Abstract: This paper is a brief attempt to discuss the political, social and cultural milieu which facilitated synergy between different religious groups and beliefs in Medieval India. Even though the political history of Medieval India can be located to the Chalukyas, the Pandyas, the Pallavas and the Rashtrakutas my emphasis shall more or less revolve only around the Mughal Empire and particularly on Akbar. I also attempted discovering the various political and social ideologies which influenced the Mughal Empire in promoting syncretic trends. This paper also concerns about the social and cultural aspect which promoted syncretic trends, which is explained with the influence of Sufism, Bhakti movement, Vaishnavas, influence of literatures like Kabir, existence of shrines and religious conversions in Medieval India. 1.0 Introduction: Different religions have found origin and also long and continuing existence in India, contributing to its diversity and pluralism. The establishment of the Sultanate can even be called historically evaluated as the beginning of a new phase in the history of medieval India. It has facilitated a culture of syncretism, which must be explained in relation to various socio-cultural practices which existed during medieval India. If in medieval India, Tolerance and harmony was appreciated, co-existence and cooperation were celebrated with due regards. Anti-syncretic trends were also, present but it was largely neglected due to the peculiar political, social and cultural context. 2.0 Syncretism in Medieval India With the rise of secular national states, markedly with multi-ethnic background, the concept of ‘syncretism’ has acquired its own importance. Historical evidences points that medieval India enjoyed enough of synergy not discord between different religious groups and beliefs. The political context for initiating syncretism in medieval India has largely to do with the establishment of sultanate and the policies they followed. The establishment of Saltanat in north India was always conscious to come in terms with Indian situation, and thus did not forcefully and systematically impose Islam upon their subjects. Their concern and emphasis was on revenue rather than proselytizing the non-Muslim population. They never wanted to destabilize the cultural and social situation which will further destabilize their steady revenue. They even distanced from men of religion and also were promoting the peaceful coexistence of different religious groups and beliefs. According to Muzaffar Alam, tolerance[1] and the promotion of indigenous intermediaries[2] (Saberwal, 2008)was largely encouraged by Saltanat. The acceptance of syncretic trends is not unopposed, even though some of the rulers and orthodoxy has opposed such trends but a large majority of people has accepted it. Babar, the founder of the Mughal rule and his son Humayun had broad visions and inclinations to support Islam and Hinduism but owing to their short rule, not many positive steps could be taken (Burman , 2001). But Akbar could initiate much more. He even initiated an eclectic faith called 'Din-I-Illahi', abolished ‘Jizya’ or pilgrim tax for Hindus, abolished all restriction on the public worship of non-Muslims, appreciated the translation of epics like Mahabharata, Ramayana and Vedic literature into Persian. He even married Hindu princess and allowed his spouses to practice their religious rites (Ghodratollahi, 2007, p. 19). He also supported the congregations of scholars from diverse religious faiths organised in the Hall of Worship constructed by him in Fatehpur Sikri (Burman , 2001, p. 1227) where discussions would happen every Thursday (Ghodratollahi, 2007). For Akbar, monopoly of truth does not lie under any single religion. Such a thought was a result of the philosophical and religious discussion mostly held at the ‘Ibādat Khāna’ (Hall of Worship in Fatehpur Sikri). And it’s not just Muslim rulers who promoted syncretistic practices but also many non-Muslim rulers (in southern India). Sometimes they even gave lands for establishing mosques and also allowed Muslim saints to operate within their territories. For realising his doctrine of Solh-i-koll (tolerance) he was successful in initiating many socio cultural and political reforms as mentioned above. Apart from these, the political ideology of ‘akhlaq’ called for the welfare of all subjects, irrespective of their religion. This has intense effect for facilitating synergy between different religious groups and beliefs in Medieval India. Manuals outlining akhlaq ideology was extensively circulated within Mughal ruling class (Saberwal, 2008, p. 7). According to the doctrine of akhlaq, both the Muslims and non-Muslims enjoy divine compassion (rahmat-i-Haqq) in equal measure and justice is defined in the ideal state as social harmony and also the coordination and balance of the conflicting claims of diverse interest group that may comprise of various religions (Alam , 2004). The syncretic trends were better facilitated due to the activities and influence of Sufism, Bhakti movement and also the sects like the Ismaili’s. According to Rasheeduddin Khan, two fundamental traditions has profoundly influenced Indian; the Indo-Aryan cultural stream which provided Vedic philosophy, and the Indo-Muslim strand of culture based on the intertwining of 'bhakti marg' and Islamic Sufism the composite culture in India (Burman , 1996). This facilitated the seeds of reconciliation, co-existence and cooperation to be sown in Indian soil. But this is not to argue that, there were no absolute tensions between the two communities. The influence of Sufism in India can be better seen in the veneration of dargahs and mazars of the saints of various orders both by Hindus and Muslims. The popular dargahs like Muin-ud-din Chisti in Ajmer and Nizam-ud-din Auliya in Delhi underlines the same. Sufi’s were never following the orthodoxy of ‘shariat’ but were open to personal quest of spirituality. They were much flexible than Sunnis and Shias. Many Sufis showed adherence to the doctrine of ‘wahdat al wujud’, which emphasised and believed in the divine unity underlying all the diversity of religious practices and beliefs. This doctrine contributed to the process of blending of different cultures and also to the formation of religious synthesis. Sufi’s are well known for their willingness to reach out and relate to others (Saberwal, 2008, p. 9). There were many social practices, rituals and folk’s practices, whose exercise would be the violation of ‘shariat’, many Sufis were still practicing the same. The doctrinal elasticity within Sufism must be appreciated. The ‘wajudis’ for instance hold that, ‘God is reflected in everything including the non-Muslims, so Hindus should not be denounced as infidel’ (Dey, 2011). It is very much true that the spread of Islam in South Asia was better facilitated by Sufi’s. So, it is very much essential to recognize the role of Sufi’s in creating a context for cultural synthesis between different religions in medieval India. Saints of the Bhakti movements are also provided a compatible situation for syncretism to flourish. For many scholars, the bhakti movement in India has been to a large extent responsible for promoting eclectic faiths and lessening the religious orthodoxy. According to Lokhandwalla, "The Sufi and bhakti movements blurred the differences between the two religions so much that it was very common till very recently to have a sadguru or a pir having a common following of Hindus and Muslim (Burman , 1996). Many bhakti saints have attempted to harmonise and flourish the orthogenetic elements of both Hinduism and Islam. Their philosophy of life was better comprehendible by common people and was closer to the social ethics and customs of poor and artisans. The Vaishnavas, who also enjoyed enough followers in medieval India, were open to everyone regardless of caste or religious backgrounds. It should be noted that anti-syncretic trends were not completely absent in medieval India. Ulama and certain categories of Brahmins have identified their own distinct space, views and practices. Recurrent pattern of ‘religious and sexual transgressions’ were present which included the destruction of mosques and temples (Saberwal, 2008, p. 11). Syncretic trends were embedded in some of domains of creativity and literature during medieval era. The composers of ‘Marsiya’ (an Iranian Shia musical tradition) drew on the language of their locality, on its compositional traditions and on its physical and social features and Sufis and both Hindu and Muslim nobility has written extraordinary body of bilingual poetry there were (Saberwal, 2008). Literature infact was a powerful tool to embed the existing syncretic traditions. Poets like Kabir has even attempted to simplify the notion of god as mystic object and also regarded the spiritual foundations of both Islam and Hinduism as one and also found equal inspiration in both. There is little or no evidence to argue that; state sponsored proselytization was promoted in medieval India in extensive manner. Even the act of ‘conversions’ (to different religions) were largely not by the use of force. Infact it can be argued that, class oppressions and also Brahmanical oppression has contributed reasons for religious conversion. If Islam seems to have strengthened the de-ritualising and egalitarian trends in Hinduism then Hindu philosophy seems to have strengthened the mystical spiritual strain in Muslim religious though. J.J Burman argues that ‘It could not be an accident that during the long period of Muslim rule the Bhakti movement gathered consider-able following in Islam’ (Burman , 2001, p. 1227). Sketches of syncretism from the very beginning can be traced to the existing ‘shrines’ and customs which are dedicated objects of worship for persons of different religions. J.J Burman has traced many symbols and objects of syncretism in India. The tradition of a peculiar cultural-religious ritual of mock selling and buying of new born infants between the Hindus and Muslims is prevalent in Assam (Eastern part of India), the influence of the dargahs of Khwaja Muinuddin Hasan Chisti of Ajmer in Rajasthan In the western part of India, the shrine of Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi in the north and Sabrimala in Kerala[3] illustrates such evidences. 3.0 Conclusion Sharif Husain Qasimi has argued that during the medieval period, Hindus and Muslim scholars in India made their best efforts to help each other to highlight the basic feature of wisdom and intellect of their homeland (Kidwai, 2014). Principles of toleration, harmony, cooperation, coexistence and justice can be traced to the political and social ideologies or doctrines like Solh-i-koll, rahmat-i-Haqq, 'Din-I-Illahi', akhlaq which has influenced Mughal rulers to considerable amount and also to the principles and acts followed by various rulers. For the blending of different cultures and beliefs in Medieval India as a reality, thanks to Bhakti movement and the internally flexible ‘Sufism’. Influence of Sufism in India is not just limited to the veneration of dargahs and mazars but also to the principles and ideological flexibility it provided. Literature and literatures of people like Kabir has also promoted towards syncretism .Decent nature of religious conversion and absence of force in it is to some extent a reality. This is not a reductionist reading of reality, but a relative reading of circumstances and evidences. Anti-syncretism and religious orthodoxy were also the part of social reality but the larger influence of socio-political and cultural circumstances has reduced it to optimum minimal. - Ashique Ali T Works Cited Alam , M., 2004. 'Sharia in Naserean Akhlaq'. In: The languages of Political Islam in India. Delhi: Permanent Black, pp. 46-69. Burman , J. J. R., 1996. Hindu-Muslim Syncretism in India. Economic and Political Weekly, 31(20), pp. 1211-1215. Burman , J. J. R., 2001. Shivaji's Myth and Maharashtra's Syncretic Traditions. Economic and Political Weekly, 36(14/15), pp. 1226-1234. Dey, A., 2011. Review: Sufism and Society in Medieval India, Raziuddin Aquil ed.. Social Scientist, 39(5/6), pp. 94-97. Ghodratollahi, E., 2007. AKbar, the doctrine of Solh-i-Koll and Hindu Muslim Relations. Journal of Religious Thought: A Quarterly Weekly Of Shiraz University, Issue 21, pp. 3-22. Kidwai, S., 2014. The syncretic link, s.l.: The Hindu. Saberwal, S., 2008. Medieval Legacy. In: In Spirals of Contention. New Delhi: Routledge, pp. 1-31. [1] Tolerance was practised for indigenous customary law and religious practices. [2] Saltanat encouraged Hindus to enter state service and also learn Persian. [3] It is customary for the devotees who visit the temple of Ayyappa to first pay their obeisance to the shrine of a Muslim saint named 'Vavara' or Vavarswamy, located at Erumeli.
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