Who was the court historian who wrote about Shaikh Nizamuddin’s hospice in the c. fourteenth-century?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Ziyauddin Barani
The khanqah (hospice) of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya stood on the banks of the Yamuna at Ghiyaspur, on the edge of Delhi, in the fourteenth century. People of every kind came there, from soldiers and slaves to poets and jogis. Among the visitors were the poets Amir Hasan Sijzi and Amir Khusrau and the court historian Ziyauddin Barani, all of whom wrote about the Shaikh. Of these, Barani is the one described as a court historian.
NCERT (2025-26): “7.1 Life in the Chishti khanqah … The khanqah was the centre of social life. We know about Shaikh Nizamuddin’s hospice (c. fourteenth century) on the banks of the river Yamuna in Ghiyaspur, on the outskirts of what was then the city of Delhi. It comprised several small rooms and a big hall ( jama’at khana) where the inmates and visitors lived and prayed.… There was an open kitchen (langar), run on futuh (unasked-for charity). From morning till late night people from all walks of life – soldiers, slaves, singers, merchants, poets, travellers, rich and poor, Hindu jogis (yogi) and qalandars – came seeking discipleship, amulets for healing, and the intercession of the Shaikh in various matters. Other visitors included poets such as Amir Hasan Sijzi and Amir Khusrau and the court historian Ziyauddin Barani, all of whom wrote about the Shaikh.…” |