ABSTRACT
The circumstances that led to the birth and evolution of Urdu language are complex that even centuries after it gained popularity amongst the masses, its very name remains the subject of academic and popular discourses. The notable contributions to the development of syncretic culture in medieval India are those of Amir Khusrau. The preponderance of religious and cultural overlaps stimulated interactions between disparate sections and ensured the development of Dakhni language as the via-media for communication. The influence of Marathi on Dakhni is pronounced than any other regional language and the reason for this affinity can be assigned to the greater degree of synthesis achieved in society due to interventions of mystics who were active in this region to a greater degree than in any other part of the country. Nizami's path-breaking mathnavi set the trend for literati with a preference for the vernacular over Persian in the choice of vocabulary and expressions which became the hallmark of Dakhni poetry.
