A platform dedicated to peace and cultural pluralism in South Asia

Utter a word of truth that goes against the king
And behead yourself with the sword of your own tongue

Amir Khusrau Dehlavi (1253-1325 AD), a prolific Persian poet associated with royal courts of more than seven rulers of Delhi Sultanate, is also popular in much of North India and Pakistan, through many playful riddles, songs and legends attributed to him. Through his enormous literary output and the legendary folk personality, Khusrau represents one of the first (recorded) Indian personages with a true multi-cultural or pluralistic identity.

On this website, which is always evolving, you will find some essays such as one about Khusrau's Urs (death anniversary), another one about his Hindvi poetry, and some selections from his Farsi poetry besides various interesting stories, tidbits, and links. Some of the poetry and texts are also available in Persian and devanagri scripts. The site is not limited to the study of Amir Khusrau alone - we feature many other essays, links and stories related to cultural pluralism, peace, Sufism, and south Asia's traditional wisdom. If you find this site useful or inspiring, write to us.

[Basant] [Bibliography] [Chronology] [Persian couplets] [Hindvi poetry]
[Links] [Photos] [Resources] [Riddles] [Guestbook] [Why this site]

Ektara: bringing plural culture and music into focus

Urs celebrations of Amir Khusrau

Popular Visual Culture around the shrine of Nizamuddin Aulia

Song of the Nine Heavens: Excerpts from Mathnavi Noh Sipihr

Tasveer Ghar: A digital archive of South Asian Popular Visual Culture

Mystic Alleys: Guide to the tomb of Hzt.Nizamuddin (Satellite images!)

Exhibit of Khusrau's poetry at India Social Forum, Delhi (Nov.2006)

How to reduce communal prejudice and violence: a book

This website was started on May 2nd, 1998, and is updated regularly. ©Yousuf Saeed 1998-2010