Medieval India

Medieval India
refers to a long period of Post-classical history of the Indian subcontinent between

the "ancient period" and "modern period". It is usually regarded as running approximately from the
breakup of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century CE to the start of the Early modern period in 1526
with the start of the Mughal Empire, although some historians regard it as both starting and finishing
later than these points. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early Medieval and Late
Medieval eras. Poetry took numerous forms in medieval Europe, for example, lyric and epic poetry.
The troubadours and the minnesänger are known for their lyric poetry about courtly love.
Medieval poetry is a type of literary verse that was written during the Middle
Ages and that has specific subject matter relevant to this time period. This
kind of poetry most often covers topics of religious devotion and of courtly
love, both of which had a great deal of importance in medieval society. Since
rates of literacy were relatively low during this period in history, medieval
poetry was often spoken before it was eventually written down. Professional
reciters called minstrels or troubadours typically traveled from one town to the
next and performed long epic poems from memory. Their purpose was usually
to instruct as much as to entertain the denizens of each town or village.
Monks and priests were usually the ones who composed or transcribed
medieval religious poems because they were the literate minority during this
time period. Much of this religious poetry sought to teach lessons on
morality. While many medieval poems were dramatic and serious, others were
satirical and meant to poke fun at the shortcomings of certain socioeconomic
classes. One of the most famous examples is Geoffrey Chaucer's The
Canterbury Tales. This poem and others written during the medieval period
also represent a shift in written language use as well. While many poems
were written only in Latin, others appeared in vernacular languages such as
Old English, Irish, and French. This new literary practice grew along with rates
of literacy among the common people. Medieval Indian Poetry became the
medium of literature and the instruments of thought in medieval India. It is
marked by the presence of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire between
the 13th and 16th centuries that witnessed a remarkable degree of cultural
exchange between the Hindus and the Muslims. It is well known that Indian
classical music deeply had influenced their musical traditions and Mughal
architecture had left a lasting impression upon the Hindu traditions.
Development of Medieval Indian Poetry

The subjugators of India brought with them several languages from abroad.
Among them were Arabic, Persian and Turkish. Arabic, as the language
of religion and of law, was developed by the educated. Indian literature during
the medieval period had emerged onwards from several dissimilar strands. It is
known that the regional court poets were of the habit to compose poems by
eulogising the emperors and kings and warriors; many poets had given rise to
works based upon themes borrowed from the Sanskrit epics and Puranas; and
Persian-speaking Muslim courts had introduced elements of intrinsic Islamic
culture to India.
In a particular manner, the spread of Hinduism had given rise to enormous

amounts of religious literature, often dedicated to the
divinities Rama and Krishna. This was the literature of 'bhakti' (devotional
religion), based upon the magnitude and substance of a loving relationship
between the worshipper and the Almighty. The ‘Bhakti’ literature was mostly
reverberated in the language of poetry, the most trailblazing a movement of
Hinduism and Islam - clearly upholding medieval Indian poetry. Some of the great
Indian mideival poets are Kabir Das , Tulsidas , Swami Ramanandacharya ,
Malik Muhammad Jayasi and others. The famous poems written during this
period by kabir das is “how humble god is ?”
God is the tree in the forests that

allows itself to die and will not defend itself in front of those
with the ax, not wanting to cause them
shame.
And God is the earth that will allow itself to

be deformed by man's tools, but He cries; yes, God cries,
but only in front of His closest ones.
And a beautiful animal is being beaten to death,

but nothing can make God break His silence
to the masses
and say,
"Stop, please stop, why are you doing this
to Me? "
How humble is God?

Kabir wept
when I
knew.

Medieval India

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Medieval India

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Medieval India

refers to a long period of Post-classical history of the Indian subcontinent between

Development of Medieval Indian Poetry

In a particular manner, the spread of Hinduism had given rise to enormous

God is the tree in the forests that

And God is the earth that will allow itself to

And a beautiful animal is being beaten to death,

How humble is God?

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