The immediate effect of Muslim conquest in India was a rigidification of the Caste System. With the spread of Islam, the Hindu religious thinkers became orthodox in their thought, and in order to save Hinduism from the influence of Islam made caste rules rigid. They became more and more conservative. But in course of time some Hindu reformers were influenced by Islam’s democratic principles of brotherhood and equality. They came to lay emphasis on the equality of all human beings.
Despite some evil effects of the Muslim contact there were some good and healthy impact of Islam which fostered mutual understanding and goodwill for each other’s faith.
In course of time Muslim society became thoroughly Indianised. The Sultans of Delhi developed on fondness for the Indian custom of royal pomp and grandeur. They used richly decorated elephants and put on costly Indian dresses, adopted Indian method of cooking, like spices and chillis and chewing betel leaf.
They used head gears known as Chira and Paga. They began to use fine cotton and silk fabrics and gold ornaments. The muslims made important contributions in the field of music. Their Qavali became very popular in India and went a long way in strengthening the bonds between Hindus and Muslims. On the other hand, Indian bridal decoration known as Sola Singhar became very popular among muslims. They were also influenced by Hindu festivals. Their Shab-e-Barat has many common features with the Hindu festival of Sivaratri.
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Thus Islam had its impact not only on the social and religious life of the Indians, but also in the field of administration. The land revenue system of’ the muslim rulers was their most important contribution to Indian administration.
The prolonged fusion of these two cultures-Hindu and Muslim-gave impetus to the religious movements of Sufism among the Muslims and Bhakti among the Hindus. Both the movements profoundly influenced Hindus as well as Muslims.