The Delhi Sultanate - Society

The society of this time was going through some changes, with a fusion between Islamic culture and the Indian culture of the time. Many Indians were embracing the new religion and this resulted in a new variant of the religion, one that absorbed many Indian ideas and beliefs as well. The caste system went through some interesting changes. The Hindus continued to follow the caste system that had been existing. As for the Muslims the situation was a little different. Islamic society did not formally recognize caste. However with the entry in India, many Indian ideas were being incorporated and the caste system was one of them. The development of the caste system in Islamic society started with divisions based on ethnicity. The highest caste was the Ashraf which include the Turks, Afghans and the Persians. The next highest caste were upper class Hindu converts. After this there was the usual division of occupation castes and sub castes. Marriages were usually held within caste boundaries. The foreign settlers ,although initially attempting to preserve a unique identity, were slowly absorbed into Indian society as they adopted the same dress and food and married outside their community.

Religious rituals of the two religions however remained more or less distinct and did not really join in the

fusion process. As a result the education, at least at the primary level remained separate for both communities. Education at the primary level was conducted at the temple or mosque and covered religious learning. Higher education focused on theology and linguistics. Education however did receive patronage from the Sultanate rulers and there was a growth of educational institutions in the country. Unfortunately however, such sponsorship was mainly confined to religious education.

The society of this period was highly polarized with vast differences in the standard of living between the aristocracy and tiller. While the former was rolling in the lap of luxury, the latter was just able to make ends meet. Slavery became more prevalent but apparently they were taken care of and were usually set free after some years. Many former slaves rose to political power and social eminence. However the existence of slavery was a negative aspect of the society.

Women enjoyed a position of respect but their freedom was increasingly being limited. They were entirely dependant on their fathers, husbands or male relatives. They lived in the seclusion of their homes, and purdah (veil worn to cover one's face) became prevalent both in Muslim as well as Hindu families. A justification for such developments is the general air of uncertainty with foreign invaders roaming all over the country. Women were free to take up education and many women from higher classes excelled in the arts and science. Peasant women had more freedom, though this was largely for economic reasons. The inhuman practice of Sati (a widow burning herself on her husbands funeral pyre) was increasingly taking place amongst certain classes. Apparently a pass had to be obtained from the Sultan of Delhi before a Sati could take place.

A major change that had taken place now, was that previously the rulers and the ruled belonged to the same culture, whereas now they came from two completely different cultures. However, the two cultures were able to peacefully co-exist and in time embraced each others ideas to form a composite Indian culture. This has been a consistent feature of Indian history, whenever a new set of ideas and beliefs were put forward, there was always an exchange between the existing ideas and the new ideas and a synthesis of the two would then prevail. For example the Indian kings were hereditary whereas Sultanate kings were not. By the time of the Mughals, two ideas had been integrated, with the Mughals more or less having a semi-herediterary form of succession (usually a member of the royal family would succeed to the throne). This trend continued in all spheres of life, with even art and architecture absorbing the new ideas and techniques. The ability to absorb new cultures was a positive aspect of Indian society, which helped in the development of the diverse and rich Indian culture that exists today.

The society of this time was going through some changes, with a fusion between Islamic culture and the Indian culture of the time. Many Indians were embracing the new religion and this resulted in a new variant of the religion, one that absorbed many Indian ideas and beliefs as well. The caste system went through some interesting changes. The Hindus continued to follow the caste system that had been existing. As for the Muslims the situation was a little different. Islamic society did not formally recognize caste. However with the entry in India, many Indian ideas were being incorporated and the caste system was one of them. The development of the caste system in Islamic society started with divisions based on ethnicity. The highest caste was the Ashraf which include the Turks, Afghans and the Persians. The next highest caste were upper class Hindu converts. After this there was the usual division of occupation castes and sub castes. Marriages were usually held within caste boundaries. The foreign settlers ,although initially attempting to preserve a unique identity, were slowly absorbed into Indian society as they adopted the same dress and food and married outside their community.

Religious rituals of the two religions however remained more or less distinct and did not really join in the fusion process. As a result the education, at least at the primary level remained separate for both communities. Education at the primary level was conducted at the temple or mosque and covered religious learning. Higher education focused on theology and linguistics. Education however did receive patronage from the Sultanate rulers and there was a growth of educational institutions in the country. Unfortunately however, such sponsorship was mainly confined to religious education.

The society of this period was highly polarized with vast differences in the standard of living between the aristocracy and tiller. While the former was rolling in the lap of luxury, the latter was just able to make ends meet. Slavery became more prevalent but apparently they were taken care of and were usually set free after some years. Many former slaves rose to political power and social eminence. However the existence of slavery was a negative aspect of the society.

Women enjoyed a position of respect but their freedom was increasingly being limited. They were entirely dependant on their fathers, husbands or male relatives. They lived in the seclusion of their homes, and purdah (veil worn to cover one's face) became prevalent both in Muslim as well as Hindu families. A justification for such developments is the general air of uncertainty with foreign invaders roaming all over the country. Women were free to take up education and many women from higher classes excelled in the arts and science. Peasant women had more freedom, though this was largely for economic reasons. The inhuman practice of Sati (a widow burning herself on her husbands funeral pyre) was increasingly taking place amongst certain classes. Apparently a pass had to be obtained from the Sultan of Delhi before a Sati could take place.

A major change that had taken place now, was that previously the rulers and the ruled belonged to the same culture, whereas now they came from two completely different cultures. However, the two cultures were able to peacefully co-exist and in time embraced each others ideas to form a composite Indian culture. This has been a consistent feature of Indian history, whenever a new set of ideas and beliefs were put forward, there was always an exchange between the existing ideas and the new ideas and a synthesis of the two would then prevail. For example the Indian kings were hereditary whereas Sultanate kings were not. By the time of the Mughals, two ideas had been integrated, with the Mughals more or less having a semi-herediterary form of succession (usually a member of the royal family would succeed to the throne). This trend continued in all spheres of life, with even art and architecture absorbing the new ideas and techniques. The ability to absorb new cultures was a positive aspect of Indian society, which helped in the development of the diverse and rich Indian culture that exists today.