Introduction
Ever since the dawn of writing, humans have been trying to make it more communicative in both reading and visual sense, giving rise to decorative handwritings called Calligraphy. This artwork have existed in India since ancient times, evolving according to the need. It went through several changes from the usage of tools like brushes, pens and chisel and the medium of leaf, paper and stone. It was started with decorating of palm-leaf manuscripts of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist scriptures, but it was heightened to glory during medieval period with the advent of Islamic art. Delhi being the hub of manuscript creation and duplication, also became the hub of calligraphic schools and traditions, being a capital of several empires only aggravated its development.
Dawn in Delhi Sultanate
The establishment of Delhi Sultanate under the Mamluk Sultan Qutb ud-Din Aibak in 12th century brought Persian influence in the Indian subcontinent. The Mongol Invasions in the following century led to the mass migration of intellectual and artistic members of society from Transoxania and Khurasan regions to the capital city Delhi in looking for a safe haven. Due to these developments, Persian became the language of court and official documents and Arabic as language of religion.
Emperors under Delhi Sultanate heavily patronized calligraphy above any other art form. It was due to the prohibition of figurative representation of Islam that motivated artists to discover ingenious ways of decorations in calligraphy. It began to be used in manuscripts of biographies, court documents, religious work etc. It also decorated the walls, screens, facades of various structures like mosques, tombs, minars, palaces, gardens, forts etc.
The most famous examples for ornamental calligraphy in architecture is in Qutb Complex and Qila-e-Kuhna Mosque—made by second Afghan emperor Sher Shah Suri. At the start of this Turko-Persian based decorative tradition there are evidences of Indian influences with vines, flowers and bells. It shows the experimental nature of early local workers trying to copy alien looking script before the migration of skilled masters. Naskh and Kufic style of script is usually seen in this period.
Golden Age under Mughals
The art form reached its zenith under the cultural explosion of Mughal period. Some scholars even call this the Golden Age of Islamic Calligraphy. A calligrapher enjoyed higher position then painters and regular scribes in the Imperial Atelier established funded by Emperor. This shows the importance of decorative handwritings in ornamentation of scriptures and inscriptions.
This was so celebrated that different types of calligraphic script can be found in every aspects of life i.e. coins, farmans (royal decree), ceramics, textiles, along with their normal occurrence as decorative piece in manuscripts, and architecture. A distinct feature of decorative handwriting of this period is the elegantly detailed pieces with the use of gold leaves and multicolored ink. It was done to showcase luxurious Mughal Court life.
The most prominent example of Mughal Calligraphy of Delhi is visible in court works like Padshahnama and translations of Dara Shikoh. Architecture wise skills of the calligrapher shines in inscriptions of Humayun’s Tomb and Red Fort. It used red sandstone and white marble with beautiful Pietra Dura carvings for aesthetic. They are most commonly written in Nastaliq, Naskh and Thuluth style of script.
Types of Script
Naskh: It is the most common type of script found in Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire. It was typically used to write Persian on parchment, paper or papyrus because of the cursive nature of script. This allowed the writer to write efficiently while retaining the beautiful aspect. Its usage is popular in administrative works, biographies, court chronicles specially of Delhi Sultanate.
Kufic: Believed to have been originated from the village of Kufa in Iraq, this script is commonly used for decorative writing of Arabic language. Unlike Naskh’s cursive it is more formal and angular almost square like. Which made it perfect for hard surfaces like tombs, monuments and coins. The earliest evidence of Delhi’s calligraphic tradition is in this script in Qutb Complex.
Nastaliq: This script is a hybrid of Naskh and Ataliq script, formed in c. 13th century, thus, the name Nastaliq. It holds characteristics from both of them with cursive features and suspended wave like visuals. It found importance in Persian literary works and poems of Mughal Period with most famous being illustrations of Hamzanama. Many scholars debate that this was the alternative to Naskh preferred by Mughal Emperors.
Thuluth: This script is also seen as an alternative of Kufic script of Arabic language preferred by Mughal Emperors. It was developed around 14th century. This script combines both curves and angular aspect by the rule stating 1/3rd of each letters must be a slope. The marvel of this style of calligraphy is visible in the inscriptions of Jama Masjid in Delhi.
Along with these there were several other type of scripts widely popular among emperors of Delhi. A Diwani script created in Turkey supposed to represent beauty and harmony. The Tughra script that arranges letters in such a clever way to create animals, most famous work in this script is of Dara Shikoh. Also the Bihari script of pre-Mughal India, although very few artifacts today, was a indigenous Islamic calligraphy.
Calligraphers and Contemporary India
Calligraphy as a profession took a major hit during the destructive economic policies of colonial period, but due to the nationalistic struggle it was revived as a cultural symbol unifying people. Kaatibs (calligraphers) moved from the courtly occupation to a market trade for anyone willing. There were several shops and schools around the Old Delhi most famous being the shops in Urdu Bazaar. The actual single biggest hit calligraphers took was from improvement of printing technology and digitization of content. Where software can help people to write books, and decorate their posters, invitations etc. with built in fonts, the need for traditional handwritten and time consuming work of calligraphers—for the same products—started dying down.
Today this art form is conserved and continued by museums, libraries and institutions. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts and National Museum in Delhi holds several collections of manuscripts showcasing skillful penmanship and actively offers courses to teach the traditional calligraphy. Other institutions involved in this are Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society in Mumbai, Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan, and National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad.
Conclusion
Showcasing sounds in artistic manner on a plane surface is the highest and most beautiful feat of human mind. Calligraphy is a profession of outmost attention, dedication and hard work in order to create elaborately decorative writings perfect for ornamentation. It is the most celebrated feature of several cultures around the world. The Indian calligraphy doesn’t just limit itself as a tool of decoration, it is a depiction of India’s artistic and spiritual heritage. It expresses political prestige of rulers, religious prosperity and expressiveness of a skilled class. Calligraphy whispers what words can’t show.
References
- Ali, Asif. Arabic calligraphy on Mughal monuments. Aligarh Muslim University.
- Wadhwani, Nishia. History of Indian Calligraphy. Aurum.art
- Das, Debasish. Whispering Stones of Qutb Complex: Forgotten Calligraphy and Hidden Symbols. Lighteddream.wordpress.com
- Majeed, Ubaid and Dawood, Darash. The Last Calligrapher of Old Delhi Preserves a Dying Art. Newlinesmag.com