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Kings And Chronicles : The Mughal Courts
'The keeping of exact and detailed records was a major concern of the Mughal administration'. Support the statement with facts.
Detailed records of the Mughal administration were kept in the following ways:
(i) Mir Bakshi supervised the corps of court writers who recorded all the applications and documents presented to the court.
(ii) In addition, agents (wakil) of nobles and regional rulers recorded the entire proceedings of the court under the heading “News from the Exalted Court” (Akhbarat-i Darbar-i Mualla) with the date and time of the court session (pahar).
(iii) The akhbarat contained all kinds of information such as attendance at the court, grant of offices and titles, diplomatic missions, presents received, or the enquiries made by the emperor about the health of an officer.
(iv) This information is valuable for writing the history of the public and private lives of kings and nobles.
(v) News reports and important official documents travelled across the length and breadth of the regions under Mughal rule by imperial post. Round-the-clock relays of foot-runners (qasid or pathmar) carried papers rolled up in bamboo containers.
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Describe the process of manuscript production in the Mughal court.
In what ways would the daily routine and special festivities associated with the Mughal court have conveyed a sense of the power of the emperor?
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.
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