THE MAKING OF INDIAN CIVILIZATION: ENDURING CONTRIBUTION OF MUSLIM CULTURE AND POLITY

India enjoys a unique distinction among the ancient civilizations of the world-nearly four millennium old run of uninterrupted history in which each successive culture has been a synergized form of all or most of the preceding cultures. This multicultural character, undisputedly, has been the most significant feature of Indian civilization during its evolution through the ages. This multiculturalism embraces in its orbit beliefs, customs, rites, institutions, art, religions, localities and cultural zones.

The objective of this research proposal is to bring out enduring contribution of Muslim rulers in the making of Indian civilization. The new ideas introduced by the Muslims got mixed with indigenous ideas resulting in the flowering of a vibrant Indo-Muslim culture. This multiculturalism has taken many forms of which three deserve attention, first is sub-culture diversity, although Indo-Muslim culture shares a broadly common platform, in some cases different beliefs and practices are also entertained by it, second is perspectival diversity, in some cases some components of Indo-Muslim culture become highly critical of the central principles or values of the prevailing culture and seek to reconstitute it along appropriate lines. And third is communal diversity, within indo-Muslim culture, it is possible to locate several self conscious and more or less well organised communities entertaining and living by their own different systems of beliefs and practices.

The multiculturalism enshrined in the Indo-Muslim culture exhibits all three diversity. It is our intent to take note of them and present their features as the findings of this project study. The research would be discussing at length the contributions and value additions made by Muslim rulers. The project would entail collection, compilation and collation of research materials and data from written records and then from the material and physical remains and extant specimens of the contribution of Muslims, which could be architectural sites, paintings and other remains of the period concerned.