CH 9 PDF
CH 9 PDF
CH 9 PDF
THEME
NINE
h - seventeenth centuries)
sixteenth
( c . sixteent
Fig. 9.1
The mausoleum of Timur at
Samarqand, 1404
225
Fig. 9.2
An eighteenth-century depiction of
Humayuns wife Nadira crossing
the desert of Rajasthan
226
Discuss...
Find out whether the state in
which you live formed part
of the Mughal Empire.
Were there any changes in
the area as a result of the
establishment of the empire?
If your state was not part of
the empire, find out more
about contemporary regional
rulers their origins and
policies. What kind of records
did they maintain?
227
228
Discuss...
In what ways do you think the production of books
today is similar to or different from the ways in
which Mughal chronicles were produced?
Fig. 9.3
A folio in nastaliq, the work of
Muhammad Husayn of Kashmir
(c.1575-1605), one of the finest
calligraphers at Akbars court, who
was honoured with the title zarrin
qalam (golden pen) in recognition
of the perfectly proportioned
curvature of his letters
The calligrapher has signed his
name on the lower section of
the page, taking up almost
one-fourth of its space.
229
Fig. 9.4
A Mughal kitabkhana
Source 1
In praise of taswir
Abul Fazl held the art of painting
in high esteem:
Drawing the likeness of
anything is called taswir. His
Majesty from his earliest youth,
has shown a great predilection
for this art, and gives it every
encouragement, as he looks
upon it as a means both of study
and amusement. A very large
number of painters have been
set to work. Each week, several
supervisors and clerks of the
imperial workshop submit
before the emperor the work
done by each artist, and His
Majesty gives a reward and
increases the monthly salaries
of the artists according to the
excellence displayed. Most
excellent painters are now to
be found, and masterpieces,
worthy of a Bihzad, may be
placed at the side of the
wonderful works of the
European painters who have
attained worldwide fame. The
minuteness in detail, the
general finish and the boldness
of execution now observed in
pictures are incomparable;
even inanimate objects look as
if they have life. More than a
hundred painters have become
famous masters of the art. This
is especially true of the Hindu
artists. Their pictures surpass
our conception of things. Few,
indeed, in the whole world are
found equal to them.
230
Discuss...
Compare the painters
representation (Fig. 9.4) of
literary and artistic
production with that of
Abul Fazl (Source 1).
231
Travels of the
Badshah Nama
Gifting of precious manuscripts
was an established diplomatic
custom under the Mughals.
In emulation of this, the
Nawab of Awadh gifted the
illustrated Badshah Nama to
King George III in 1799. Since
then it has been preserved in
the English Royal Collections,
now at Windsor Castle.
In 1994, conservation work
required the bound manuscript
to be taken apart. This made
it possible to exhibit the
paintings, and in 1997 for the
first time, the Badshah Nama
paintings were shown in
exhibitions in New Delhi,
London and Washington.
232
Discuss...
Find out whether there was a tradition of
illustrating manuscripts in your town or village.
Who prepared these manuscripts? What were the
subjects that they dealt with? How were these
manuscripts preserved?
The transmission of
notions of luminosity
The origins of Suhrawardis
philosophy went back to
Platos Republic, where God is
represented by the symbol of
the sun. Suhrawardis writings
were universally read in the
Islamic world. They were
studied by Shaikh Mubarak,
who transmitted their ideas to
his sons, Faizi and Abul Fazl,
who were trained under him.
233
Fig. 9.5
This painting by Abul Hasan shows Jahangir
dressed in resplendent clothes and jewels, holding
up a portrait of his father Akbar.
Akbar is dressed in white, associated in sufi
traditions with the enlightened soul. He proffers
a globe, symbolic of dynastic authority.
In the Mughal empire there was no law laying
down which of the emperors sons would succeed
to the throne. This meant that every dynastic
change was accompanied and decided by a
fratricidal war. Towards the end of Akbars reign,
Prince Salim revolted against his father, seized
power and assumed the title of Jahangir.
234
Fig. 9.6
Jahangir presenting Prince
Khurram with a turban jewel
Scene from the Badshah Nama
painted by the artist Payag,
c.1640.
235
Fig. 9.7
Jahangir shooting the figure of
poverty, painting by the artist
Abul Hasan
The artist has enveloped the
target in a dark cloud to suggest
that this is not a real person, but
a human form used to symbolise
an abstract quality. Such a
mode of personification in art
and literature is termed allegory.
The Chain of Justice is shown
descending from heaven.
This is how Jahangir described
the Chain of Justice in
his memoirs:
After my accession, the first
order that I gave was for the
fastening up of the Chain
of Justice, so that if those
engaged in the administration
of justice should delay or
practise hypocrisy in the
matter of those seeking justice,
the oppressed might come to
this chain and shake it so
that its noise might attract
attention. The chain was made
of pure gold, 30 gaz in length
and containing 60 bells.
Discuss...
Why was justice regarded as
such an important virtue of
monarchy in the Mughal
Empire?
236
Fig. 9.8
The Buland Darwaza,
Fatehpur Sikri
237
Source 2
Darbar-i Akbari
Abul Fazl gives a vivid account of Akbars darbar:
Whenever His Majesty (Akbar) holds court (darbar )
a large drum is beaten, the sounds of which are
accompanied by Divine praise. In this manner, people
of all classes receive notice. His Majestys sons and
grandchildren, the grandees of the Court, and all
other men who have admittance, attend to make the
kornish, and remain standing in their proper places.
Learned men of renown and skilful mechanics pay
their respects; and the officers of justice present their
reports. His Majesty, with his usual insights, gives
orders, and settles everything in a satisfactory
manner. During the whole time, skilful gladiators and
wrestlers from all countries hold themselves in
readiness, and singers, male and female, are in
waiting. Clever jugglers and funny tumblers also are
anxious to exhibit their dexterity and agility.
238
239
Fig. 9.10
Prince Khurram being weighed in
precious metals in a ceremony
called jashn-i wazn or tula dan
(from Jahangirs memoirs)
240
Fig. 9.11b
Fig. 9.11a
Dara Shukohs wedding
Weddings were celebrated lavishly in the imperial
household. In 1633 the wedding of Dara Shukoh
and Nadira, the daughter of Prince Parwez, was
arranged by Princess Jahanara and Sati un Nisa
Khanum, the chief maid of the late empress,
Mumtaz Mahal. An exhibition of the wedding gifts
was arranged in the diwan-i am. In the afternoon
the emperor and the ladies of the harem paid a
visit to it, and in the evening nobles were allowed
access. The brides mother similarly arranged her
presents in the same hall and Shah Jahan went to
see them. The hinabandi (application of henna dye)
ceremony was performed in the diwan-i khas.
Betel leaf (paan), cardamom and dry fruit were
distributed among the attendants of the court.
The total cost of the wedding was Rs 32 lakh, of which Rs six lakh
was contributed by the imperial treasury, Rs 16 lakh by Jahanara
(including the amount earlier set aside by Mumtaz Mahal) and the
rest by the brides mother. These paintings from the Badshah Nama
depict some of the activities associated with the occasion.
Fig. 9.11c
241
Discuss...
Are some of the rituals and practices
associated with the Mughals followed by
present-day political leaders?
Fig. 9.12
A Mughal turban box
242
Fig. 9.13
Part of the inner apartments in
Fatehpur Sikri
Fig. 9.14
Birth of Prince Salim at Fatehpur Sikri,
painted by Ramdas, Akbar Nama
243
244
245
Source 3
Nobles at court
The Jesuit priest Father Antonio
Monserrate, resident at the
court of Akbar, noticed:
In order to prevent the great
nobles becoming insolent
through the unchallenged
enjoyment of power, the
King summons them to
court and gives them
imperious commands, as
though they were his slaves.
The obedience to these
commands ill suits their
exalted rank and dignity.
246
Discuss...
Read Section 2, Chapter 8 once more and discuss
the extent to which the emperors presence may
have been felt in villages.
247
248
Fig. 9.15
The siege of Qandahar
249
250
Source 4
Compare this
account with Source 2.
Discuss...
What were the considerations that shaped the
relations of the Mughal rulers with their
contemporaries?
251
Fig. 9.17
Religious debates
in the court
Padre Rudolf
Acquaviva was the
leader of the first
Jesuit mission.
His name is
written on top of
the painting.
252
Fig. 9.18
Blue tiles from a shrine in Multan,
brought by migrant artisans
from Iran
Timeline
Some Major Mughal Chronicles and Memoirs
c. 1530
c. 1587
1589
1589-1602
1605-22
1639-47
c. 1650
1668
Fig. 9.19
Many Mughal manuscripts contained
drawings of birds
253
254
Map work
If you would like to know
more, read:
10.
12.
Fig. 9.20
A Mughal painting depicting
squirrels on a tree
255
256