Padmavat (or Padmawat) is an epic poem written in 1540 by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi,[2] who wrote it in the Hindustani language of Awadhi,[3][3] and originally in the Persian Nastaʿlīq script.[5] It is the oldest extant text among the important works in Awadhi.[6] A famous piece of Sufi literature from the period, it relates an allegorical fictional story about the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji's desire for the titular Padmavati, the Queen of Chittor.[7] Alauddin Khalji and Padmavati's husband Ratan Sen are historical figures, whereas Padmavati may have been a fictional character.[8]