LITERATURE IN MEDIEVAL INDIA

FOUNDATION OF INDIAN LITERATURES

Medieval Indian literature begins from the 7th century when Alwars and
Nayanmars, a group of devotional poets appeared in South India. These
devotional poets developed a literature completely different from classical
literature in Sanskrit and Tamil.

We can divide medieval age in Indian literature in two major phases:

● Early Medieval Indian Literature that was produced between 7th to 14th
century

● Late Medieval Indian Literature that was produced between 14th to 18th
century: This is the period in which literary giants such as Kabir, Guru
Nanak, Tulsidas, Sankaradeva, Sarala Das, Ezhuthachan, Potana,
Chandidas and Narasimha Mehta wrote.

Before we explore middle age in Indian literature, we must keep in mind that
India is a vast and diverse country, where multiple languages and dialects are
spoken, and varied literatures are produced. Hence, there are multitude of
linguistic, religious, political, cultural, and philosophical factors that have
shaped the literatures of the period co-existing throughout the country.

Despite a perpetual power struggle throughout the northern and southern

regions of the country, Medieval Indian Literature remained more or less
unaffected. There was no direct relationship between literary innovations and
political changes. Indian literature during the middle ages was more directly
impacted by patronage, linguistic, and religious scenarios. The literature
produced during the 7th - 14th century can be distinctly categorized as:

● Literature produced in royal courts. Works belonging to the medieval

period were written for the elite. Therefore, they were written in Sanskrit.
 The literature produced in royal courts was mostly recited and read.
Medieval Indian literature in Sanskrit was conditioned and controlled by
royal patrons.

● Literature produced under the patronage of religious groups, temples,

mathas, and monasteries. These works were written in languages
usually other than Sanskrit. This literature was mostly religious and was
meant to be sung to the masses. It was accompanied by musical
instruments and dance performances. Literature produced by Śaiva and
Vaishnava saints reflected their religious thoughts, while Jain and
Buddist monks used literature as an effective instrument to propagate
their respective religious ideas.

INDIAN LITERATURE

The literature produced on the Indian subcontinent is referred to as Indian

literature. The earliest works of Indian literature were passed down orally. The
Rig Veda is the foundation of Sanskrit literature. The Sanskrit epics Ramayana
and Mahabharata first appeared at the end of the first millennium BCE.
Classical Sanskrit literature, Tamil Sangam literature, and Pali literature
flourished in the first millennium CE. Kannada and Telugu literature first
appeared in the 9th and 11th centuries, respectively. Later, literature in Marathi,
Bengali, Hindi, Persian, and Urdu appeared.

The Gupta period, which lasted from 3 to 6 CE, is regarded as the golden age
of Indian literature. Later, with the invasion of Muslim invaders and the
establishment of the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal empire, Indian literature was
enriched with various currents of thought. During the colonial period, a new
type of literature known as nationalist literature emerged, which influenced
and motivated the people of India to fight for Indian independence.

Hindu Literature in Ancient India

 Contrary to popular belief, the Hindu literature in ancient Indian was not
limited to sacred texts such as the Vedas and Upanishads.There is a lot of
literature in Prakrit that is full of realism and moral values but does not have
religious connotations.The Vedas, which are sacred texts used in religious
rituals as well as in everyday situations, are the most popular set of works
from the ancient period.However, the literature in this period also includes
epics and lyrical works written in two major ancient languages: Sanskrit and
Prakrit.

Vedic Literature

The Vedas are India's oldest known works of literature.The Vedas were
written in Sanskrit and passed down orally from generation to
generation.Vedic literature consists of four Vedas: the Rig Veda, the Yajur
Veda, the Sama Veda, and the Atharva Veda.Each Veda is made up of the
Brahmanas, Upanishads, and Arayankas. Traji is the collective name for the
Rig Veda, Sama Veda, and Yajur Veda. Later, the Atharava Veda was included
in this group.

Pali and Prakrit Literature

Pali and Prakrit literature was written during the post-Vedic period, in
addition to Sanskrit.Prakrit is a term that refers to any language other than the
standard one, Sanskrit.Pali is a term that refers to an archaic or old form of
Prakrit that combines several existing dialects.These languages rose to
prominence when Buddhist and Jain religious literature was written in them.

Jain Literature

Apart from Prakrit and Ardha Magadhi, Jain Literature was also written in a
variety of other languages, depending on the era, region, and patrons who
supported them.During the Sangam Age in south India, they wrote in Tamil.
They also wrote in Sanskrit, Shauraseni, Gujarati, and Marathi, among other
languages.Since Mahavira's time, the Jain sacred literatures have been
preserved orally.The Jain council systematically organised these literatures
from time to time.The first systematization of Jain’s canonical literature
occurred in a council at Pataliputra (Patna) by the end of the 4th century B.C.,
followed by two more councils in the early 3rd century B.C. in Mathura and
Valabhi.The fourth and final Jain council met in 454 or 467 A.D. at Valabhi.The
Svetambara Jain scripture is said to have come from this council.

Sikh Literature

Sikhism is a relatively new religion that was founded in the 15th century and
is based on Guru Nanak's teachings.The Sikh Literature comprises of sacred
scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, which contains the beliefs and philosophies of
Sikhism.
Gurbani is a collection of hymns and compositions by Sikh Gurus and the
Guru Granth Sahib.The Punjabi language evolved from Savraseni Prakrit, also
known as Sauraseni Apabhransa, a broken form of Sanskrit.Punjabi, like
Brajabhasa and Rajasthani, has the same grammatical foundation.
However, there is no written record of Punjabi literature prior to Guru Nanak
(1469-1 538).The earliest text is the 'Adi Granth,' which was completed in 1604
by Guru Arjun Dev.

Dravidian Literature

Dravidian Literature contains works in four major Dravidian languages:

Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam.Tamil is thought to be the oldest of
these four languages, and it is said to be very close to Sanskrit, particularly in
terms of grammar and word borrowing.The classical works, or Sangam
literature, are the most well-known in Tamil.

Medieval Literature

Medieval literature has emerged from different trends during the medieval
period, influencing the languages and dialects that arose.Local differences in
Prakrit became more pronounced around 1000 A.D., which later became
known as Apabhramsa, and this resulted in the modern Indian languages
taking shape and being born.These languages took on different linguistic
characteristics as a result of their regional, linguistic, and ethnic
environments.The introduction of Persian as the language of the Delhi
Sultanate and Mughal courts was a significant change.During this time, Hindi
also evolved from the ancient apabhramsa language.

Modern Literature

The phase of Modern literature is also known as Adhunik kaal. It is a term

mostly used in Hindi. Although Hindi became one of the major languages in
Northern India, several other languages, such as Bengali, Odia, Assamese,
Rajasthani, Gujarati and so on also made their mark.

LITERATURES

Shruti literature
Rig veda, Yajurveda, Sam veda, Atharva veda, Brahmanas, Aranyakas,
Upanishads.

Smriti literature
Vedangas, Itihasa, Puranas, Upaveda

Sanskrit literature
Sulvasutras, Manusmriti

Buddhist literature
Tripitaka, Jatakas, Milinda panha, Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa, Mahavastu,
Buddha charita, Lalitavistara

Jain literature
Purvas, Agama, Bhadrabahu, Sthulibhadra, Vishaka, Acharanga Sutra,
Kalpa Sutra
Dravidian literature
Tamil: Sangam literature (agam and puram), Ettithokai, Pattupattu,
Tolkappiyam, Silappadikaram, Manimekalai, Periyapuranam,
KambaRamayanam,Malayalam: Kokasandisan, Bhasa kautilya, Ramacharitam,
Ezhuthachan, Telugu:Nannaya, Kannada: Mahavas Dharmanathapuran,
Kavirajamarga, Adipurana and Vikramarjuna Vijaya, Hadibadeya Dharma etc.