maasir first official history of
the Delhi Sultanate. Written in Persian by Sadruddin Hasan Nizami, it
is the earliest among the historical literature produced in India.
 Tarikh-Firoz Shahi (14th century) written by Zia-ud-Barani giving
information about the Tughlaq Dynasty. It is the finest specimen of
Indo-Persian historiography produced during the Sultanate period in
India. Written by Zia-ud-Din Barani during the reign of Sultan Firoz
Shah Tughlaq, it was completed in 1357 CE and was dedicated to the
reigning monarch. Barani wrote another book, Fatwa-i-Jahandari
which deals with political theory. The Fatwa-i-Jahandari is a work
containing the political ideals to be pursued by a Muslim ruler in order
to earn religious merit and the gratitude of his subjects
 Tarikh-i-Ferishta (16th century) written by Ferishta. It is a general
history of India, largely based upon earlier Persian historical works.
This book provides information on the advent of Muslims and also
described the organized resistance against the invaders from
Afghanistan.
 Tabaqat-i Nasiri, is an elaborate history of the Islamic world written
in Persian by Minhaj-i-Siraj Juzjani and completed in 1260. It throws
light on the nature and character of Muslim aristocracy, civil
administration and organisation of the court of the sultans with special
reference to the part played by the Turkish nobility.
  Futuh-us Salatin- Abdul Malik Isami was a 14th-century Indian
historian and court poet. He wrote in Persian language, under the
patronage of Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, the founder of the Bahmani
Sultanate. He is best known for Futuh-us-Salatin (1350), a poetic
history of the Muslim conquest of India. This book mentions the reign
of Firuz Tughlaq and constitutes the most accurate and authentic
account of his times.
 Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi- Yahya bin Ahmad Sirhindi was a 15th
century Indian chronicler who wrote Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi, a
Persian language chronicle of the Delhi Sultanate. Written during the
reign of Mubarak Shah, his work is an important source of
information for the Sayyid dynasty. The book begins with the rise of
the Ghori dynasty and the conquest of northern India by the Turks.

Sufi Literature in Persian: During this period, large amount of religious

and philosophical literature was produced in Persian. The Sufi literature
written in Persian is of great value both from religious and literary points of
view. A distinctive genre of Persian literature emerged in the form of
malfuzat (conversations or discourses of the leading Sufi masters of the
period). The malfuzat also contained didactic poetry and anecdotes. Amir
Hasan Sijzi wrote the malfuzat of the famous Chishti Sufi master, Shaikh
Nizamuddin Auliya. The work is known as Fawaid-ul Fu’ad. Several
malfuzat were also produced as a result of the increasing popular demand or
the details regarding the life, teachings and miracles of the various Sufis.
Mir Khwurd’s Siyaru-ul Auliya is the earliest known biographical
dictionary of Sufis written in India. Khair-ul-Miajah’s is the malfuzat of
Shaikh Nasiruddin Mahmud (Chiragh Delhi). These works often reflect
social and economic realities of & the times, apart from spiritual matters.

Contribution of Amir Khusrau: The reign of the Khiljis was a glorious

period from the viewpoint of growth of Persian literature in India. The most
outstanding of the Persian scholars and poets of the period was Abul Hasan,
usually known by this pseudonym of Amir Khusrau. Later, in the Mughal
period, the historian Badauni, and contemporary of Akbar praised Amir
Khusrau’s contribution to Persian literature. Amir Khusrau (1253-1325) was
one of those few Indian writers of Persian poetry whose works have been
read and admired beyond their own country. His works represent the
beginning of a new trend in Indian-based Persian literature - the trend of the
growing familiarity with Indian literature and influence of Indian literature
on Persian writings in India. Amir Khusrau was the Indian born son of a
Turkish immigrant. He began his career as a courtier and poet during the
reign of Sultan Balban. He became a disciple of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya,
the famous Sufi saint of the Chishti order. He was the court-poet during the
reigns of Jalaluddin Khilji and Alauddin Khilji. Later, Sultan Ghiyasuddin
Tughluq also patronized him. He lived through the reigns of six Sultans r of
Delhi and was connected with their courts. Amir Khusrau was a prolific and
versatile writer and is said to have composed half a million verses and
ninety-nine works on different themes. His poetry consisted of a great
variety of forms - lyric, ode, epic, and elegy. Thus he created a new style of
Persian which came to be known as Sabaq-i Hindi or the Indian style. Some
of the works composed by Amir Khusrau have been lost. Five literary
masterpieces composed by him are Kutla-ul-Anwar, Shirin Khusrau,
Laila Majnun, Ayina-i Sikmdari and Hasht /Bihisht. He dedicated all of
them to Alauddin Khalji. His five diwans (collection of compositions called
ghazals) include Tuhfat-us-Sighar, wast-ul-Hayat, Ghurrat-ul-Kamal,
Baqiya Naqiya and Nihayat-ul Kamal. These compositions show the great
lyrical talent of his poetry. Amir Khusrau also wrote historical masnavis
(narrative poems) which have great literary and historical value. In Qiran-us
Saadain, Amir Khusrau describes the quarrel and reconciliation btw Sultan
Kaiqubad and his father Bughra Khan.
Miftah-ul Futuh deals with the military successes of Sultan Jalauddin
Khilji. Ashiqa is the story of romantic love between Khizr Khan, the eldest
son of sultan Alauddin Khalji and Deval Rani, daughter of Rai Karan, the
Raja of Gujarat. In Nuh Sipr (Tbe Nine Skies) he gives poetical description
of Sultan Qutubuddin Mubarak Khilj’'s reign. This work also contains
references to contemporary social and religious conditions. The Tughluq
Nama describes Ghiyasuddin Tughluq’s rise to power. Another historical
work written by Amir Khusrau is Khazain-ul Futuh in which he gives an
account of Alauddin Khilji’s conquests in the South.
These all works were written in Persian and later all major works were
written in Persian. The Mughals even followed the same language and
regional kingdoms also followed the Persian language.