Promotion of Learning in India during Muhammadan Rule (by Muhammadans) c13.3

c13.3

literary men and literature, which gives a strong stimulus to literary and educational progress, was with a few Paṭhān rulers and princes an important item of their life’s programme. The most prominent of those were Balban and his worthy son Muḥammad, Naṣīruddīn, and Muḥammad Tughlaq. While summing up the educational works of the Paṭhān Dynasty, we should not omit to take note of the educational work done by some of the small independent kingdoms. The name of Fīrūz Bahmanī, whose encouragement of literary men and education has secured for him a high place among the benefactors of Musalmān education, was a name to conjure with in the literary world of his day, and his practice of sending ships annually to different countries in search of learned men was an institution that stands out as quite a unique feature of his reign. The Bahmanī Dynasty, indeed, did not possess a second such ruler but could boast of a few others who also distinguished themselves by their services to the cause of learning. The dynasty of Gulkandah has been glorified by King Quṭb Shāh, who gave a great impetus to education by the foundation of colleges and public seminaries, and by his patronage of learned men. The other principalities such as Khāndīsh, Jaunpūr, etc., were also blessed with their own royal Maecenases who have left behind a good record of their educational and literary enterprise.