THEME-9
Kings and Chronicles The Mughal Courts
(C. Sixteenth-Seventeenth Centuries)
Key concepts in nutshell- The Mughals and their empire - The name Mughal derives from Mongols.
- The production of chronicles.
- From Turkish to Persian - Mughal court chronicles were written in Persian.
- The making of manuscripts - all books in Mughals were manuscripts i.e. they were handwritten.
- The Akbarnama and Badshanama- among the important illustrated Mughal official histories the
Akbarnama and Badshanama.
- A unifying force- sulh-i-kul-Abul Fazl describes the ideal sulh-i-kul (absolute peace)
- Capitals and courts- capital city- the heart of Mughal empire is capital city. Where the court assemble.
- Titles and Gifts- The granting of titles to men of merit was an important aspect of Mughal policy.
OTQ(1MARKS)
Ans: Turkish.
Q2: Who is author of Baburnama .
Ans: Babur.
Q3: Who is the author of Humayunama ?
Ans: Gulbadan Begum .
Q4: What is Razmnma ?
Ans: Razmnama is the traslated book of the Mahabharata .
Q5: Who is the author of Badshahnama .
Ans: Abdul Hamid Lahori .
Q6: What was Chahar taslim and sijida ?
Ans: It was the method of salutation .
Q7: Which was the new capital of Shahjahan
Ans: Shahjahanabad ( Delhi )
Q.8 Who was the founder of Mughal Dynasty?
Ans: Babur was the founder of Mughal Empire.
Q9. What do you mean by Kitab Khana?
Ans: It was place to keep the chronicles who were also prepared in Kitab Khana.
Q.10. Who wrote Akbarnama?
Ans. a) Abul Fazl wrote Akbarnama.
Ans. a) Abul Fazl wrote Akbarnama.
S.A. (3-Marks)
Ans.
a) Commissioned by the Mughal place where different process of production of books like making paper, printing, painting, binding etc. were done.
b) They are important source for studying the empire and its court.
Q12. What is Sulh-i-Kul?
Ans.
a) Akbar's Religious Policy.
b) Sulh-i-Kul means absolute peace.
In this ideal emperor was source of all peace and stability, stood above all religious and ethnic groups, insured justice and peace.
Q13. What was meant by 'Kitabkhana'?
Ans.
a) Kitab Khana means place where different process of production of books like making paper, printing, binding etc. were done.
b) It was a place where the emperor's collection of Manuscripts were kept and produced.
Q14. Who wrote Akbarnama? Describe its content in brief.
Ans.
a) Abul Fazl wrote Akbarnama.
b) Content - It is divided into three books.
c) Ain-i-Akbari the first volume contains the history of mankind from Adam to one celestial cycle of Akbar's life.
d) Second volume closes in the forty sixth regional years (1601) of Akbar.
e) To provide a detailed description of Akbar's reign.
f) It gives a synchronic picture of all aspects of Akbar's empire - geographic, social, administrative and cultural.
Q15. Describe in brief about the ideal of Din-i-Ilahi.
Ans.
a) Introduced by Akbar as the state religion.
b) God is one and Akbar is the representative of the prophet.
c) To Utter-Allah-Hu-Akbar.
d) The followers deemed the fire as sacred and worshipped the Sun God.
e) Vegetarian followers.
f) They looked up on all religions with a sense of respect.
g) Performed their obituaries during their lifetime.
Q16. What was the composition of the ruling class in India during the Mughal Period?
Ans.
Ans.
a) Introduced by Akbar as the state religion.
b) God is one and Akbar is the representative of the prophet.
c) To Utter-Allah-Hu-Akbar.
d) The followers deemed the fire as sacred and worshipped the Sun God.
e) Vegetarian followers.
f) They looked up on all religions with a sense of respect.
g) Performed their obituaries during their lifetime.
Q16. What was the composition of the ruling class in India during the Mughal Period?
Ans.
a) Mughal nobility was recruited from diverse ethnic and religious groups.
b) It was like a bouquet of flowers.
c) Turani, Irani, Rajput, Indian Muslims.
Q17. Write in brief about the Mughal Provincial administration.
Ans. Head of provincial government was - governor.
a. He reported directly to the emperor.
b. Provinces (Subas) were divided into Sarkar.
c. Sarkars into parganas under - qanungo, chaudhary and qazi.
d. Each department was supported by official staff.
Q18. Write in brief about the Religious Policy of Akbar.
Ans. Akbar believed in the equality of all religious.
a) Secular outlook.
b) Interaction with people of different faiths.
c) Freedom to all religious sects.
d) Grants and support to all religions.
e) Introduced Sulh-i-Kul.
Q.19.Why were many Zamindaris auctioned after the permanent settlement?
Ans. Agricultural products prices were very low. The East India Company had fixed high amount of revenue.
Q.20. What steps were taken by East India Company to control the Zamindars?
Ans.
(1) The troops of Zamindars were disbanded;
(2) The courts were brought under the control of British collectors.
Q 21. Describe in brief about the architecture under the Mughals-
Ans.
a) Babar and Humayun did not get the time to construct the buildings.
b) During Akbar's period - Agra Fort, Buland Darwaja, Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Panch,Mahal, Jodha Bai's Palace, Birbal Palace, Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti.
c) Akbar's Tomb - Sikandara.
d) Jama Masjid, Taj Mahal, Moti Masjid, Lal quila Delhi-Shahjahan.
e) Shahi Masjid at Lahore by Aurangzeb.
Q22. Describe in brief the elements of the Mughal ideal of Kingship.
Ans.
A) The concept of divine light- In which the divine light was transmitted to the king who then became the source of spiritual guidance for his subject.
B) A unifying force - Emperor was a source of all peace, stability and justice.
C) Implementation of Sulh-i-Kul through state policy.The Mughal nobility was a composite one comprising of Iranis, Turanis, Afghans, Rajputs, Deccan's etc. With loyalty to the King.
D) Idea of Just sovereignty as social contract.
b) It was like a bouquet of flowers.
c) Turani, Irani, Rajput, Indian Muslims.
Q17. Write in brief about the Mughal Provincial administration.
Ans. Head of provincial government was - governor.
a. He reported directly to the emperor.
b. Provinces (Subas) were divided into Sarkar.
c. Sarkars into parganas under - qanungo, chaudhary and qazi.
d. Each department was supported by official staff.
Q18. Write in brief about the Religious Policy of Akbar.
Ans. Akbar believed in the equality of all religious.
a) Secular outlook.
b) Interaction with people of different faiths.
c) Freedom to all religious sects.
d) Grants and support to all religions.
e) Introduced Sulh-i-Kul.
Q.19.Why were many Zamindaris auctioned after the permanent settlement?
Ans. Agricultural products prices were very low. The East India Company had fixed high amount of revenue.
Q.20. What steps were taken by East India Company to control the Zamindars?
Ans.
(1) The troops of Zamindars were disbanded;
(2) The courts were brought under the control of British collectors.
Long Answer (8 Marks)
Ans.
a) Babar and Humayun did not get the time to construct the buildings.
b) During Akbar's period - Agra Fort, Buland Darwaja, Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Panch,Mahal, Jodha Bai's Palace, Birbal Palace, Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti.
c) Akbar's Tomb - Sikandara.
d) Jama Masjid, Taj Mahal, Moti Masjid, Lal quila Delhi-Shahjahan.
e) Shahi Masjid at Lahore by Aurangzeb.
Q22. Describe in brief the elements of the Mughal ideal of Kingship.
Ans.
A) The concept of divine light- In which the divine light was transmitted to the king who then became the source of spiritual guidance for his subject.
B) A unifying force - Emperor was a source of all peace, stability and justice.
C) Implementation of Sulh-i-Kul through state policy.The Mughal nobility was a composite one comprising of Iranis, Turanis, Afghans, Rajputs, Deccan's etc. With loyalty to the King.
D) Idea of Just sovereignty as social contract.
E) Secular religious policy
Q23. Describe the daily routine and special festivities associated with the Mughal Court.
Ans.
a) Physical arrangement of the court, focused on the sovereign and status.
b) The throne (Takht) was the center of power.
c) In court, status was determined by spatial proximity to the king.
d) Social control in court society.
e) The forms of salutation to the ruler.
f) The protocols of government diplomatic envoys at the Mughal Court were equally explicit.
g) The day began with personal religious devotions then Jharokha Darshan.
h) After that conduct of primary business of his government.
i) Discuss the confidential matters.
j) Celebration of festivals.
Passage based Question:
In praise of taswir
Abu’l 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.
(i) Why did Abu’l Fazl consider the art of painting important?
Ans- Means both of study and amusement; the general finish and the boldness of execution now observed in pictures are incomparable; even inanimate objects look as if they have life.
(ii) How did he seek to legitimise this art?
Ans- Abul Fazl: an artist has a unique way of recognising God when he must come to feel that he cannot bestow life on his work ...”
(iii) Why was painting a bone of contenton between the emperor and the orthodox Islamic group?
Ans- The reference of Islamic prohibition of the portrayal of human beings enshrined in the Qur’an as well as the had is, which described an incident from the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Here the Prophet is cited as having forbidden the depiction of living beings in a naturalistic manner as it would suggest that the artist was seeking to appropriate the power of creation.
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