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Kings And Chronicles : The Mughal Courts
Describe the process of manuscript production in the Mughal court.
All the Mughal books were manuscripts. In other words, they were handwritten. The centre where the work of manuscript production was taken was known as the imperial kitabkhana. This Kitabkhana was like a library. It was a scriptorium. In other words, it was a place where the emperor kept his collection of manuscripts and produced new manuscripts.
A large number of people were involved in the creation of manuscript. They included the following:
(i) Paper makers who prepared the folios of the manuscript.
(it) Scribes or calligraphers who copied the texts.
(iii) Guilders who illuminated the pages of the manuscript.
(iv) Painters who illustrated scenes from the text.
(v) Book binders who gathered the individual folios and set them within ornamental covers.
In the end, all these manuscripts were considered very precious and invaluable. They were a work of beauty and intellectual wealth.
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Assess the role played by women of the imperial household in the Mughal Empire.
What were the concerns that shaped Mughal policies and attitudes towards regions outside the subcontinent?
Discuss the major features of Mughal provincial administration. How did the centre control the provinces?
Discuss, with examples, the distinctive features of Mughal chronicles.
To what extent do you think the visual material presented in this chapter corresponds with Abu’l Fazl’s description of the taswir (Source 1)?
What were the distinctive features of the Mughal nobility? How was their relationship with the emperor shaped?
Identify the elements that went into the making of the Mughal ideal of kingship.
Find out more about any one Mughal chronicle. Prepare a report describing the author, and the language, style and content of the text. Describe at
least two visuals used to illustrate the chronicle of your choice, focusing on the symbols used to indicate the power of the emperor.
Prepare a report comparing the present-day system of government with the Mughal court and administration, focusing on ideals of rulership, court rituals, and means of recruitment into the imperial service, highlighting the similarities and differences that you notice.
Why did Akbar abolish the pilgrimage tax? Give two reasons.
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