Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: "O wind, tell the demons and fairies" : a call for reconciliation in Northern India -- Amir Khusraw and the uniting of opposites -- Tolerance in medieval South Asia : an overview -- The framework of frontier studies : when two cultures meet -- Islamic civilization as an ever-changing glacial wave -- Understanding cultural change through frontier studies -- Examples of synthesis and conciliation -- Khusraw as the exponent of a new, third culture -- Setting new standards of legitimacy in the Dibachah -- Minting new currency in the Dibachah -- How the Dibachah came to be written -- The structure of the hierarchies -- Khusraw's response to the various hierarchies -- The poet's defense of Persian vs. Arabic -- The poet's defense of Indians and Persians vs. Arabs -- Legitimating Hindavi as an authentic Muslim language -- Double entendre (Iham) and Indo-Persian innovation -- A show-stopping example of Iham -- Balancing gender roles : male/female dynamics in the Hasht Bihisht (eight paradises), 1301/2 -- Breaking Nizami's golden seal of eloquence : Khusraw's Khamsah -- The Bahram Gur story and the portrayal of women -- Firdawsi : the construction of heroic masculinity -- Nizami : the reseating of Fitnah -- Amir Khusraw : the lion-capturing deer -- A clear deconstructionist character -- Female rule in the Delhi Sultanate : the example of Raziyyah -- The influence of mysticism -- Was Khusraw a medieval feminist? -- Toward a more equitable world -- They see my Hindu kill in the style of Turks : the dismantling of a dichotomy in the Nuh Sipihr (nine skies), 1318/9 -- Writing to please a pleasure-loving king -- Turk and Hindu in history -- Amir Khusraw's use of Turk and Hindu -- Seeds of ambiguity -- The Third Sipihr : a new chapter on Hindus -- A generative union -- Conclusion: Glorious the radiance of that exalted sun : pluralistic ideals on the subcontinent and beyond -- Uncovering the authentic Khusraw -- The question of legacy.