Amīr Khusrow (born 1253, Patiali [now in Uttar Pradesh], India—died 1325, Delhi) was an Indo-Persian poet, musician, and historian, widely regarded as one ofIndia’s greatest Persian-language poets. Khusrow is popularly acknowledged as the creator ofqawwali, a musical performance of Sufi poetry. During his lifetime, he developed Hindawi (also called Rekhta), adialect of the Urdu language that is a blend ofUrdu andHindi.

Life and career

Amīr Khusrow was born to Bibi Daulatnaz, an IndianRajput, and Amīr Saif-al-Dīn Maḥmūd Shamsī, a Turk who migrated to India during the reign ofIltutmish,sultan of Delhi. Khusrow’s father, who was an officer in Iltutmish’s service, died when Khusrow was eight years old. Young Khusrow was taken in by his maternal grandfather, who taught himArabic,Persian, andcalligraphy. During his youth he became a dedicated follower of thesaint ofDelhi, Niẓām al-Dīn Awliyāʾ, of theChishtīdervish order; eventually he was buried next to the saint at the Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, the shrine of Niẓām al-Dīn Awliyāʾ in New Delhi. Until his death, Khusrow served as a poet to about seven rulers of the Delhi sultanate, includingSultan Ghīyās-ud-Dīn Balban, Muḥammad Khān ofMultān, and ʿAlāʾ-al-Dīn Khaljī.

TheHindu festival ofVasant Panchami (which marks theonset of spring in India) has been celebrated at the Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia in New Delhi since the 14th century. The practice is believed to have originated from an incident involving Niẓām al-Dīn Awliyāʾ and Khusrow. When Niẓām al-Dīn Awliyāʾ was devastated by the death of his 15-year-old nephew, he went into mourning, casting a somber mood over thezāwiyah (monastic complex). One spring day Khusrow encountered Hindu women celebrating Vasant Panchami near theYamuna River. They were dressed in yellow and were singing songs while carrying mustard flowers. Khusrow learned that this was their way of thanking the gods for a good spring harvest. Inspired, he returned to thezāwiyah dressed similarly, singing and playing adhol (double-headed drum), creating an atmosphere of joy. Seeing his disciple’s efforts made Niẓām al-Dīn Awliyāʾ smile after months of sorrow. Sufis honor the tradition by wearing yellow, offering mustard flowers, and performingqawwalis (Sufi songs) in Khusrow’s memory on Vasant Panchami.

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Contribution to Indian classical music

Khusrow was not only a poet but also a pioneer inIndian classical music. He is famously known for inventingtarana, a fast-paced vocal style that has become anintegral part of classical music training and performance. HiscompositionSakal Ban (Hindi: “All Fields”), which describes the spring season, has been widely used in Indian classical music and popularculture. Some accounts, though debated, also credit Khusrow with the invention of thetabla (a pair of small drums).

Works

Sometimes known asTuti-i-Hind (Persian: “the Parrot of India”), Amīr Khusrow wrote numerous works, among them five divans (collections of poems), which were compiled at different periods in his life, and hisKhamsah (“Pentalogy”), a group of five long idylls in emulation of theKhamseh of the celebrated Persian poetNeẓāmī (c. 1141–1209). Khusrow’s pentalogy deals with general themes famous in Islamicliterature. In addition to his poetry, he is known for a number ofprose works, including theKha zāʾin al-futūḥ (“The Treasure-Chambers of the Victories”), also known by the titleTārīkh-e ʿAlāʾī (“The History of Ala”). Two historical poems for which he is well known areNuh Sipihr (“The Nine Heavens”) and theTughluq-nāmah (“The Book of Tughluq”). Khusrow wrote in various poetic forms, includingmas̄navī andghazal.