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Revisiting the bhakti of Ibrahim Adil Shah II

The Adilshahis: The Multi-culturalism of 16th century Bijapur court to come alive in songs

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What does the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur, a scholarly treatise in praise of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Saraswati have in common? They come together in a concert in Mumbai on Sunday in the form of rare compositions by Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1580-1627) brought to life by vocalist Neela Bhagwat and his miniature art celebrating these deities. The evening at Savarkar Complex is curated by cultural historian Elroy Pinto.

"There is more to the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur than the narrative that they were bete noires of the Maratha warrior king Shivaji," underlines Pinto, a post-graduate in Global Cinemas and the Transcultural from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He got interested in the topic after he made a short film on the "syncretic nature of the tabla and the style of Azeembaksh, Nizamuddin and Kamaaluddin Khansahab which drew from the artistic influences of Deccani courts". "This style brings together several traditional art forms such as the Indian khayal, thumri, tappa; Indo-Persian miniature painting, traditional and contemporary dance to emphasize the richness of the tabla's repertoire."

The Deccan's access to Western and Eastern coast ports, brought it's kingdoms wealth through the trade of textiles and precious stones. "Culturally, Bijapur was located between the centres of both Marathi (Pandharpur-Vithoba cult) and Kannada bhakti (Basava-Lingayat)," expounds Pinto.

"Not to mention the prominent sufi sites of Shahpur hillock and Gogi. It had the finest painters, calligraphers, poets, craftsmen, dancers, musicians, traders from far-reaching provinces in Persia and from the south after the collapse of the Vijayanagar empire. And all this happened in the land of Ajanta and Ellora," he adds.

Bhagwat says the idea of singing syncretic is sourced from Kitab-E-Nauras — a collection of 59 poems and 17 couplets written by Ibrahim II. "The intersectionalities between region, religion and culture make it that much more special," says the doyenne of Gwalior Gharana, "Even the language at the Bijapur court was a mixture of Arabic and Persian, the north Indian Urdu of their past, the Sanskrit of the Brahmins, and the Marathi, Telugu and Kannada tongues of their subjects."

Kitab-E-Nauras opens with a prayer to Saraswati: "Bhaka nyari nyari bhava ek /kaha turuk kaha barahaman (Whether Turk (Muslim) or Brahmin implore you in their own tongues — the emotion is the same), and adds, "nouras soor juga joti ani saroguni /yusat sarasuti mata ibrahim parasada bhayi dooni (Oh mother Saraswati! Since you have blessed Ibrahim, his work Navras will last for long).

"When you look at these compositions," summarises Bhagwat, they seem far head of the polarisations in the name of identity politics of today. This is what makes a concert like this so relevant to our times."

The Deccan Legacy

  • Culturally, Bijapur (now in Karnataka) was located between the centres of both Marathi (Pandharpur-Vithoba cult) and Kannada bhakti (Basava-Lingayat) 
  • Ibrahim Adil Shah II called himself Adil Shah Sufi, and many of his compositions begin with an invocation to goddess Saraswati
  • For many years, Neela Bhagwat  has been setting the works of bhakti poets to music in Hindustani rag
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