Hindavi
Also called: Hindawi · Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Through the Eyes of Travellers"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"
Meaning
Hindavi was the everyday spoken language of north India around Delhi in the Sultanate period. The name means "the language of Hind". It is an early form of the languages that later grew into Hindi and Urdu. Chishti sufis in Delhi used it to talk with ordinary people instead of Persian, the language of the court. That choice brought sufi ideas closer to common people and helped build a shared culture.
Example
In the 14th century, Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya's khanqah (sufi hospice) at Ghiyaspur near Delhi was a place where conversation happened in Hindavi. His follower Amir Khusrau (1253–1325) wrote poetry in Persian and is also linked with verses in Hindavi.
Don't confuse with
- Dakhani: This was the southern form of the same language, used in the Deccan. Chishtis around Bijapur wrote Dakhani songs in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Related concepts
- Chishti silsila
- Muinuddin Chishti
- Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki
- Nizamuddin Auliya
- Nasiruddin Chiragh-i Dehli
- Baba Farid
- Shaikh Salim Chishti
- Gesu Daraz
- Langar
- Sama