On Becoming Muslim in the City of Swords: Bhoja and Shaykh Changdl at Dhdr

摘要

On the ancient ramparts of the city of Dhar, overlooking the moat, is the tomb of a saint called Shaykh Changal (Fig. I). The tomb has been rebuilt in recent times, but stands on a high stone platform dating to the fifteenth century. The long staircase up to the tomb has two arched gates. A Persian inscription is placed in the upper gate over the door and is protected nowadays by a metal door. Written in forty-two verses, it is dated ah 859/ 1454—55. The verses were composed in the reign of the Mahmud Shah Khalji, the Sultan of Malwa from 1436 to 1469. The purpose of this essay is to provide the text of this inscription with a new translation and commentary.