The Early Modern Sufi Tales in Awadhi: Literary Sources for Reconstructing the Multicultural History of India

The Centre of Advanced Study, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University, hosted a lecture on the topic, “The Early Modern Sufi Tales in Awadhi: Literary Sources for Reconstructing the Multicultural History of India,” on the 23rd of November 2023 delivered by Dr. Annalisa Bocchetti, (Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, Belgium) as a visiting Fellow of the Centre. Dr. Bocchetti shared her latest research work on Chitravali, a well-known medieval Sufi poetical text composed by Usman, a Chishti Sufi Shaykh who lived during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Nuruddin Jahangir (r. 1605-27).

In the introductory part of her lecture Dr. Bocchetti delved into the world of Awadh’s literary culture, exploring Sufi love tales, their origins, circulation, reception, and diverse audience. She highlighted that the Sufi Shaykhs played important social and cultural roles in shaping and transforming society with their message of universal brotherhood, egalitarianism, tolerance and respect for difference. The historic region of Awadh in particular was distinguished for a significant presence of charismatic Sufi masters of mainly Chishti tradition through the medieval and early modern eras. Wherever the Sufis went they got embedded in local customs and practices. As such they were revered by both the communities, Hindus and Muslims alike. She explained further that Chitravali, the text under consideration belongs to the famous genre called Hindavī Sufi premākhyān or romances which is a poetical composition like the Persian masnawi or long narrative poems, developed and practiced mainly by Chishti-Sufis of Awadh region in the local Awadhi dialect. In her lecture, she sought to highlight the relevance of Sufi premākhyān in understanding contemporary cultural, political, social, and economic activities of various communities such as the ruling elite, mercantile groups as well as the common people and other professional groups. It was employed by the Sufi-saints of the region for the propagation of Islamic Sufi ideology in local Awadhi dialect among the local people by adapting to the local customs and practices.

Usman who seems to have received a basic education in a local maktab of his home-town was a disciple of another contemporary saint Shaykh Haji. A rather keen observer of social scenario he could present life-like portrayals of people he encountered during the course of various journeys he undertook to different parts of the country in pursuit of knowledge. His multifaceted poetical work Chitrvali essentially Indian in content, cosmopolitan in character and Sufistic in outlook is a skilled combination of autobiography as well as a travelogue. The author provided fascinating eye-witness accounts of vibrant intellectual, cultural, religious and commercial life of major cities and towns of India like Agra, Delhi, Kabul and Ahmadabad. It contains a wealth of data of ethnographic significance of various provinces of the Mughal empire which either he would have visited or knew by studying other works such as the court chronicles which would have been available to him in local library or in his personal collection. Not a court-patronised Sufi but he provides glimpses of courtly culture, describes Jahangir the reigning sovereign in eulogistic terms and pays rich tribute to the emperor’s sense of justice and magnanimity towards various communities of his empire irrespective of their caste, creed, religion and region.

Chitravali is totally drenched in local flavour but Usman as a writer shows awareness of the wider world as he mentions many cities and famous places in his poetical compositions such as the two holy Cities Makka and Medina, far away China as well as Sri Lanka, Egypt and the Ottoman capital, Istanbul. The arrival and settlement of European Companies in Indian waters such as the Dutch and the English called angrez and wullundez by the author, their manners and customs, also did not go unnoticed by the acute observer.

Professor Gulfishan Khan, Chairperson of the Department who hosted the lecture concluded the program by sharing some thoughts on the topic and suggested an inter-textual and comparative analysis of the text along with the other Hindavī Sufi premākhyān or romances including such literary master-pieces like Padmāvat of Malik Muhammad Jaisi, Chāndāyan, Mirgāvatī, and Madhumālatī written during the late fourteenth to mid-sixteenth centuries along with the normative historical works of the period. The Hindavī Sufi romances are indeed a rich source for delineating the cultural history of their period said she. These are important sources which document the composite culture of India especially that of the historic region of Awadh where evolved a distinct but vibrant cultural life through the ages, she reiterated. These narratives are of immense value for the study of this period as they provide crucial information on gender relations, the literary milieu, visual and performing arts, sartorial styles, cuisines, as well as the economy. Besides providing a kaleidoscopic view of the period, these narratives also highlight the perspectives of synthesis of the period they were created in. The romances bring out the syncretic ethos of the north Indian composite culture of their period and reflect traits of assimilation with indigenous socio-religious customs. Significantly, these narratives show the emergence of a common literary culture, demonstrating the synthesis of diverse elements of indigenous folk and literary traditions and oral epic renditions.

She expressed her gratitude to the speaker for enlightening the audience about an important but less explored literary treasure of India’s past and also thanked the audience for their insightful comments. The lecture proved a stimulating exploration of the literary, and cultural life and mystical ethos of the region of Awadh, providing attendees with a deeper understanding of the multicultural heritage of India through the lens of early modern Sufi genre called premākhyān. The lecture was well attended by faculty members and students and it provided an avenue for academic engagement and intellectual exchanges.