The Chandayan: A Sufi Tale of Ishq between Languages, Cultures & People at the SDMA

A racy yarn, the Chandayan recounts the romance of Lorik and Chanda, which becomes an allegory about ishq—love for the Divine. Composed in Hindavi (using the Old Hindi dialect of Jaunpuri Avadhi), the Chandayan is regarded as one of the foundational texts of the history of Hindi literature. The 16th-century historian Badayuni tells us that the Chandayan was selected for religious instruction by the Sufi Maulana Da’ud in the Tughlaq period (1320–1413). The remains of five manuscripts that were profusely illustrated sometime between 1475 and 1525 are also foundational for studies in art history. They form the largest corpus of evidence of pre-Mughal painting in north India. In his lecture, Naman Ahuja will take us through some highlights of the paintings of this popular tale and reflect on how the “vernacular” Chandayan is a valuable source of social and cultural history that allows scholars to map the politics of language and patronage in the domains of the Sultanates.