Summary: | No history of Persian literature would be complete if it failed to take into consideration the numerous Persian works produced in India during the five centuries since the first permanent establishment of the Muhammadan power there. Although most of the Persian writers and poets who flourished in India were of Persian extraction, they had, in the Indian atmosphere, developed a certain style of their own. This Indian style, as we may call it, certainly has its on peculiarities, but this does not diminish the historical importance and literary value of the vast Indo-Persian literature. Few European scholars have taken any interest in this literature and therefore the Indians themselves, who generally derive their inspiration from the Western Orientalists, have also ignored it. I propose to compile a History of Persian Literature in India from the earliest times down to the advent of the Mughals, for the works produced daring these three centuries have every interest and importance for the students of Persian literature. There exist numerous works on various subjects, among which histories and poetical works, as well as those dealing with mysticism, are the most important.
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