The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c27.s5: The effect of Turkish impact on our society
The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c27.s5
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- English
Contents
- c27.s5.1 — 4 parts
The effect of Turkish impact on our society
c27.s5.1.1
When the Arabs, the Turks, the Afghans, the Iranians and other Central Asian foreigners had conquered and settled down in our country and came into close contact with the indigenous population, they influenced our society and culture and were themselves influenced in turn. The history of the impact of Hinduism and Islam upon one another is a theme of absorbing interest. In the eighth and ninth centuries A.D. the Arabs settled in large numbers on the eastern and western coasts in southern India and it was there that the two religions, for the first time, began to influence each other. Northern India remained immune from Islamic influence until the Arab conquest of Sindh. Dr. Tara Chand, in his enthusiasm for his special subject—*Influence of Islam on Indian Culture*—makes us believe that even the great Shankaracharya, who flourished during the later years of the eighth and the early years of the ninth century A.D., was influenced by Islamic theology, although he admits that there is no direct evidence to substantiate his inference. If Shankaracharya borrowed his theory of monism from Islam, why did he fail to condemn and denounce image-worship to which Muslim theologians of all schools of thought are absolutely opposed? Moreover, can it not be said that two people could develop a similar line of thought, religious or secular, quite independently of each other?
c27.s5.1.2
How very much can it be true of Shankaracharya's *Adwait* philosophy when it is realised on all hands that its germs are found in our *shrutis* and that what he preached is only the logical development of the teachings of the ancient *rishis*. Be that as it may, in northern India, at any rate, the presence of the Turks and the Afghans did not produce a revolutionary effect on our religious thoughts and practices. The bhakti movement, as has been explained elsewhere, was not the direct fruit of the contact between Hinduism and Islam. The teeming millions during the period remained practically unaffected so far as their religious thoughts and practices were concerned. Our upper classes, no doubt, showed a keen desire to bring about a compromise between the two religions and in the south our leaders and people extended very generous treatment to the new-comers. Everywhere the foreigners were accorded a place of honour and allowed freely to make converts to their religion. Some of our leaders, reformers and teachers openly preached the gospel of unity and friendliness. Nanak and Kabir, for instance, emphasised the fact that Hinduism and Islam were two different paths leading to the same destination and that Rama and Rahim, Krishna and Karim, and Allah and Ishwara were different names of the same God. They deprecated priestly ritualism and formalities of all religions and emphasised devotion and true piety.
c27.s5.1.3
But the Musalmans, as a class, kept aloof and failed to appreciate the Hindu attempt at a compromise. The Hindu society was influenced by the presence of Islam in our midst in two respects. Firstly, the missionary zeal of Islam, which aimed at converting the Hindu population to a foreign religion, strengthened conservatism in our ranks. The Hindu leaders believed that the one way of saving their religion and society from the onslaught of Islam was to make themselves as orthodox in outlook and practice as possible. So, attempts were made to make caste rules more rigorous. Daily rules of life were prescribed with a rigidity that was unknown before. New rules of conduct were formulated in our *Shrutis*. Hindu scholars, like Madhava, Visvesvara and others, wrote works and commentaries prescribing a rigid religious life for the people. Early marriage was brought in. Rigid *purdah* was enforced. Strict rules of diet and marriage were also prescribed. Secondly, some of the democratic principles of Islam were borrowed by our leaders and reformers who stressed the equality of castes and preached that caste was no bar to religious salvation. The bhakti cult, though not the result of the impact of Hinduism and Islam, was, nevertheless, influenced to some extent by the presence of Islam in our midst. Our reformers preached fundamental equality of all religions and unity of God-head. There was a similar effect on our literature, too; but it was slight.
c27.s5.1.4
Very few among the Hindus took to the study of Persian or Arabic in that age. The Sanskrit and Hindi works of the time do not betray any appreciable Islamic influence on their style or themes. After Amir Khusrav there was no notable musician at Delhi. Indian music, therefore, was little influenced by Islamic ideas. There is no evidence to show that the early Turko-Afghan rulers of Delhi had any fondness for painting. Indian painting continued its even tenure of life without being, in any way, influenced by the presence of foreigners. The Turko-Afghan rule produced an unhealthy result on the character and dignity of our race. Our upper and middle class people, who had to come into daily contact with the rulers, were obliged to conceal their true feelings about their religion, culture and sundry other matters and to develop a kind of servility of character in order to get on in the world. Many of our men imbibed low cunning and deceit. Therefore, the Hindus, in general, lost manliness of character and straightforwardness in behaviour.
c27.s5.2
Notwithstanding their desire and determination to the contrary, the conquerors were greatly influenced by our religion and culture. The Indian converts to Islam could not but retain some of their Hindu notions and practices. The worship of saints and shrines was only another form of the Hindu predilection for local and tribal gods which the converts could not shake off. Muslim mysticism, particularly *sufism*, derived inspiration from Hindu *Vedanta*. Some of the Muslim scholars were attracted to the study of Hindu philosophy, like *Yoga* and *Vedanta*. Some studied Hindu medicine and astrology. The Turko-Afghan rulers had to adopt Indian food and to modify their dress to suit Indian conditions and climate. They borrowed the gorgeous ceremonial paraphernalia of the Rajput courts in the field of administration, particularly those of the departments of revenue and finance. They could not fail to make use of Indian elephants in their battles. The Islamic architecture, which the foreigner brought with him, was so greatly modified by our art tradition that it ceased to be purely Islamic. As we have seen elsewhere, the buildings erected by the Sultans of Delhi and the rulers of the provincial dynasties were the result of the united genius and effort of the Hindus and the foreign Musalmans. Though they retained Persian as their court and literary language, it became necessary to make compromise with indigenous languages and the result was the birth of Urdu. Thus, there gradually emerged a linguistic synthesis as the result of our mutual contact. Similarly, Muslim manners and customs were greatly influenced. The Hindu converts to Islam retained their caste in many parts of the country. Some of the aristocratic Muslim families assimilated the Hindu custom of *sati* and *jauhar*. Mr. Titus is right when he says: "……when all is said there seems to be little doubt that Hinduism has wrought a far greater change in Islam than Islam has wrought in Hinduism which still continues to pursue the even tenor of its way with a complacency and confidence that are amazing." (*Indian Islam* by Titus)