Amir Khusrau’s Contribution to Literature and Music
Medieval History › The Delhi Sultanate · Topic 2.13
Amir Khusrau (about 1252 to 1325), born at Patiali in western Uttar Pradesh, was the greatest Persian poet of the Delhi Sultanate. He served several sultans, created a Persian style called sabaq-i-hindi, praised India and Hindavi, and as a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya brought Perso-Arabic ragas and sama gatherings into Indian music.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · The Delhi Sultanate
At a Glance
- Lived About 1252 or 1253 to 1325
- Born at Patiali, near Badaun
- Title Tuti-i-Hind, Parrot of India
- Spiritual guide Nizamuddin Auliya of the Chishti order
- Style Khusrau; Barani, Afif, Isami Akbar Abul Fazl: Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari Memoirs Babur and Jahangir Poets Faizi, Utbi,…">Sabaq-i-hindi in Persian
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Medieval History: The Delhi Sultanate
Where Does It Fit?
This is the thirteenth topic of the category on the Delhi Sultanate. The previous topic covered science and law, and this topic follows the poet whose life ran across the Slave, Khalji and Tughlaq courts. The next topic covers the traveller Ibn Battuta. Previous topic: Scientific Knowledge and Legal System of the Delhi Sultanate.
Who Was Amir Khusrau?
In short: Amir Khusrau was the most notable Persian poet of the Delhi Sultanate and a musician who took pride in being an Indian.
He was born at Patiali near Badaun in about 1252 or 1253 to a Turkish father and an Indian-born mother. He served as court poet under several rulers: the family of Balban, Jalaluddin Khalji, Alauddin Khalji, Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah and Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq. He went with Alauddin on the Ranthambhor campaign and left a vivid description of the siege, including the first Persian account of jauhar. He wrote about the southern campaigns of Malik Kafur. In 1310 he became a disciple of the Chishti saint Nizamuddin Auliya and died soon after his teacher in 1325, to be buried in the same compound.
What Did He Write?
| Area | Detail |
|---|---|
| Languages | Mainly Persian, with some Hindavi and Punjabi |
| Forms | Experimented with all poetical forms; many divans, masnavis, historical romances; important for the ghazal |
| Major works | Khamsa-e-Khusrau (completed 1298), Qiran-us-Sa’dain, Nuh Sipihr, Duval Rani-Khizr Khan, Tuhfat us-Sighr, Ghurrat ul-Kamal |
| Style | A new Persian style called sabaq-i-hindi, the style of India |
| Doubtful works | The Hindi glossary Khaliq Bari is probably by a later poet of the same name; many Hindavi verses may be later |
Khusrau took pride in being Indian. He wrote that he praised India because it was the land of his birth and that love of country was an obligation, calling Hindustan like heaven, with a climate better than Khurasan and learned Brahmans as wise as Aristotle. He praised the Indian languages, including Hindavi, and noted that regional languages were used from ancient times for everyday life. His attitude shows that the Turkish ruling class no longer behaved as a foreign ruling class and that the ground was ready for cultural rapprochement.
How Did He Influence Music?
The Turks brought the rich Arab-Iranian musical tradition with instruments like the rabab and sarangi, and new modes. Systematic contact with Indian music began under the Sultanate. Khusrau was given the title nayak, master of the theory and practice of music. He introduced many Perso-Arabic airs or ragas, such as aiman, ghora and sanam, and took part in the sama, the religious musical gatherings organised by Nizamuddin Auliya. He is also credited with helping develop qawwali and the tarana, but the evidence for these is a matter of scholarly interpretation.
He is traditionally said to have invented the sitar, but there is no evidence for it. The tabla, also attributed to him, seems to have developed in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. Exam answers should call these attributions traditional and unproven.
What Is the Timeline of His Life?
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| About 1252 or 1253 | Born at Patiali near Badaun |
| Under Balban | Begins as court poet in the service of the Balban family |
| 1290 to 1320 | Serves the Khalji court; goes with Alauddin to Ranthambhor in 1301 |
| 1298 | Completes the Khamsa |
| 1310 | Becomes a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya |
| 1325 | Dies soon after Nizamuddin Auliya and is buried beside him |
The date of Ranthambhor and the early career are given as in the standard record, and the years of his youth are approximate.
Why Is He Important in the Cultural History of India?
As an analytical point, Khusrau stands at the meeting point of Persian court culture, Indian languages and Sufi devotion. He made Persian more Indian in style, gave Hindavi a prestige it lacked at court, and linked the musical traditions of Iran and India. His closeness to Nizamuddin Auliya, who accepted gifts even from the later usurper Khusrau Khan, shows the Chishti saints’ open attitude to rulers and people. Persian historians such as Barani, Afif and Isami wrote in the same cultural world.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Literary peak The most celebrated Persian poet of the Sultanate
- Synthesis Symbol of Indo-Persian cultural blending
- Music Link between Perso-Arabic and Indian traditions
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the traveller Ibn Battuta and his account of the Sultanate. Next topic: Ibn Battuta’s Account of the Delhi Sultanate Period.
Key People and Terms
- Sabaq-i-hindi Style of India in Persian poetry
- Hindavi Early Hindi
- Sama Sufi musical gathering
- Nayak Master of music
- Khamsa Set of five long poems
- Tuti-i-Hind Parrot of India
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Born at Patiali; died 1325.
- Disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya.
- Style: sabaq-i-hindi.
- Title: Tuti-i-Hind.
- Sitar and tabla credit is unproven.
Do Not Confuse With
- Amir Khusrau and Khusrau Khan The poet versus the Hindu convert who briefly became sultan
- Khusrau and Barani Poet-musician versus the historian
- Hindavi and modern Hindi Early form versus the modern standard
Memory Hook
Parrot of India, ragas from Persia, sama with the saint, sitar unproven.
Mains Angle
Questions on Khusrau ask about cultural synthesis. These points add depth.
- Literature Persian style of India and love of the land
- Music Perso-Arabic ragas and Sufi sama
- Caution Many attributions are later or uncertain
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Discuss the contribution of Amir Khusrau to the cultural synthesis of the Sultanate period.”
How to Answer
- Life Patrons and the Chishti link.
- Poetry Persian, sabaq-i-hindi, Hindavi.
- Music Ragas and sama.
- Caution Unproven attributions.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Amir Khusrau?
Amir Khusrau was a Persian poet and musician of the Delhi Sultanate, born about 1252 at Patiali near Badaun. He served many sultans, was a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya, and was called Tuti-i-Hind, the Parrot of India, for his poetry and love of the land.
What is sabaq-i-hindi?
Sabaq-i-hindi, the style of India, is the new Persian poetic style that Amir Khusrau created by experimenting with all forms of poetry. It reflected his pride in being an Indian and his use of Indian themes and expressions in Persian verse.
Did Amir Khusrau invent the sitar and tabla?
There is no evidence that he invented the sitar, though tradition says so. The tabla, also attributed to him, seems to have developed in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, so both are traditional claims that cannot be proved.
What was Amir Khusrau's relation with Nizamuddin Auliya?
Khusrau became a disciple of the Chishti saint Nizamuddin Auliya, took part in sama gatherings he organised, and died soon after his teacher in 1325. He was buried in the same compound as his pir in Delhi.
What did Khusrau write about India?
Khusrau praised India as the land of his birth, called Hindustan like heaven, praised its climate and learned Brahmans, and spoke well of Indian languages including Hindavi. His writing shows the growth of Indian pride among the Turkish ruling class.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Amir Khusrau was born at Patiali near Badaun.
He died in 1325.
2 Amir Khusrau was a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya.
He was buried in the same compound.
3 Amir Khusrau invented the tabla, according to firm historical evidence.
The attribution is unproven; the tabla developed much later.
4 Khusrau created the Persian style called sabaq-i-hindi.
It means the style of India.
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