Persian Manuscripts : Dīvān-i Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī

Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī, ca. 1253-1325امير خسرو دهلوى

Persian Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'>This <i>Dīvān</i> compiles together poems ascribed to Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī (ca. 1253–1325), widely regarded as India's most famous medieval poet. Originally from Patiyali in the Delhi Sultanate (today in Uttar Pradesh), he attracted the support of several rulers during his lifetime, most significantly Sulṭān ‘Alā' al-Dīn Khaljī (r. 1296–1316). He composed many witty puns and wordplays that tremendously impacted subsequent Persianate poets. Many sources refer to him as the <i>Ṭūṭī-yi Hind</i> (Parrot of India) on account of his intimate knowledge of not only Persian, but also Arabic, Turkish, and Hindustani languages, and his lyrics nurtured the development of the <i>Qawwali</i> music tradition in South Asia. A disciple of Niẓām al-Dīn Awliyā (1238–1325), a leader of the Chishti Sufi order, near whom he lies interred in the <i>Niẓām al-Dīn Dargāh</i> shrine complex in Delhi. A scribe named ʿAlī b. Jalāl al-Dīn Jandaqī completed this finely illuminated volume, probably in Iran, on 2 Ṣafar 971 AH (1 Oct. 1563 CE).</p>