Literature of Medieval India

Persian Literature under the Sultanate and the Mughals

The Basics

When the Turks established the Delhi Sultanate from the start of the thirteenth century, they brought Persian with them. Persian had already become the literary and administrative language of Central Asia from the tenth century onwards, so the new rulers adopted it rather than Arabic, which stayed confined to a narrow circle of Islamic scholars. Lahore became the first centre for cultivating Persian in India, and early poets such as Masud Sad Salman wrote with visible affection for the city.

Development of Urdu Language and Literature

The Basics

In the camps and bazaars of thirteenth and fourteenth century Delhi, people spoke many tongues. Turkish and Persian-speaking newcomers mixed daily with speakers of local dialects. The chief local dialect was Khari Boli, spoken around Delhi and Meerut. This everyday mixing gave birth to a new common speech, later called Urdu. The word Urdu comes from the Turkish "ordu", meaning army camp. In its early centuries this language was also called Hindavi or Dehlavi. It used Khari Boli grammar with a growing stock of Persian and Arabic words. It was written in the Persian script.

Hindi and Bhakti Poetry: Growth and Spread

The Basics

By the time of the Delhi Sultanate, Sanskrit had begun losing some of its old prestige. This happened partly because the Brahmans who guarded it lost political patronage under new rulers. Regional languages, already used for administration in many kingdoms, were ready to take on a literary role. Hindi-knowing revenue accountants are recorded even under the Delhi Sultanate. This shows Hindi was already in official use in north India.

Growth of Regional Languages and Literatures

The Basics

By the late Sultanate and through the Mughal period, Persian and Sanskrit still served as link languages for government and scholarship. Ordinary people, however, prayed and told stories in their own regional languages. Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Assamese and Rajasthani all matured as literary languages in this setting. Two forces drove this growth, as with Hindi: Bhakti devotion in the people's own speech, and patronage from local and regional rulers.

Sanskrit Scholarship in the Medieval Period

Note coming soon.

Historical Writing: the Tarikh Tradition and Akbarnama

The Basics

From the 13th century, Persian-knowing scholars at the Delhi Sultan's court began writing tarikh, meaning history or chronicle. These works recorded rulers' deeds and justified their rule. They were not neutral records. Written by officials close to the throne, they praised patrons and judged events through the values of the ruling elite.