The Development Of Persian Language And Literature During The Muslim Era In The Valley Of Kashmir: A Historical And Cultural Analysis

Abstract

This paper aims at discussing the evolution of Persian language in the Valley of Kashmir during the Muslim period especially in its linguistics, cultural and social political prospectives. In this research, historical and cultural approach have been used to discuss Persian language learning in context of its introduction during the Sultanate period in the fourteenth century and its zenith during the Mughal rule. Department of Urdu, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India the figures like Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin and Shams-ud-Din prized a Kashmiri-Persian heterogeneous textual culture which was innovative for its time. Using primary materials, namely the Persian manuscripts and royal decrees, the library of Persian poetry, and secondary sources, the study unveils the important position of Persian in building a new intellectual and cultural image of the region. Furthermore, it examines the role of Mughal support and the sociopolitical environment that helped promote Persian literature as well. There is also an exploration of the contact between Persian and Kashmiri in order to explain the cultural incorporation of the Persian influence into the region’s literature. Lastly, the study proves that the influence of Persian on the Modern Kashmiri literature and the latter’s relation to the cultural history of the region remained long-lasting.