Indian Epigraphy c7.s4.10

c7.s4.10

In the Tughrā style, sometimes the letters look like the outlines of birds and animals, the forms being intended to serve as a security against evil. The lion and tiger, which are the symbols of the valour of 'Alī, 'the Lion of God', are often found carved on forts in the Deccan, which were rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries by the Muslim kings of the Shiite faith. Such inscriptions generally contain a prayer comprising a religious text or a passage quoted from the holy Qurān, the Nād-i-'Alī being a frequent quotation.²