ASKiIMAN™ MEDIEVAL / HISTORY
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Languages & Literature

Realm 97: The Persian Court, The Camp Language, and the Vernacular Bloom

WORLD N — RELIGION, ARTS & CULTURE

MICRO-REALM 01

Persian as Lingua Franca

  • Language of administration, court, and diplomacy.
  • Introduced by Turks; elevated by Mughals (Akbar).
  • Replaced local languages in official records.
  • Mastery required for upward mobility (even for Rajputs/Kayasthas).
MICRO-REALM 02

Growth of Vernaculars

  • Regional states patronized local languages.
  • Bengali flourished under Husain Shahi dynasty.
  • Marathi developed by Varkari saints.
  • Awadhi & Braj Bhasha dominated North Indian poetry.
MICRO-REALM 03

Development of Urdu

  • Emerged as Zaban-e-Urdu (Language of the Camp).
  • Syntax of Khari Boli (Hindi) + Persian/Arabic vocabulary.
  • Initially called Rekhta or Hindavi.
  • Flourished later in the Deccan and Awadh.
MICRO-REALM 04

The Maktab Khana

  • Akbar's Translation Bureau at Fatehpur Sikri.
  • Systematic translation of Sanskrit, Arabic, Greek texts into Persian.
  • Aim: Demystify religions and build intellectual bridges.
  • Led by scholars like Faizi and Badauni.
MICRO-REALM 05

The Razmnama

  • "Book of War" — The Persian translation of the Mahabharata.
  • Commissioned by Akbar.
  • Lavishly illustrated by Mughal atelier.
  • Ramayana and Atharva Veda also translated.
MICRO-REALM 06

Sanskrit at Court

  • Sanskrit was not displaced, but continued alongside.
  • Mughals (esp. Shah Jahan) patronized Sanskrit poets (Kavindracharya, Jagannatha Panditaraja).
  • Extensive writing in astronomy, astrology, and aesthetics.
MICRO-REALM 07

Indo-Persian Poetry

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  • Sabk-e-Hindi (Indian style of Persian poetry).
  • Complex metaphors, philosophical depth.
  • Amir Khusrau (13th C) was the pioneer.
  • Faizi, Urfi, and later Ghalib mastered it.
MICRO-REALM 08

Historical Chronicles

  • Rich tradition of historiography (Tarikh).
  • Baburnama (Chagatai Turkic, translated to Persian).
  • Akbarnama by Abu'l-Fazl (official history).
  • Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh by Badauni (critical secret history).
MICRO-REALM 09

Regional Epics & Bhakti

  • Literature driven by religious fervor.
  • Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas (Awadhi).
  • Jayasi's Padmavat (Sufi romance in Awadhi).
  • Sikh Gurus compiling the Adi Granth (Gurmukhi).
MICRO-REALM 10

The Syncretic Pen

  • Dara Shikoh's Majma-ul-Bahrain (The Mingling of Two Oceans).
  • Philosophical work finding commonalities between Sufism and Vedanta.
  • Translated Upanishads into Persian (Sirr-i-Akbar).
  • Introduced Hindu philosophy to Europe via Latin translations.