Promotion of Learning in India during Muhammadan Rule (by Muhammadans) c11.10

c11.10

Sultān Bahlūl was succeeded by his son Sikandar. A very important event of his reign is the transference of the capital from Delhi to Agra.² This new city now became, with the acquisition of this dignity, an important place in every respect. It began to draw towards itself the centre of gravity of the learned world, which had hitherto been at Delhi and Fīrūzābād. Sultān Sikandar was himself a poet, highly appreciated literary merit, and gave great encouragement to learning.³ He occasionally composed verses under the pen-name of Gulrukh. He used to submit his verses to Shaikh Jamāl, the author of the *Siyarul-'Arifīn* for his opinion. His dīwān is made up of eight or nine thousand couplets.⁴ He insisted that all his military officers should be *educated*. This gave a new character to the profession of arms, in which