Abstract
 Page 1

Popular Devotional Art of the Indian Muslims: 
Looking for the Syncretic Symbols

Gallery of Posters 2

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Scholar boy
Acquiring of knowledge and Wisdom is of prime importance in Islam. The text below an open Qur'an is a prayer: "O God, provide me with more knowledge..." This is one of the more secular uses of the religious narrative amongst Muslim posters.		 Haji Malang shah
A map to help the visiting devotees on directions to the shrine of Haji Malang Shah Baba on a hill at Durgadi, near Kalyan railway station, Maharashtra. Its smaller details and multi-faith icons make it an object of devotion itself. Durgadi is a visited both by Hindu and Muslim devotees.
Panjatan
Khamsa or panjatan is the shape of a hand with five fingers symbolizing the five members of the holy family - the Prophet Muhammad, his cousin Ali, daughter Fatima, and grandsons Hasan and Husain. A very dear icon for most Shias, it has been surrounded here by other passages and names from the Qur'an.		 Karbala
The Karbala incident is narrated in many visual narratives such as this map showing the chronological events in a single frame. Such images are put up in most Shia homes to educate the youngsters about the incidents. Even in a top-down view of the battlefield, the hot sun shines in the middle.
The shrine of the Chishti saint Hazrat Sabir at Kaliyar in Uttar Pradesh. One does not see saint's portrait or any human figure here. Many shrines show a typical check-marble floor, not for any symbolic reason, but probably because such floors were in vogue in the 60s, and used in most public places for easy cleaning. Muhammad written in large calligraphic style, but inscribed inside is a longer Quranic text called the Ayat-al Kursi, a prayer for the protection from evil and other purposes. The image serves the purposes of decoration, veneration as well as protection.
Zuljenah-e Hazrat Imam Husain from Karbala. Although Karbala was fought in a scorching desert with no water, the backdrop here liberally uses a river, greenery, flowers and habitation. Waris Ali Shah
Portrait of Hazrat Waris Shah of Devah, near Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh with his tomb complex in the background. The typical sitting posture could signify his style or meditation. It is also possible that the artist copied this from a photograph showing this posture.

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© Yousuf Saeed, New Delhi, India: ysaeed7@yahoo.com
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