Revisiting Hindavi Sufi Romances: Late Fourteenth to Early Sixteenth Centuries
Revisiting Hindavi Sufi Romances is an in-depth exploration of the various facets of north Indian society and culture displayed in four Hindavi Sufi premakhyan or romances Chandayan, Mirgavati, Padmavat, and Madhumalati written during the late fourteenth to mid-sixteenth centuries. 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. These were appropriated into a literary genre of Islamic origin, which followed indigenous verse forms, employed Indian aesthetics and stylistic concepts, and was presented in a locally comprehensive dialect. The Hindavi Sufi romances are indeed a rich source for delineating the cultural history of their period.
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