New Developments In Literature, Art And Architecture In Punjab Region

INTRODUCTION

Punjab saw the growth of education, art and architecture during the medieval period. Rulers of the Mughal dynasty of the sultanate were great lovers of art and education. Punjabi literature was boosted by sikh empire under maharaja Ranjit Singh.  

DEVELOPMENT OF LITERATURE UNDER DIFFERENT PERIOD :-  

  • During the reign of the Slave dynasty, Persian literature spread a lot. "Taj ul Masseur" by Hasan Nizami deals with events of the slave dynasty. The Court of Iltutmish was an asylum of great scholars and poets. The famous poet Amir Khusti was the glory of the Balban court.
  • Muhammad bin Tughlaq was a great lover of literature and his court was adorned by great scholars. "Safarnama" by IBN Batuta was great of his time.
  • Under Mughals Persian was the national and state language and major works were written in Persian. Babur wrote 'Tuzuk I Baburi' in Turkish. Humayun was a great scholar and had a love for astronomy and geography. His son Akbar although was illiterate but his court was full of scholars, poets and writers. Reign of Akbar was a golden age for Indo-Muslim literature.
  • Sikh Gurus Gave new shape to Punjabi literature . Guru Nanak gave a new script to the Punjabi language which came to be known as Gurumukhi. Adi Granth was compiled by 5th Guru Arjan dev and he also wrote "sukhmani". 
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh was very passionate about literature. Many heroic poems were compiled in Punjabi literature. Hindi literature also flourished under him. 

DEVELOPMENT OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE DURING MEDEIVAL PERIOD

  • Under the Slave dynasty great buildings were constructed. Qutab ud din Aibak built the 'Quwwat UL Islam' and started the construction of the Qutub Minar. Seri Was the building built by Ala ud din Khilji who was a passionate builder and built many monuments like 'Jamaal khana Masjid' etc. 
  • Under Mughals many buildings were made which had Persian touch in them. Din-i-Panah was constructed by Humayun which was destroyed by Sher Shah Suri. The buildings developed by Akbar are fine examples of Indo-Persian style of which certain examples are Tomb of Humayun, Boland Darwaza etc. Shahjapan's reign is known as the golden age for architecture. He built many buildings like Taj Mahal , Agra Fort , Red fort. JAMA Masjid and many more.
  • Sikh Gurudawars are another example of fine Architecture which reflect the blend of Mughal and Rajput styles, onion shaped dome, paved plaster, multifoil arches are some Mughal elements, while oriental windows, bracket supported caves are elements of Rajputs design. Golden temple, Ram Bagh Garden L, Gurudwara Dera Sahib and many more are such examples.

CONCLUSION

The literature, art and Architecture flourished in Punjab during different dynasties. Rulers were themselves passionate lovers of art and left beautiful compilations and constructions of different art forms and literature. 

BOOK REFERENCE ( CLICK TO BUY )

The Sikhs of the Punjab: 03 (The New Cambridge History of India)

A HISTORY OF THE SIKHS VOL 1