Life in the Sultanate Period PDF

# Life in the Sultanate Period ## Get Set Read an interesting anecdote. Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq, the first ruler of the Tughluq Dynasty, disliked Khwaja Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Auliya, a famous saint. Once there were rumours that on returning from an expedition in Bengal, Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq would pe...

# Life in the Sultanate Period ## Get Set Read an interesting anecdote. Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq, the first ruler of the Tughluq Dynasty, disliked Khwaja Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Auliya, a famous saint. Once there were rumours that on returning from an expedition in Bengal, Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq would persecute Nizam-ud-din Auliya. When the followers of Nizam-ud-din expressed their concern, he said, 'Hunuz dilli dur ast (Delhi is still far away).' His prophecy came true. Ghiyas-ud-din died before reaching Delhi. The Delhi Sultanate marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of India. External influences combined with traditional Indian culture to shape the Society, religion and art of this period. ## Society There were four social groups in the Sultanate period. They were as follows: ### Aristocracy - It was the ruling class and hence very powerful. It consisted of the sultan, his family members, the nobles, the Hindu princes and the landholders. The sultan was the centre of power. The khutba was read in his name to acknowledge his position and power. - The Tughluqabad Fort had about 52 gateways. Within the fort were palaces, mosques and markets. ### Priests - The brahmans among the Hindus and the ulema among the Muslims looked after religious matters. They advised the sultan on important religious issues. ### Townspeople - Merchants, traders and artisans lived in towns. The goods made by artisans and craftsmen were sold both within and outside the country. ### Peasants - The peasants lived in villages. They had to pay many taxes. Most peasants were very poor and struggled to make their ends meet. A change of rulers or dynasties had little effect on their lifestyle. The caste system that prevailed among the Hindus was extremely rigid. Practices such as child marriage, sati, purdah, and taboo on widow remarriage continued. Girls were denied education. ## The Nobility The nobles were known as the iqtadars. They held grants of land, coming to be known as the iqta system. The nobles who held the iqta provided soldiers. They used this money to maintain their families and also pay salaries to the soldiers under them. In return, the soldiers supplied troops to the sultan whenever the need arose. When the sultan's rule weakened, most of these iqtadars behaved like independent rulers. ## Trade Trade was an important activity. Internal and external trade was carried on from Delhi, Lahore, Lakhnauti, Daulatabad and several other places. Every town had a market, where goods coming from near and far were bought and sold. The Chaniyag and the Multanis were the two communities involved in trade. Foreign trade also flourished. India traded with China, the Malaya Islands, West and Central Asia and East Africa. The exports from India included fine textiles, handicrafts and spices. The sultans of Delhi encouraged trade. They built roads, popularized the use of money, and standardized weights and measures. Sultan Iltutmish started the minting of the silver 'tanka'. ## Administration ### The Court The sultan was all-powerful. His court was ceremonial. Sijdah and paibos were performed before him. The sultan sat on a throne built on a raised platform. Princes, ministers, heads of different departments) and ambassadors from different countries were assigned fixed places to stand. Scribes recorded the orders of the sultan. - Diwani wizarat (concerned with finance) - Diwani risalat (concerned with religious matters) - Dewan-i-arz (concerned with military matters) - Dewan-i-insha (concerned with royal correspondence) ### Ministers The sultan selected nobles to head the different departments of the state. The wazir was the prime minister. He supervised the work of all officials, kept a record of revenue and expenditure, and appointed people to important posts. The qazi was the chief judge and the sultan's advisor on religious issues. The Chakshi was the paymaster of the army. The noble who held the overall charge of the army was called ariz-i-mumalik. He and his officers recruited, equipped and trained soldiers. ## Religion Two religious trends became popular during the Sultanate period. These were the Bhakti and the Sufi movements. You will read about them in Lesson 11. ## Cultural Developments ### Architecture The Turks and the Afghans introduced new styles and techniques of architecture. When fused with the existing Indian styles, they gave birth to the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. Palaces, mosques, forts and towers were constructed in this new style. **Features:** - The two main features used in the buildings of this period were the arch (later refined and called the true arch) and the dome. There was no longer the need to construct pillars to support the roof. Some buildings also used the minaret. - Most early structures were of red sandstone. Later, monuments were made of stone covered with plaster. They were decorated with flora and geometric designs. Verses from the holy Quran were also engraved on some. In many structures, motifs such as swastika, lotus and bell were used - The Slave and the Khalji sultans had more money to spend on architecture. Therefore, their buildings have more decorative carvings on them than those built by the Tughluqs, Sayyids and Lodis. **Monuments - Delhi Sultanate** The Delhi Sultans built many monuments: - Qutb-ud-din Aibak built the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque in Delhi and the Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra in Ajmer. - The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque built in 1193 was the first mosque to be raised in India by a ruling dynasty. It was not just a symbol of the might of Islam but also the might of a new political authority. - Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra is said to have been built in two-and-a-half days. - Qutb-ud-din Aibak also started the construction of the Qutb Minar and built the first storey. Iltutmish added three more storeys to it. The Qutb Minar (Go to page 35 to see the picture.) is a masterpiece of Indo-Islamic architecture. It is 72.5 metres high. It was built of red sandstone, some white marble was also been used. The minar is richly ornamented with calligraphic inscriptions and carvings. It was named after the famous Chishti saint Sheikh Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki. The Qutb Minar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. - Ala-ud-din Khalji also took a keen interest in architecture. He built the Alai Darwaza next to the Qutb Minar. It is made of red sandstone. The Alai Minar (Go to page 42 to see the picture.), an unfinished structure near Qutb Minar, is also said to have been built by Ala-ud-din Khalji. - The monuments of the Tughluq, Sayyid and the Lodi period include the: - Tughluqabad Fort - Firoz Shah Kotla - the Bara Gumbad and the Shish Gumbad - the tombs of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq, Firoz Shah Tughluq, Muhammad Shah Sayyid and Sikandar Lodi - the Khirki Masjid - Begumpuri Masjid - Jamali Kamali Masjid - Moth ki Masjid - numerous baolis - many more structures in and around Delhi. **Monuments - Regional Kingdoms** The Indo-Islamic style of architecture influenced the regional kingdoms as well: - Ahmad Shah of Gujarat founded Ahmadabad and decorated it with grand structures. The most famous among them is the Jami Masjid and the Sidi Sayyid Mosque, the latter being famous for its beautifully carved jali screens. - The rulers of Malwa built numerous structures in Mandu. Some of these are the Jama Masjid, the Hindola Mahal (Swinging Palace), the Asharfi Mahal, the Jahaz Mahal, and the tomb of Hushang Shah. - The Adina Masjid in Pandua and the Dakhil Darwaza in Gaur are the most impressive monuments of the Ilvas Shahi and the Husain Shahi rulers of Bengal. - In Jaunpur, Ibrahim Shah Sharqi built the Atala Masjid. You will read about these regional kingdoms in Lesson 7. ## Language Modern Indo-Aryan languages (mostly north Indian) started emerging in the ninth and tenth centuries. Odia and Bengali in the east, Marathi in the west, and Hindi and related languages in Central India started coming up around this time. They developed from Prakrit which in turn had developed from Sanskrit. The two forms of Hindi - Braj and Awadhi - became popular. Punjabi and Sindhi also grew in importance. Other regional languages that developed were Assamese, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil. The Puranas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata came to be translated in different regional languages. The Turks introduced Persian in India. It later, Persian and Hind fused to give birth to a new language, Urdu. Urdu means 'camp.' It was called the camp language because it evolved and developed in the camps of soldiers. Urdu developed as a link language, which was spoken and understood by all. ## Literature The literature of the period consisted of translations (as well as original works). Many Sanskrit works were translated into regional languages as well as into Persian and Arabic. Famous original works include that of Amir Khusraw in Persian, rinaadhas Haravilasa) in Telugu, Malik Muhammad Jayasis Padmavat in Awadhi, and the poems of Vidyapati in Maithili. ## Painting Painting was an important art-form during the medieval period. Palaces and temples were decorated with murals. Kings and other rich people patronized painters. From the Sultanate period onwards, painting depended entirely on royal patronage. The art of painting miniatures began to develop during this period. Kings and nobles employed artists to decorate and illustrate books. The court painters made portraits of rulers. ## Music With the coming of the Turks, music prospered. There was a fusion of Persian, Arabic, and Indian musical forms, resulting in the creation of a new style of music. The Sultanate period. The Turks introduced new musical instruments such as the rabab and the sarangil. Amir Khusraw was a famous poet and musician. He combined Persian and Indian musical forms, resulting in the creation of new ragas. He also popularized a new form of music called qawwali. He was a friend and disciple of Khwaja Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Auliya and participated in musical gatherings at his khanqah. Firoz shah Tughluq was a patron of music. The musical work Rag-darpan was translated into Persian during his reign. Lahjat-i-Sikandar Shahi, a work on different forms of music, was written during the reign of Sikandar Lodi. ### Devotional Music The Bhakti and Sufi saints popularized group singing. The Sufis organized musical gatherings in which both commoners and skilled musicians participated. Bhakti saints also used devotional music to spread their message. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Mirabai expressed their bhakti through devotional songs. Mardana, a disciple of Guru Nanak, also popularized devotional singing. ### The Regional Kingdoms The rulers of Jaunpur and Gwalior were great patrons of music. Two works on music, Ghunyal-ul-Munyas and Sangeet Siromani were compiled in Jaunpur. Sultan Husain Shah Sharqi of Jaunpur took great interest in music. He is believed to have created many new ragas. Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior was also fond of music. He wrote a book on music, Man Kautuhal (Curiosities of Raja Man). A distinctive style of music developed in the kingdom of Kashmir. Music also prospered in Gujarat and Malwa. Thus, the period of the Delhi Sultanate witnessed the development of a composite culture in India. This trend was replicated in the regional kingdoms that emerged during this period. ## More To Know - Iltutmish built the Gandhak ki Baoli to tide over the water shortage. It was the first step-well in the dry Delhi region. He also laid the foundation of a large tank called Hauz-i-Shamsi in Mehrauli. ## New Words - anecdote - a short, interesting story about a person's life - dargah - tomb of a saint - khutba - a sermon read in the name of the king, emphasizing his right to rule - true arch - a curved structure not supported by beams but by stones, placed at an angle - dome - a large, semi-circular roof - minaret - a tall, slim tower usually tapering in shape - geometric designs - circles, triangles, lines-like figures you study in geometry - mural - a painting or some other work of art done directly on a wall - miniature - a very small detailed painting - raga - a traditional melody pattern that forms the basis of composition - khanqah - Sufi saints lived here