Urdu in Aurangabad
Encyclopedia
Aurangabad is one of the historical cities of the Deccan, India. It is well-known for its literary and cultural traditions. As this city was the stronghold of the Mughal
s, a number of civil and military officers, men of letters, citizens, etc., from Delhi came here with the result that Aurangabad was so much influenced by the North Indian culture that it was considered to be the Delhi
of the Deccan. Thus, till 1763, Aurangabad was the seat of Government and the capital of the Deccan. Afterwards when Hyderabad was made the capital, poets, literary men and learned people gradually left Aurangabad and this city lost its literary prominence. Still the city continued to produce men of literary genius well into the 20th century. Though, Aurangabad had gained its importance since the time of Malik Ambar
, up to 1700 AD the literary achievements of that city in regard to the Urdu
language are not traceable.
In the Deccan the pre-Urdu language was known as Deccani or Dakhani. This pre-Urdu was taken to different parts of the country by soldiers, saints and Sufis and common people. It was introduced to the Deccan by the armies and camp followers of Ala'-ad-din Khilji
(1296–1315). Sultan Alauddin khilji
(1296–1316) was the first Muslim ruler who sent a large military expedition to the Deccan in the beginning of the 14th century. Later, Muhammad bin-Tughluq
(1325–1351) moved the capital to Daulatabad. He ordered the people of Delhi
to move to that town in 1327, but later in 1340 had to abandon his plan and returned to Delhi
.
In the Deccan this pre-Urdu developed into one of the first Urdu literary dialects. There it was influenced by regional dialects of the South and came to be known as Deccani (Dakhani) and adopted the Persian script
. It also replaced Persian in offices in Deccan while Persian in North India was still a language of Court and maintained its place as the language of higher education in Muslim India even under British colonial rule down to 1832.
Philologically speaking there always remained a good deal of difference in the Deccan and northern India's Urdu. Deccani (Dakhani) Urdu borrowed greatly from Marathi
, Tamil
, Telugu
and other local languages and the Dakhani Urdu dialects merged into a single literary language in the 16th century.
It was in the Deccan that Urdu
had its first literary efflorescence
In the courts of Golconda
and Bijapur after the fall of the Bahmani Kingdom
in the 16th century. At Golconda one of the rulers, Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah
(1580–1611) was himself a poet. He had an ear for music and was sensitive to the rhythm. So he borrowed enormous amount of vocabulary from Marathi, Tamil
, Telugu
and other local languages for his Urdu
verse. One of his earliest collections of verse in Urdu
is Kulliyyat.
In the autonomous kingdoms like Golconda
and Bijapur, this Dakhani Urdu came to be cultivated as a literary language in isolation from the Urdu
spoken in northern India and developed a rich literature. In the late 17th century, the Urdu in the North came to have direct contact with Dakhani after
the completion of the Mughal conquest in the Deccan (Golconda
and Bijapur), under Aurangzeb
. The intellectual elite of Golconda
and Bijapur migrated to Aurangabad, the secondary capital during the second half of his reign. Aurangabad became the meeting-place, and the habitat, for the merger of north Indian and Dakhani Urdu, towards the end of the 17th century.
In this way Augangabad, became the center of Urdu poetry and Literature in late 17th and early 18th century.
Middle stage of Urdu development started from AD 1700 when
Wali Aurangabadi’s
, (1668–1744) who is called the 'Father of Rekhta
(Urdu)' was from Aurangabad, the principal center of Urdu poetry in the late 17th and early 18th century visited Delhi
. He was also called the father of modern Urdu poetry. His visit and
the arrival of his diwan gave a deep impact on the literary atmosphere and mark the beginning of the literary revolution in the North. He again visited Delhi in 1722. But after that, he adopted the language of the North, the Urdu-e-Mu'alla and he became a link between the old Dakhni and the new, rising, northern school of Urdu poetry, based in Delhi. Apart from the
historical role he played, he is a consummate artist in verse and a master of the ghazal
style, which was soon imitated by the poets of Delhi
.
to use the Hindavi language for preaching their message of love of God and man and the equality of human beings before God. The first great leader of Chishtiya order, Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Ajmeri
(1143–1237) reached the subcontinent around 1200. Nizamuddin Aulia
of Delhi
, the fourth saint of the Chishtiya
order helped in popularizing this language. Shaikh Burhanuddin Gharib, a disciple of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya had the credit of introducing the Hindavi language in the Deccan. Others after him like Zar Zari Zar Baksh
and Khwaja Zainuddin Shirazi
also contributed to the development of the language.
progressive trends in the Ghazal form; some of the poets of Aurangabad also attempted it. Some of the contemporaries of Wali, viz., Mirza Dawood, Muhammad Mah Mehram and others belonged to Aurangabad. Dawood was one of them who pushed forward the literary movement. He belonged to this period. He died in 1195 AH. Mehram was the son of Nawab Shujaat Khan, the Subedar of Berar
. He died in 1166 AH.
Balaji Trimbak Naik Zarra was also a good poet of the later half of this period. He composed poetry in Ghazal form and Marsiya as well. He was the pupil of Mirza Jan Rasa. His Dizoan is preserved in the Asifiya Library
. In one of his Ghazals, he has mentioned some of the poets of Aurangabad such as Zia, Jaffer, Yakdam, Syed, Raza and others.
During this period several poets from Burhanpur
also settled at Aurangabad. One of them viz., Asi deserves a mention. Asi was in the service of Asaf Jah I. He died in 1172 AH. Besides Ghazals, he has left behind him two mathnavis Khulasatul Maarif and Anwa-ul-Ulus.
In the second half of the 18th century, the Deccan produced Siraj, a poet of extraordinary calibre.
Siraj Aurangabadi
was born at Aurangabad in 1127 AH. Right from his young age, he was inclined towards Sufism. He was held in high esteem in the circle of Sufis. Up to 1147 AH. he composed poems in Persian but afterwards he was inclined towards Urdu poetry. He died in 1177 AH. He has left behind him a mathnavi Bostan-i-Khyal and a collection of Ghazals. Bostan-i-Khyal is the last longest mathnavi of the Deccan. It portrays the true picture of his emotional love, the feeling that dominates the heart. It deals with Sufism. He had also compiled a small collection of Persian poetry by the name of Diwanha. A number of poets have benefited by his craftsmanship and talent. Some of them viz., Khwaja Inayatulla Futuwat (1223 AH), Khwaja Abulbarkat Ishrat (1187 AH), Syed Ashraf Ali Faza (1195 AH), Mirza Mughal Kamtar (1183 AH), Lala Jaikishan Bejan, Muhamed Raza Beg Raza and Mirza Muhammedjani are worth mentioning.
Up to the end of the 19th century Aurangabad produced some other poets of excellent repute.
Arifuddin Ajiz (1178) is a well-known poet of this period. He held the post of a Bakshi in the regime of Asaf jah. Besides Ghazals, he has left behind him a mathnavi named Lal-O-Hohar also. A poet named Shahid (1178 AH) who hailed from Ahmedabad had settled at Aurangabad, and led the life of a Sufi. Mehar of this age has also been praised by Shafiq in his Tazkira
. Mir Miran Raz (1180 AH) was a mansabdar. He composed poetry in Urdu and Persian.
Dargahquli Khan Dargah (1180 AH) could be regarded as one of the best poets of this period. He belonged to the well-known family of Salarjang
. Dargah was not only a good soldier, but in the field of literature also he has shown his craftsmanship. He was a poet of a high caliber. He composed poetry in Urdu
, Persian
and Arabic. Besides Ghazals, he has shown his poetic talent in Marsiya form also.
Fazli was one of the Sufi poets of Aurangabad. Besides Ghazals, he left behind him two mathnavis, Birah Bhaluka and Prem Luha. In prose also, he is the author of one work on Sufism, Zad-i-Azad.
Wahid and Sami were also top ranking and senior poets of this period. The ancestors of Sami had come to the Deccan with Alamgir and settled there. A good number of young poets were trained by him. Lalchand Ramjin and Abdul Hadi were some of his good students. Sami left behind him two mathnavis, Sarvo-Shashad and Talib-o- Mohan.
Sarim was one of the mansabdars of Aurangabad. He was the son of Samsam-ud-Daula Shahnawaz Khan
, the author of Massir-ul-Umra
. For some time he was appointed Diwan of Berar. Besides he also acted as the Nazir of Aurangabad and Risaladar of Daulatabad. Poets Mubtila and Nudrat also belonged to the generation of good poets of Aurangabad. Both of them were mansabdars in the Asif jahi regime.
Zaka, son of Azad Bilgrami
, a well-known learned man was also a top ranking poet of Aurangabad. He was also a mansabdar. He composed poetry in Urdu and Persian as well.
Tamanna was a court poet in the time of Samsamul Mulk and Arastujah. Tamanna has compiled one Tazkira
, Gul-i-Ajaib in 1194 A. H. The poet Qazi Muhammed Karan Bakhsh of Parbhani
district was trained by Zaka. Arman, Sharar, Ashufta and Shauq among others were the students of Tamanna. Tamanna died in 1204 AH.
Mir Mhd. Sharif Maftun was also one of the Ustad poets of this period. Besides the poets mentioned above, Uruj, Anwar and Meherban also belonged to Aurangabad.
So far as Urdu prose is concerned, after 1150 A. H. several books on history, and of Tazkira
s could be traced which have been written by the writers of Aurangabad. Tazkira
Gulshan-i-Guftar tops the list. The author of this Tazkira
is Khwaja Khan Hamid and the date of its compilation is 1165 A. H. In the same year a Tazkira
Nikat-ush-Shaura was compiled by Mir Taqi Mir in which he mentioned Wali as Aurangabadi while Khwaja Khan who belonged to Aurangabad had mentioned Wali as Gujarati. Shams Waliulla who hailed from Aurangabad and his works are preserved in India Library. The second Tazkira
of Aurangabad has been compiled by Khwaja Inayatulla. The name of the Tazkira
is Riyaz-i-Hasni and the date of compilation is 1168 A. H.
After 1184 A. H. there appeared slackness in the literary activities of Aurangabad. The Nawabs, Mansabdars and the other high ranking officers who were men of letters themselves and great patrons and lovers of art and literature, gradually left for Hyderabad as it was given the status of the capital of the Nizam
's State. The poets and other literary personalities also left Aurangabad because of want of patronage.
Lala Lachmi-narian Shafiq of this period holds a high position. Shafiq was born in 1157 A. H. His father Mansaram and he held high posts in the Asaf Jahi regime. Shafiq had the rare distinction to be trained by Ghulam Ali Azad Bilgrami
. After 1184 A. H. he had shifted to Hyderabad but he always preferred Aurangabad. He composed poetry in Urdu and Persian as well. He left behind him several Tazkira
s of poets of which Chamanistam-i-shaura of Urdu poet’s demands special mention. His mathnavi Taswir-i-janan also is well-known. Some of his other works, viz., Maasir-i-Asifi, Maasir-i-Hyderi, Bisat-ul-Ghatnaim, Mirat-ul-Hind, Nakhlistan, Tazkira-i-Guru Nanak, etc., are in prose. Shafiq's brother Lala Roop Narain Zahin also was one of the good poets of this period. He was also a mansabdar. He died in 1223 AH.
Mir Bahauddin Uruj (1230 A. H.), Mir Hasan Ali Ima (1230 AH) and Mir Abudulqadir Meherban were also well-known poets. Meherban was well versed in Persian and Arabic languages. He knew the Turkish language too. He was a student of Azad Bilgrami
. It is said that he is the author of several books but none of his books are now available. Shafiq has praised his poetic talents.
Besides the poets mentioned above Murtaza Mehdi (1178 A. H.), Kanahyya Mal Haquir (1177 A. H.), Mirza Ata Zia (1182 A. H.), Syed Fakhruddin Fakhr (1190 A. H.), Shaikh Ahmed Muziar (1194 AH), Saronji Rai Lala (1200 A. H.), Mirza Muhammadi Baig Mirza (1201 A. H.), Shaikh Nuruddin Nadir (1201 A. H.), Mohan Lal Mehtab (1202 A. H.), and many others also originally belonged to Aurangabad but later migrated to Hyderabad.
In the last decades of the 18th century and the beginning of 19th century, a very important and authentic Tazkira
, the Chamanistan-i-Shaura, was compiled by Lala Lachminarain Shafiq. Poet Tamanna is also an author of one Tazkira
named Gul-i-Ajaib. It was compiled in 1194 A. H. Uruj has also left behind him one Tazkira
, the Khizan-o-Bahar.
a poet and Shaikh Chand (1906–36) produced great literary works. Waheed Akhtar
(1934 — 1996) an Urdu poet, writer, critic, distinguished orator, scholar and philosopher was also from Aurangabad. His early education took place at Chelipura High School, a government school in Aurangabad. Renowned Urdu satire and humour writer Yusuf Nazim also belonged to Aurangabad as he was born in 1918 (died 2009) at Jalna
in Aurangabad district. He did his early education in Jalna and Intermediate from Osmania College Aurangabad, he graduated from Osmania University
Hyderabad.
At Aurangabad a society called Anjuman Tarraqqi i Urdu for the advancement of Urdu was founded by Maulvi Abdul Haq
q who was the Head of Urdu section of Osmania University
and was once the chief of Translation Bureau. The Anjuman used to issue a quarterly journal titled ‘Urdu’ which rendered valuable service and published noteworthy literary works in Urdu
. (Published Standard English – Urdu dictionary, Aurangabad 1937). Later Maulvi Abdul Haq
q moved the offices of Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu from Aurangabad (Deccan) to Delhi
in 1938.
During the erstwhile Hyderabad State
the Court language was Urdu
. Aurangabad was a “Suba” (province) and as head quarter of the province all the Record and Proceedings as well as Administratives files were maintained in Urdu language. On going through the oldest record, it appears that the same is consigned to record in 1296 Fasli (comparatively 1888 AD. approximately). The Head Judge of the region (province) was called as “Nazim-e-Adalat Suba” whereas the other District Judges such as Parbhani, Beed and Osmanabad were known as “Nazim-e-Adalat Zilla”. The records and proceedings arising out of Parbhani
, Beed
and Osmanabad
are consigned to Central Record room of Aurangabad being a “Suba”. The Court language was Urdu even after abolition of erstwhile Hyderabad State and this continued till 1956.
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
s, a number of civil and military officers, men of letters, citizens, etc., from Delhi came here with the result that Aurangabad was so much influenced by the North Indian culture that it was considered to be the Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
of the Deccan. Thus, till 1763, Aurangabad was the seat of Government and the capital of the Deccan. Afterwards when Hyderabad was made the capital, poets, literary men and learned people gradually left Aurangabad and this city lost its literary prominence. Still the city continued to produce men of literary genius well into the 20th century. Though, Aurangabad had gained its importance since the time of Malik Ambar
Malik Ambar
Malik Ambar was an Ethiopian born in Harar, sold as a child by his parents due to poverty and rose to the level of Prime Minister of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in India. He eventually arrived in India, where he was educated and given opportunities, but he remained a slave. Nevertheless in time he...
, up to 1700 AD the literary achievements of that city in regard to the Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
language are not traceable.
Early history
Early periodIn the Deccan the pre-Urdu language was known as Deccani or Dakhani. This pre-Urdu was taken to different parts of the country by soldiers, saints and Sufis and common people. It was introduced to the Deccan by the armies and camp followers of Ala'-ad-din Khilji
Alauddin Khilji
Ali Gurshap Khan better known by his titular name as Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji was the second ruler of the Turko-Afghan Khilji dynasty in India.He was a well and capable ruler. He belonged to the Afghanized Turkic tribe of the Khiljis...
(1296–1315). Sultan Alauddin khilji
Alauddin Khilji
Ali Gurshap Khan better known by his titular name as Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji was the second ruler of the Turko-Afghan Khilji dynasty in India.He was a well and capable ruler. He belonged to the Afghanized Turkic tribe of the Khiljis...
(1296–1316) was the first Muslim ruler who sent a large military expedition to the Deccan in the beginning of the 14th century. Later, Muhammad bin-Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...
(1325–1351) moved the capital to Daulatabad. He ordered the people of Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
to move to that town in 1327, but later in 1340 had to abandon his plan and returned to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
In the Deccan this pre-Urdu developed into one of the first Urdu literary dialects. There it was influenced by regional dialects of the South and came to be known as Deccani (Dakhani) and adopted the Persian script
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. It also replaced Persian in offices in Deccan while Persian in North India was still a language of Court and maintained its place as the language of higher education in Muslim India even under British colonial rule down to 1832.
Philologically speaking there always remained a good deal of difference in the Deccan and northern India's Urdu. Deccani (Dakhani) Urdu borrowed greatly from Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
and other local languages and the Dakhani Urdu dialects merged into a single literary language in the 16th century.
It was in the Deccan that Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
had its first literary efflorescence
In the courts of Golconda
Golconda
Golconda may be:Places:* Golkonda, ruined city and fortress in India* Golconda, Illinois, town in the United States* Golconda, Nevada, former town in the United StatesOther:* Golconda...
and Bijapur after the fall of the Bahmani Kingdom
Bahmani Sultanate
The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the Deccan in southern India and one of the great medieval Indian kingdoms...
in the 16th century. At Golconda one of the rulers, Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah was the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golkonda in south India. He founded the city of Bhagyanagar i.e. Hyderabad - Hyderabad, India and built its architectural centerpiece, the Charminar...
(1580–1611) was himself a poet. He had an ear for music and was sensitive to the rhythm. So he borrowed enormous amount of vocabulary from Marathi, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
and other local languages for his Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
verse. One of his earliest collections of verse in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
is Kulliyyat.
In the autonomous kingdoms like Golconda
Golconda
Golconda may be:Places:* Golkonda, ruined city and fortress in India* Golconda, Illinois, town in the United States* Golconda, Nevada, former town in the United StatesOther:* Golconda...
and Bijapur, this Dakhani Urdu came to be cultivated as a literary language in isolation from the Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
spoken in northern India and developed a rich literature. In the late 17th century, the Urdu in the North came to have direct contact with Dakhani after
the completion of the Mughal conquest in the Deccan (Golconda
Golconda
Golconda may be:Places:* Golkonda, ruined city and fortress in India* Golconda, Illinois, town in the United States* Golconda, Nevada, former town in the United StatesOther:* Golconda...
and Bijapur), under Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
. The intellectual elite of Golconda
Golconda
Golconda may be:Places:* Golkonda, ruined city and fortress in India* Golconda, Illinois, town in the United States* Golconda, Nevada, former town in the United StatesOther:* Golconda...
and Bijapur migrated to Aurangabad, the secondary capital during the second half of his reign. Aurangabad became the meeting-place, and the habitat, for the merger of north Indian and Dakhani Urdu, towards the end of the 17th century.
In this way Augangabad, became the center of Urdu poetry and Literature in late 17th and early 18th century.
Middle stage of Urdu development started from AD 1700 when
Wali Aurangabadi’s
Wali Mohammed Wali
Wali Muhammad Wali , was a classical Urdu poet of the subcontinent....
, (1668–1744) who is called the 'Father of Rekhta
Rekhta
Rekhta was the Persianized form of the Khariboli dialect of Hindi now known by the names "Hindustani", "Hindi", and "Urdu", although Rekhta is now almost synonymous with Urdu, as its poetry is still used and made today by Urdu speakers. From the late 17th century till the closing decades of the...
(Urdu)' was from Aurangabad, the principal center of Urdu poetry in the late 17th and early 18th century visited Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. He was also called the father of modern Urdu poetry. His visit and
the arrival of his diwan gave a deep impact on the literary atmosphere and mark the beginning of the literary revolution in the North. He again visited Delhi in 1722. But after that, he adopted the language of the North, the Urdu-e-Mu'alla and he became a link between the old Dakhni and the new, rising, northern school of Urdu poetry, based in Delhi. Apart from the
historical role he played, he is a consummate artist in verse and a master of the ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
style, which was soon imitated by the poets of Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
Contribution of the Sufis
The contribution of the Sufis to this language is great. They were concerned with common people and found Hindavi the most suitable medium to convey their message to the people. It is the policy of SufisSufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
to use the Hindavi language for preaching their message of love of God and man and the equality of human beings before God. The first great leader of Chishtiya order, Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Ajmeri
Moinuddin Chishti
Sultan-ul-Hind, Moinuddin Chishti was born in 1141 and died in 1230 CE. Also known as Gharīb Nawāz "Benefactor of the Poor" , he is the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order of the Indian Subcontinent. He introduced and established the order in South Asia...
(1143–1237) reached the subcontinent around 1200. Nizamuddin Aulia
Nizamuddin Auliya
Sultan-ul-Mashaikh, Mehboob-e-Ilahi, Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya , also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent, an order that believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to...
of Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, the fourth saint of the Chishtiya
Chishti Order
The Chishtī Order is a Sufi order within the mystic branches of Islam which was founded in Chisht, a small town near Herat, Afghanistan about 930 CE. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. The doctrine of the Chishti Order is based on walāya, which is a...
order helped in popularizing this language. Shaikh Burhanuddin Gharib, a disciple of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya had the credit of introducing the Hindavi language in the Deccan. Others after him like Zar Zari Zar Baksh
Zar Zari Zar Baksh
Zar Zari Zar Baksh, or Shah Muntajab ud din, was one of the earliest Sufis of the Chishti Order, the most dominant of all the Sufi orders in the Indian subcontinent. He was sent to the Deccan by Nizamuddin Auliya of Dehli in the beginning of the 8th century Hijri...
and Khwaja Zainuddin Shirazi
Khwaja Zainuddin Shirazi
Zainuddin Shirazi is a Sufi saint of the Deccan, belonging to the Chishti Order .-Shaikh Zain-ud-din:.Shaikh Zain ud din Daud was born at Shiraz in Hijri. 701 and went to Delhi by way of Mecca. He studied under Maulana Kamal ud din of Samana, and came with him to Daulatabad...
also contributed to the development of the language.
Eighteenth Century
Under the influence of Wali Aurangabadi’sWali Mohammed Wali
Wali Muhammad Wali , was a classical Urdu poet of the subcontinent....
progressive trends in the Ghazal form; some of the poets of Aurangabad also attempted it. Some of the contemporaries of Wali, viz., Mirza Dawood, Muhammad Mah Mehram and others belonged to Aurangabad. Dawood was one of them who pushed forward the literary movement. He belonged to this period. He died in 1195 AH. Mehram was the son of Nawab Shujaat Khan, the Subedar of Berar
Berar Subah
-Origin of name:According to the Ain-i-Akbari, the original name of Berar was Waradatat .-History:Before the Mughal occupation, Berar was part of the Nizam Shahi sultanate of Ahmadnagar. It was ceded to the emperor Akbar by Chand Bibi in 1596, unable to stand against the imperial forces led by...
. He died in 1166 AH.
Balaji Trimbak Naik Zarra was also a good poet of the later half of this period. He composed poetry in Ghazal form and Marsiya as well. He was the pupil of Mirza Jan Rasa. His Dizoan is preserved in the Asifiya Library
Andhra Pradesh State Central Library
The State Central Library Hyderabad, better known as the State Central Library , is a public library in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. The building was constructed in 1891 by Nawab Imad-ul-Mulk...
. In one of his Ghazals, he has mentioned some of the poets of Aurangabad such as Zia, Jaffer, Yakdam, Syed, Raza and others.
During this period several poets from Burhanpur
Burhanpur
Burhanpur is an important city in Madhya Pradesh state, India. It is the administrative seat of Burhanpur District. It is situated on the north bank of the Tapti River, southwest of Bhopal and northeast of Mumbai...
also settled at Aurangabad. One of them viz., Asi deserves a mention. Asi was in the service of Asaf Jah I. He died in 1172 AH. Besides Ghazals, he has left behind him two mathnavis Khulasatul Maarif and Anwa-ul-Ulus.
In the second half of the 18th century, the Deccan produced Siraj, a poet of extraordinary calibre.
Siraj Aurangabadi
Siraj Aurangabadi
Siraj Aurangabadi was a famous mystic poet. He was born at Aurangabad Maharashtra. His full name was Siraj-ud-Din Aurangabadi.-Life:...
was born at Aurangabad in 1127 AH. Right from his young age, he was inclined towards Sufism. He was held in high esteem in the circle of Sufis. Up to 1147 AH. he composed poems in Persian but afterwards he was inclined towards Urdu poetry. He died in 1177 AH. He has left behind him a mathnavi Bostan-i-Khyal and a collection of Ghazals. Bostan-i-Khyal is the last longest mathnavi of the Deccan. It portrays the true picture of his emotional love, the feeling that dominates the heart. It deals with Sufism. He had also compiled a small collection of Persian poetry by the name of Diwanha. A number of poets have benefited by his craftsmanship and talent. Some of them viz., Khwaja Inayatulla Futuwat (1223 AH), Khwaja Abulbarkat Ishrat (1187 AH), Syed Ashraf Ali Faza (1195 AH), Mirza Mughal Kamtar (1183 AH), Lala Jaikishan Bejan, Muhamed Raza Beg Raza and Mirza Muhammedjani are worth mentioning.
Up to the end of the 19th century Aurangabad produced some other poets of excellent repute.
Arifuddin Ajiz (1178) is a well-known poet of this period. He held the post of a Bakshi in the regime of Asaf jah. Besides Ghazals, he has left behind him a mathnavi named Lal-O-Hohar also. A poet named Shahid (1178 AH) who hailed from Ahmedabad had settled at Aurangabad, and led the life of a Sufi. Mehar of this age has also been praised by Shafiq in his Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
. Mir Miran Raz (1180 AH) was a mansabdar. He composed poetry in Urdu and Persian.
Dargahquli Khan Dargah (1180 AH) could be regarded as one of the best poets of this period. He belonged to the well-known family of Salarjang
Salar Jung family
The Salar Jung family was a noble family of erstwhile Hyderabad state, India under the Nizams, who ruled the state from 1720 to 1948. The family is credited with the safeguarding rare artefacts and collections, which are now at Salarjung Museum....
. Dargah was not only a good soldier, but in the field of literature also he has shown his craftsmanship. He was a poet of a high caliber. He composed poetry in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and Arabic. Besides Ghazals, he has shown his poetic talent in Marsiya form also.
Fazli was one of the Sufi poets of Aurangabad. Besides Ghazals, he left behind him two mathnavis, Birah Bhaluka and Prem Luha. In prose also, he is the author of one work on Sufism, Zad-i-Azad.
Wahid and Sami were also top ranking and senior poets of this period. The ancestors of Sami had come to the Deccan with Alamgir and settled there. A good number of young poets were trained by him. Lalchand Ramjin and Abdul Hadi were some of his good students. Sami left behind him two mathnavis, Sarvo-Shashad and Talib-o- Mohan.
Sarim was one of the mansabdars of Aurangabad. He was the son of Samsam-ud-Daula Shahnawaz Khan
Shams ud Daula Shah Nawaz Khan
The father son duo of Shah Nawaz Khan and Abdul Hai Khan composed the Ma-'asiru-l Umra, a biographical dictionary of the illustrious men who flourished in Hindostan and the Dakhan from the time of Akbar to H. 1155. He was given the title of Shams ud Daula by Asaf Jah.They resided in the city of...
, the author of Massir-ul-Umra
Ma'asir al-umara
Ma'asir al-Umara, written by Nawab Shams ud Daula Shah Nawaz Khan and his son Abdul Hai Khan, at Aurangabad, is a Persian biography of notables in the Mughal Empire during the time period approximately 1556-1780. Variants of the title include Ma'athir al-Umara, Maasir al-Umara, and Maathir ul-Umara...
. For some time he was appointed Diwan of Berar. Besides he also acted as the Nazir of Aurangabad and Risaladar of Daulatabad. Poets Mubtila and Nudrat also belonged to the generation of good poets of Aurangabad. Both of them were mansabdars in the Asif jahi regime.
Zaka, son of Azad Bilgrami
Azad Bilgrami
Azad Bilgrami is one of the most significant scholar of Arabic, Persian and Urdu languages in 18th century India. He is the first Indian poet of Arabic whose poetic compilation is available. The King of Yemen had had acknowledged his poetic genius and accorded him the title of Hassan Al-Hind.-Early...
, a well-known learned man was also a top ranking poet of Aurangabad. He was also a mansabdar. He composed poetry in Urdu and Persian as well.
Tamanna was a court poet in the time of Samsamul Mulk and Arastujah. Tamanna has compiled one Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
, Gul-i-Ajaib in 1194 A. H. The poet Qazi Muhammed Karan Bakhsh of Parbhani
Parbhani
Parbhani is a city in Parbhani district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Parbhani, formerly known as “Prabhavatinagar”, is a city in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Parbhani District.Parbhani is approximately situated at the centre of Maharashtra...
district was trained by Zaka. Arman, Sharar, Ashufta and Shauq among others were the students of Tamanna. Tamanna died in 1204 AH.
Mir Mhd. Sharif Maftun was also one of the Ustad poets of this period. Besides the poets mentioned above, Uruj, Anwar and Meherban also belonged to Aurangabad.
So far as Urdu prose is concerned, after 1150 A. H. several books on history, and of Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
s could be traced which have been written by the writers of Aurangabad. Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
Gulshan-i-Guftar tops the list. The author of this Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
is Khwaja Khan Hamid and the date of its compilation is 1165 A. H. In the same year a Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
Nikat-ush-Shaura was compiled by Mir Taqi Mir in which he mentioned Wali as Aurangabadi while Khwaja Khan who belonged to Aurangabad had mentioned Wali as Gujarati. Shams Waliulla who hailed from Aurangabad and his works are preserved in India Library. The second Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
of Aurangabad has been compiled by Khwaja Inayatulla. The name of the Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
is Riyaz-i-Hasni and the date of compilation is 1168 A. H.
After 1184 A. H. there appeared slackness in the literary activities of Aurangabad. The Nawabs, Mansabdars and the other high ranking officers who were men of letters themselves and great patrons and lovers of art and literature, gradually left for Hyderabad as it was given the status of the capital of the Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
's State. The poets and other literary personalities also left Aurangabad because of want of patronage.
Nineteenth Century
Eventually, in a short time Aurangabad lost its literary impartance. Yet, in spite of the apparent slackness, up to 1859, Aurangabad could boast of some poets of extraordinary genius.Lala Lachmi-narian Shafiq of this period holds a high position. Shafiq was born in 1157 A. H. His father Mansaram and he held high posts in the Asaf Jahi regime. Shafiq had the rare distinction to be trained by Ghulam Ali Azad Bilgrami
Azad Bilgrami
Azad Bilgrami is one of the most significant scholar of Arabic, Persian and Urdu languages in 18th century India. He is the first Indian poet of Arabic whose poetic compilation is available. The King of Yemen had had acknowledged his poetic genius and accorded him the title of Hassan Al-Hind.-Early...
. After 1184 A. H. he had shifted to Hyderabad but he always preferred Aurangabad. He composed poetry in Urdu and Persian as well. He left behind him several Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
s of poets of which Chamanistam-i-shaura of Urdu poet’s demands special mention. His mathnavi Taswir-i-janan also is well-known. Some of his other works, viz., Maasir-i-Asifi, Maasir-i-Hyderi, Bisat-ul-Ghatnaim, Mirat-ul-Hind, Nakhlistan, Tazkira-i-Guru Nanak, etc., are in prose. Shafiq's brother Lala Roop Narain Zahin also was one of the good poets of this period. He was also a mansabdar. He died in 1223 AH.
Mir Bahauddin Uruj (1230 A. H.), Mir Hasan Ali Ima (1230 AH) and Mir Abudulqadir Meherban were also well-known poets. Meherban was well versed in Persian and Arabic languages. He knew the Turkish language too. He was a student of Azad Bilgrami
Azad Bilgrami
Azad Bilgrami is one of the most significant scholar of Arabic, Persian and Urdu languages in 18th century India. He is the first Indian poet of Arabic whose poetic compilation is available. The King of Yemen had had acknowledged his poetic genius and accorded him the title of Hassan Al-Hind.-Early...
. It is said that he is the author of several books but none of his books are now available. Shafiq has praised his poetic talents.
Besides the poets mentioned above Murtaza Mehdi (1178 A. H.), Kanahyya Mal Haquir (1177 A. H.), Mirza Ata Zia (1182 A. H.), Syed Fakhruddin Fakhr (1190 A. H.), Shaikh Ahmed Muziar (1194 AH), Saronji Rai Lala (1200 A. H.), Mirza Muhammadi Baig Mirza (1201 A. H.), Shaikh Nuruddin Nadir (1201 A. H.), Mohan Lal Mehtab (1202 A. H.), and many others also originally belonged to Aurangabad but later migrated to Hyderabad.
In the last decades of the 18th century and the beginning of 19th century, a very important and authentic Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
, the Chamanistan-i-Shaura, was compiled by Lala Lachminarain Shafiq. Poet Tamanna is also an author of one Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
named Gul-i-Ajaib. It was compiled in 1194 A. H. Uruj has also left behind him one Tazkira
Tazkira
Tazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
, the Khizan-o-Bahar.
Modern Period
In the 20th century Aurangabad produced Sikandar Ali WajdSikandar Ali Wajd
Sikandar Ali Wajd was a talented Urdu poet from Aurangabad, Maharashtra India. He had equal proficiency in composing gazals and poems.-Professional life:...
a poet and Shaikh Chand (1906–36) produced great literary works. Waheed Akhtar
Waheed Akhtar
Syed Waheed Akhtar was an Urdu poet, writer, critic, distinguished orator, and one of the leading Muslim scholars and philosophers of the 20th century.- Life :...
(1934 — 1996) an Urdu poet, writer, critic, distinguished orator, scholar and philosopher was also from Aurangabad. His early education took place at Chelipura High School, a government school in Aurangabad. Renowned Urdu satire and humour writer Yusuf Nazim also belonged to Aurangabad as he was born in 1918 (died 2009) at Jalna
Jalna (city)
Jalna is a city and a municipal council in Jalna district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Jalna was formerly a part of Nizam State as a tahsil of Aurangabad district....
in Aurangabad district. He did his early education in Jalna and Intermediate from Osmania College Aurangabad, he graduated from Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
Hyderabad.
At Aurangabad a society called Anjuman Tarraqqi i Urdu for the advancement of Urdu was founded by Maulvi Abdul Haq
Maulvi Abdul Haq
Maulvi Abdul Haq was a scholar and linguist, who is also regarded as Baba-e-Urdu . He was a champion of the Urdu language and the demand for it to be made the national language of Pakistan.-Early life:...
q who was the Head of Urdu section of Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
and was once the chief of Translation Bureau. The Anjuman used to issue a quarterly journal titled ‘Urdu’ which rendered valuable service and published noteworthy literary works in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
. (Published Standard English – Urdu dictionary, Aurangabad 1937). Later Maulvi Abdul Haq
Maulvi Abdul Haq
Maulvi Abdul Haq was a scholar and linguist, who is also regarded as Baba-e-Urdu . He was a champion of the Urdu language and the demand for it to be made the national language of Pakistan.-Early life:...
q moved the offices of Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu from Aurangabad (Deccan) to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in 1938.
During the erstwhile Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
the Court language was Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
. Aurangabad was a “Suba” (province) and as head quarter of the province all the Record and Proceedings as well as Administratives files were maintained in Urdu language. On going through the oldest record, it appears that the same is consigned to record in 1296 Fasli (comparatively 1888 AD. approximately). The Head Judge of the region (province) was called as “Nazim-e-Adalat Suba” whereas the other District Judges such as Parbhani, Beed and Osmanabad were known as “Nazim-e-Adalat Zilla”. The records and proceedings arising out of Parbhani
Parbhani
Parbhani is a city in Parbhani district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Parbhani, formerly known as “Prabhavatinagar”, is a city in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Parbhani District.Parbhani is approximately situated at the centre of Maharashtra...
, Beed
Beed
Beed is a town and administrative headquarters of the district of the same name located in central Maharashtra state of India. According to 2001 census, it is the largest urban area in the district with a population of 138,091. Calculated population of 2010 is 161,604. It ranks 295th in population...
and Osmanabad
Osmanabad
Osmanabad is a city and a municipal council in Osmanabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:The city of Osmanabad is located at . It has an average elevation of 647 metres ....
are consigned to Central Record room of Aurangabad being a “Suba”. The Court language was Urdu even after abolition of erstwhile Hyderabad State and this continued till 1956.
See also
Reference
- List of Urdu Authors
- Hindu Writers of Urdu Literature
- Encyclopaedic survey of Islamic culture - Mohamed Taher