LIFE UNDER

DELHI SULTANATE

INTRODUCTION• The Delhi Sultanate were the Persian-speaking

dynasties, of Turkic and Afghan origin, which were controlling India from 1210 to 1526. Many of these dynasties ruled from Delhi. This includes the Slave dynasty (1206-90), the Khilji dynasty (1290-1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320-1413), the Sayyid dynasty(1414-51), and the Lodi dynasty (1451-1526).

• Later on, after India fell to the Mughals, there was again a brief period when Humayun, son of the Mughal Babur and father of Akbar the Great, was deposed by the Pathan Suri dynasty who enjoyed a short rule then, before Humayun was reinstated in 1555.

priests

This group was reserved for learned people like the Brahmanas, Maulvis, Qazis and the Ulema. These citizens were considered superior to the town dwellers and peasants and they used to dedicate their lives to their respective religions studying holy books and worshipping God. The brahmanas were greatly honoured and many Turks like Al Beruni interacted with them extremely closely. The Ulema became very powerful and were very important in the court.In many cases like Firoze Shah’s, the Ulema became so powerful that they became the virtual rulers and the sultans became powerless.Therefore,many Sultans adopted measures to keep the power of the Ulema under control.

Sometimes the Ulema did not accept a new measure or policy which the Sultan had decided to implement.Most of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq’s plans were dropped simply because the Ulema did not agree with them.

ARISTOCRACY

This was the ruling class. It consisted of the sultan, the nobles, the Hindu rajas and princes, and the landlords. This was the most powerful social group because they had wealth & power. They enjoyed a lavish lifestyle.

TOWN DWELLERS

• The t own dwel l er s consist ed of ar t isans, c r af t speopl e, mer chant s, sl aves and domest ic ser vant s . Occupat ions wer e mor e or l ess her edit ar y among t he Hindu and Musl im c r af t speopl e. The Mer chant s wer e P r osper ous

Peasant s

• The l if e of t he peasant s was one of har d wor k, dr udger y and pover t y. They suff er ed gr eat l y dur ing t he r eign of Muhammad Bin Tughl aq but t heir condit ion impr oved and t hey enj oyed many benefi t s dur ing F ir oze Shah’s r eign. The t ax paid by t he peasant s was t he chief sour ce of r evenue f or t he gover nment

. The Sultanate period brought to India new styles of art and architecture which were soon absorbed into the existing set up. A number of factors were responsible for events to move in such a direction. The existing Indian styles and the new ideas had many common features, which allowed them to adapt to one another. For instance both the temple and mosque had large open courtyards. Also many temples were converted in mosques by the foreign invaders, and this created a blend of Indian as well as foreign styles.

ART & ARCHITECHTURE OF DELHI SULTANATE

The Sultanate introduced two new architectural ideas, the dome and the pointed arch. The dome was an important decorative structure in Islamic buildings, and soon was implemented in other structures as well. The pointed or true arch that was introduced during this period, was completely different from the type of arches that were being constructed within the country earlier. EXAMPLELike Alai darwaza,Qutub minar,Fort of tughlaqbad

new musical instrumentThe history of musical instruments dates to the beginnings of human culture. Early musical instruments may have used for ritual: such as a trumpet to signal success on the hunt, or a drum in a religious ceremony. Cultures eventually developed composition and performance of melodies for entertainment. Musical instruments evolved in step with changing applications.The oldest object that some scholars refer to as a musical instrument, a simple flute, dates back as far as 67,000 years. Many early musical instruments were made from animal skins, bone, wood, and other non-durable materials.Instruments can be classified by their effective range, their material composition, their size, etc.

AMIR KHUSRAUAbul Hasan Yamin ud-Din Khusrau was a musician, great poet and scholar. A polymath an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent. A mystic and a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi. Amir Khusrau was not only a notable poet but also a prolific and seminal musician in the time of the Delhi Sultanate, being reputed to have invented both the Sitar and the Tabla. He wrote poetry primarily in Persian, but also in Hindavi. A vocabulary in verse, the Ḳhāliq Bari, containing Arabic, Persian, and Hindavi terms is often attributed to him.He is regarded as the "father of Qawwali". Introduced the Ghazal style of song into India. These traditions have been kept very much alive in India and Pakistan to this day. He is also credited with enriching Indian classical music by introducing Persian, Arabic and Turkish elements into it and was the originator of the khayal and tarana styles of music.

KATHAK DANCE OF THE DELHI SULTANATE

Kathak is a dance form in which a storyteller narrates story. In Hindu rules its proffession as a group of storytellers performing shringar dance to a stuti in praise of the Almighty in the temples.

The characteristic pose of this dance is where right arm is raised above the head ready to receive God’s beneficence and left arm stretched out at chest level. Upon which his eyes are fastened is turned towards the Earth .Kathak largely followed the Sambhanga during Muslim rule.

From 11th century onwards that with the

establishment of muslim rule largely from Delhi that the relationship and influences on the kathak in all the four aspects of abhinaya ,the angika, the vacika,the aharya and the sattvika.

By the 10th century yearning of the

individual soul for Almighty symbolised by Radha yearning for Krishna became subject of enactment in kathak.

A new set of mudras depicting the ghunghat crept into the dance form . Modern kathak is a combination of Hindu themes with Persian costumes.

PAINTINGS

The Sultans of the Delhi Sultanate patronized Architecture, Art, Dance and

Music. However, Painting did not receive a boost. The Sultans did not take any interest

in the wonderful North Indian paintings. Painting came at its dead end but

fortunately, the Rajputs revived its legacy. The Rajputs patronized and encouraged artists and soon they let their style of

miniature painting continue.

Miniatures were the preferred medium of Rajput painting, but

several manuscripts also contain Rajput paintings, and paintings were even done on the walls of palaces,

inner chambers of the forts, havelies, particularly,

the havelis ofShekhawati.The colours extracted from certain

minerals, plant sources, conch shells, and were even derived by

processing precious stones, gold and silver were used. The preparation of

desired colours was a lengthy process.

Miniatures

OTHER CULTURAL CHANGES

FOOD

• New types of food such as biryani , bread and wine became a part of Indian cuisine. Sultanate rulers were very fond of food. Thy hired the best chefs around the world.

DRESS• Hindus and Muslims wore pyjamas-

kurtas , kaftans ,salwar- kameez and continue doing so to this day .

• Materials like silk and brocade were used to make dresses and were very valuable.

REPLACEMENT OF SANSKRIT BY PERSIAN

• The establishment of the Turkish rule in India led to the replacement of Sanskrit by Persian as the official language in many regions.

• Although the Hindu kings patronized Sanskrit ,its days of glory were numbered. Verses from the Koran were engraved on some buildings .