This book studies an important icon of medieval South Asian culture, Indian courtier, poet, musician and Sufi, Amir Khusraw (1253-1325), chiefly remembered for his poetry in Persian and Hindi, today an integral part of the performative qawwali tradition.

Acknowledgments

Map

1 INTRODUCTION

2 IN A CITY OF SULTANS, SUFIS, AND POETS: AMIR KHUSRAW AND DELHI

Muslim India in the Thirteenth Century

Early Life and Career

Keeping Company with Sufis

Last Years

3 AMIR KHUSRAW AND THE WORLD OF PERSIAN LITERATURE

Persian Literature in India

Poetics of the Sacred and Profane Ghazal

Legend and History in Narrative Poetry

Prose Works

4 AMIR KHUSRAW AND INDIAN CULTURAL TRADITIONS

Music and Qawwali

Hindavi Poetry

Describing India

The Poet in Our Time

APPENDIX I: Biographical account of Amir Khusraw from Amir Khurd¿s Siyar al-awliya

APPENDIX II: Tale of the Tatar princess Gulnari, narrated on Tuesday in the Red Pavilion, from Amir Khusraw¿s Hasht bihisht

Chronology

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

Sunil Sharma is Senior Lecturer in Persian at Boston University. Works include: Persian Poetry at the Indian Frontier (Permanent Black, 2000).