THE STATUS OF GHANI KASHMIRI IN PERSIAN LITERATURE

Abstract

Mulla Muhammad Tahir Ghani Kashmiri is considered to be the most distinguished and great poet among the Persian poets of Kashmir. He belongs to the eleventh century A.H. He was born in Srinagar, Kashmir; and died there. Not much is known about his life except that, he was initially benefited by a poet, Mullah Mohsin Fani. During his lifetime, Ghani became famous among the poets and literary scholar of India and its surroundings. But, he did not join any court or ruler and he led a dervish life. He wrote much poetry throughout his life, but never collected it himself. After his death, his friend, Muhammad Ali Mahir collected his poetry and wrote a preface on his Diwan. Ghani wrote poetry in Subk-e-Hindi and all the characteristics of Subk-e-Hindi is shown at its peak in his poetry. His poetry is famous in Subk-e-Hindi for having distinctive thoughts and art. For this reason, all commentators and famous critics from this and that era, consider his poetry praiseworthy. This article has been written about the status of Ghani Kashmiri in Persian literature.