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Unit 2 : Education in India during medieval period: Islamic Education

(iii) ........................ were primary school meant for small children. Notes
(iv) Gurukul or Pathshala system continued to exist in India during ........................ also.
(v) The school was a ..................., not artificially constructed.
2.3.2 Centres of Learning of Muslim Education
Agra: Agra became a radiant centre of Islamic culture and philosophy. Many Madrasahs were
established here by Sikandar Lodhi, Babar and Humayun. But it was Akbar who made Agra not
only a centre of learning and education but also a centre of culture and fine arts.
Bidar: It was a very important seat of Islamic education in South India. There was a big Madrasah
which contained about 3000 books on Islamic theology, culture, philosophy, medical science,
astronomy, history etc. Bahmani rules were very particular about spreading education.
Delhi: The tradition of learning and education was firmly established in Delhi when the Sultanate
made Delhi its headquarters.
Jaunpur: It was once a great seat of Muslim learning. In the time of Sultan Ibrahim Sharqui
(1401-1440) it was the capital of the kingdom of Jaunpur where hundreds of Madrasas and
Masjids lay scattered and where teachers and scholars were granted lands and endowments so
that they might completely devote to learning.
Malwa: It was a great centre of Muslim learning under the patronage of Sultan Mahmud Khilji
about the middle of the 15th century.

2.4 Education of Mughal Period

Babur had not the privilege of receiving a systematic education, as it is not mentioned that
some particular teacher or who soever was even given and independent charge for this work.
He could benefit himself only what naturally came to him through the intercourse with the
personalities of the father’s associates or even his own well-read parents. Babur added to his
qualities by contributing literary works of scholarly value in Persian and Turki and Arabic and
is considered as a fastidious critic. Humayun was instructed in reading, writing and arithmetic,
history, religion, literature and poetry and geography and astronomy. Farid Dhan who ruled as
Shier Shah (1539 A. D. - 1545 A.D.) over Hindustan lied away in childhood form his home to
Jaunpur and entered the service of Jamal Khan, the Governor of Jaunpur. He stayed there for
long and studied a lot and came to the stage of reading Kafiya. with commentaries and other
compendiums. He also read the Gulistan, the Bostan and Sikandar Namah. He studied with
thoroughness the commentary of Qazi Shahbudin on the Kafiyah.

2.5 Contact between Hindus and Muslims
The contacts of these two religions profoundly affected the evolution of both. The pure
monotheism of Islam, which became the state religion of Northern India, could not fail to
exercise influence on Hindusism. At this time, again. Christian and Jewish teaching began to
affect Hindusism. The Saiva and Viasnava influences (the Vaishnava one being in ascendancy in
this period) were very prominent. The missionaries of the two sects came form the southern
and western part of the country, where Arab, Jewish and Christian communities first settled.
Islam in South India has adopted many Hindu practices-worship of local deities, the black art
and divination, rites of birth and marriage. Hinduism, for its own part, standards indebted to
various other religious influences, particularly Muslim and Christian ones, for the effort to
suppress the cults of the mythological and sectarian duties, and socializing, rather humanizing
the dictates.

2.6 Teacher and Students in Medieval Period
The pupil was to find the teacher. He must live with him as a member or his family and is
treated by him as his own son. The pupil was to imbibe the inward method of the teacher, the

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