The Mughal Empire - Literature

There was tremendous literary activity during the Mughal period, because with the return of a stable and prosperous empire, there was once again patronage for their work. Languages like Persian, Sanskrit, Hindi and Urdu saw tremendous creative activity as did many vernacular languages.

Persian literature received a lot of attention as it was the court language. A vast number of works were written during the period of the Mughals. Broadly one can divide them into three categories, historical works, translations ,poetry and novels. Our understanding of the Mughal period was greatly enhanced by these books, and most of the historical works of this period provide us with a fairly reliable source of information. The important historical works written in this time were Ain-I-Akbari , and Akbarnamath by Abul Fazl, the Ta'rikh-I-'Alfi by Mulla Daud. Jehangir possessed a keen interest in literature, and his autobiography is one of the finest amongst the Mughal emperors. During his reign important historical works like Ma'asir-I-Jahangir , the Igbalnamah-I-Jahangiri and the Zubud-ut-Tawaikh were written.

Many important works in translation were also written during this period, with the translation of the epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana taking place. Many of the Vedas were also translated and several

The Delhi Sultanate - Literature

The rise of Persian speaking people to the throne naturally resulted in the spread of the Persian language in India. It was the official language and soon literary works in the language began to appear. Initially Persian literature talked about topics which were familiar to those from Persia. Gradually however as more Indians learnt the language, the literary works began to have a more Indian theme. Amir Khusrav was a noted writer of the period, who was one of the first writers to write Persian literature about events concerning India. His inspiration came from events he saw around, his work soon grew to be appreciated and he became a court poet. He inspired many other Indians to take to writing in Persian.

Sanskrit continued to remain an important language of the time, and despite the increasingly influence of Persian, it was able to hold its ground. Many preferred Sanskrit poets as they were more established and experienced then those that worked in the new languages. A centre for Sanskrit learning opened at Mithila (north Bihar). It preserved the tradition of classical Sanskrit literature and kept it alive. Sanskrit was however beginning to lose its popularity as an intellectual language, and the Brahmans struggled to find patrons to keep it alive.

The Gupta Empire - Literature and Science

Literature

Sanskrit Literature was a great beneficiary of the Gupta era, enjoying tremendous patronage under several Gupta kings. Chandra Gupta II for instance had a set of nine poets in his court, known as the nine jewels. The greatest amongst them was the poet Kalidasa who was an excellent dramatist and a composer of epic poems. Some of his major works are the two epic poems of Kumarasambhava and Raghuvamsha, the lyrical poem Meghaduta and the great drama Shakuntala.

The Purana which date back to the Vedic age gained their final shape during the Gupta period. The Puranas are a set of books which have a collection of myths, philosophical dialogues and description of rituals. They are a vast volume of text and offer a valuable source of historical information. The Puranas are a set of several books, there are 18 Great Puranas and 18 Lesser Puranas. There is also the Vishnu Purana which is an important religious book. The goddess Durga was apparently important in the Gupta period for aside from a major piece on her heroics in the Markandeya Purana she also has been depicted in several sculptures of the Gupta era.

Aryans, The Vedic Age - Literature

The Aryan civilization produced vast volumes of text, which not only have helped us shed light on their life, but have also contributed significantly to Indian thought and beliefs. The earliest literary source of the period is the Rig Veda. Besides the Rig Veda, there is the Sama, Yajur and Atharva Vedas. The word Veda means knowledge. The great Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were also composed during this period. Besides these there a few more books like the Brahmanas, the Upanishads and the Puranas along with the epics. The entire collection is referred to as Vedic Literature. Vedic Literature remained unwritten for a long time and was passed orally from generation to generation until several centuries later it was finally written down. This literature is the oldest source of information which we have for the period, and is a reliable source of information about their civilization. We shall take a brief look at Vedic Literature.

Rig Veda: This the oldest piece of work in Vedic Literature. It is a set of ten books which contain a thousand and twenty eight hymns. It has many hymns dedicated to God, many of which are still recited in Hindu households. It is an important source of information on the Vedic religion and their Gods as well as presents a detailed account of the life of the people at that time.