Promotion of Learning in India during Muhammadan Rule (by Muhammadans) c11.30

c11.30

¹ The name Urdu is of Turkish origin and means literally 'camp.' But the Mughals of India restricted its use to the precincts of the Imperial camp, so that Urdū-i-Mu'allā (high camp) came to be a synonym for new Delhi after Shāh Jahān had made it his permanent capital. The classical languages of Arabia and Persia were exclusively devoted to uses of State and religion; the Hindus cherished their Sanskrit and Hindī for their own purposes of business or worship; while the Emperor and his Mughal courtiers kept up their Turkish speech as a means of free intercourse in private life. Out of such elements was the rich and growing language of Hindustan formed, and it was yearly becoming more widely spread."—Keene's *Mughal Empire*, p. 6.