सङ्गीतमालिका- महम्मद् शाह प्रणीता:Sangitamalika of Mahammad Saha

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Muslim Contribution to Sanskrit Musical Literature

As regards the propagation of Sanskrit Learning during Muslim Rule in India, it may be stated at the very outset that not only a large number of Sanskrit works were composed and or translated into Semitic languages and vice versa under the patronage of the Muslim, rulers of India but also many poetical and scientific works in Sanskrit were composed by Muslims themselves. In this latter group i.e. the contributions of Muslims to Sanskrit Literature, the Sangita-malika of Mahammad Shah is certainly one of the most important. Its importance on account of its author who is definitely a Mahomedan Sanskritist, can hardly be overrated. Secondly, not many works on Music, on Dancing in particular, have as yet been published and it is only hoped that a critical edition of this work will be a valuable addition to this important branch of our Indian Literature.

The earliest work on dramaturgy is probably the Naţasūtra of silalin and Krsasva mentioned by Panini. Nandikesvara's Bharatarnava of which the Abhinaya- darpaņa is considered to be a subsequent abridgement is known only in name. The Natya-sastra is, of course, the earliest work that systematically deals with this subject in several sections. The Abhinaya-darpaņa attributed to Nandikesvara is another early work exclusively devoted to this subject. The seventh chapter of the Sangitaratnakara of Sarugadeva composed in the first half of the thirteenth century A.D. is also devoted to dancing. Ever since its composition, it became the standard work on the subject and many subsequent writers are more or less indebted to this work for their treatment of the subject. Mahammad Shah is also no exception to it.

The Sangitamalika of Mahammad shah is a unique work related to Indian music and Dance in many ways. It was first edited by Dr Jatindra Bimal Choudhury on the basis of the Manuscript preserved at Bikaner State Library in Rajasthan. It was published from Prachyavani, Kolkata in 1948 under the title of contribution of Muslims to Sanskrit Literature.

Though Mahammad Shah made it very clear at the end of the present available book Nrityadhyaya of Sangitamalika, that he was the son of Tatar Khan and born in the dynasty of Firuz shah, Dr Jatindra Bimal Choudhury, who has done a thorough research on the Contribution of Muslims to Sanskrit Literature, said that the identification of Mahammad Shah author of Sangitamalika has not yet been established.

According to the history, the famous king named Firoz shah belonged to the Bahmani dynasty. His capital city was Daulatabad, which was earlier called Devagiri. In 1326-27 AD, Muhammad bin Tughlaq made Daulatabad his capital. Alauddin Bahman Shah, the governor of Daulatabad, established an independent state in 1358 AD, which is called Bahmani State. The boundaries of this state were from Penganga in the north to Krishna River in the south, from Bhongir in the east to the coast and Goa province in the west. Firoz shah Bahmani was a famous ruler. Muhammad Sha (1463-82 AD), born in his dynasty, was also a great scholar and art lovers. Daulatabad was a major center of literature and art at that time.