Identities of Composite literary tradition during the Sultanate of Delhi: A study of Amir Khusrau and Kabir in the making of Indian heritage (Published)
The history of Medieval India had long been interpreted on two grounds basically, – the age of destruction of Indian civilization by the central Asian invaders; and the growth of composite culture. But the above terms reflect contradictory sense because if the advent of foreigners fully eliminated India’s glorious past then how could there be an amelioration of cultural assimilation during our period of study. In this regard, communalist modern scholars of this period can be held responsible, who sought to disseminate unscientific viewpoints on both Hindu and Muslim superiority, or at best with a so-called notion of “community crisis”. In fact, it is not even so hard to identify the biasness of Marxist scholars who set up a dominance in medieval Indian history writing by excluding many impartial treatments. However, as a chief offshoot of this composite tradition the mystic literary practice had thrived out of Bhakti and Sufi movement, which imparted the idea of love and devotion for God, simultaneously emphasized the harmonious social relationship through the spiritual promulgation of human relationship with extra-mundane world. This paper has attempted to describe the literary aspects of Delhi Sultanate period, by which the composite cultural scenario can be discernible in the making of Indian heritage, and tried to evaluate several subsided corners of this subject. As a part of my discussion, therefore, I have decided to provide a critical analysis about the two most prominent mystic authors of this age- Amir Khusrau and Kabir.
Keywords: Amir Khusrau, Delhi, India, Kabir, Mystic, Sultanate
Indian Values In Oc Eo Culture Case Study – Go Thap, Dong Thap Province (Published)
Oc Eo is one of the ancient cultures in the Southern part of Vietnam, which belonged to the ancient Funan Kingdom. The ancient Funan was the earliest nation formed and developed in Southeast Asia between the 1st and 7th century AD. In its heyday, the Kingdom was highly developed in terms of society, economy, and great military power. Oc Eo port was considered as an important international market and also one of the centers of culture and commerce of Funan. When considering Funan, it was Oc Eo that was mostly mentioned, the economy and culture of Oc Eo reflected that of Funan. What belongs to this culture now is only in the form of antiques, artifacts and monuments scattering throughout the lands in southern Vietnam such as An Giang, Kien Giang, Tien Giang, Dong Nai, Long An and Tay Ninh province, etc. particularly Dong Thap which is known for the historical site and relics of Go Thap which bear all the hallmarks of India such as Go Minh Su, the Sun God temple, Shiva temple, Vishnu temple, God Pond, God sculptures, golden Buddha, stone, wood, and reliefs. Each single relic and artifact in Go Thap contains cultural and religious values of India. Currently, the historical site of Go Thap which has been excavated by well-known archaeologists both national and international is ranked as the special National Monument. Therefore, the aim of this article is to elucidate the influence of Indian culture on that of Oc Eo, namely the culture of Go Thap in terms of religious beliefs, architectural shrines, god sculptures, and reliefs.
Keywords: Culture, Dong Thap Province, Go Thap, India