Mesmerizing Mughal miniatures

The Mughals were known as keepers of historical documents. They kept a record and painted events for their royal manuscripts and albums. In 1617, crown prince Khurram attacked the southern Kingdom of Ahmednagar. Prince Khurram was then twenty-five years old. The eldest son of Emperor Jehangir, he was the favourite to take over the throne.

This was the 12^th regnal year of Emperor Jehangir. The Deccan had posed a threat to him. His influence in the region so far had been nothing more than what his father, Emperor Akbar’s, had been before him. Malik Ambar, the successful wazir (minister) of the Ahmednagar Sultanate had put up solid resistance against Mughal hegemony on his territory.

It was time to assert superiority of Mughal rule and demand a levy from the wealthy Deccan kingdoms. After many unsuccessful attempts, Jehangir assigned the task to Khurram. Prince Khurram was to take his forces to the region and plant the flag of Mughal suzerainty in the Deccan.

The Crown Prince, now married to Mumtaz Mahal, took with him a strong army of an estimated 30,000 soldiers. In all likelihood, Mumtaz, his confidante and advisor, accompanied him. This campaign in the Deccan was a success. Ahmednagar fort surrendered and the Balaghat district was presented to the Mughals. Prince Khurram returned victorious to his father’s court.

As Emperor Jehangir sat in the jharoka (alcove) to receive his victorious son, he was overcome with strong emotion. In an unprecedented gesture, Jehangir stood up to embrace Khurram, as the prince entered his quarters.

Jehangir mentions this occasion in his autobiography, Tuzk-i-Jehangiri. This was also the moment when Jehangir conferred the title of Shahjahan on the prince.

This momentous occasion produced some memorable circumstances, including the Emperor’s gift of a magnificent ruby to Prince Khurram. That ruby had originally belonged to Emperor Akbar. Jehangir’s mother, Marium Zamani, had presented the ruby to Jehangir. The emperor now, in turn, presented this gem to his victorious son.

Another event that this victory produced was the lavish celebration that Empress Nur Jahan hosted in honour of the Crown Prince, to acknowledge his success in this campaign.

Many years later, the two occasions were sealed for posterity in spectacular paintings. These miniatures are a reminder not only of Mughal military might, which enabled Prince Khurram’s success, but also the magnificence and grandeur of the Mughals.

There are two paintings from 1640, now in the Royal Collection Trust in London, that depict the occasions where Emperor Jehangir sits in the court in Mandu, to receive Prince Khurram.

Each Mughal miniature stirs the emotions and offers a wealth of history. One of the two paintings shows immense pride on the Emperor’s otherwise reserved face, as he holds the sparkling ruby, set in a sarpech or aigrette, to present to his son. The gesture of presenting the sarpech also symbolizes a change of an era and transfer of power to the heir apparent. The painting crowns the heads of both the Emperor and Prince Khurram with shamsas, the symbolic divine light that a ruler is surrounded with.

The second painting that records the occasion, also with the Royal Collection Trust, shows Jehangir in a unique gesture of embracing Prince Khurram as he walks into the alcove overlooking the court.

Many prominent court officials figure in the painting. Also visible are Asif Khan in a red and white robe and his father Itimad-ud-Daulah facing him; the brother and father of Empress Nur Jahan were powerful members of the court. Raja Suraj Singh, Jehangir’s brother-in-law, is seen to the left of the painting in a green, yellow, and white robe. The miniature also shows the artist Murar with an artist’s book.

Linked to these two important works of Mughal history is a painting in the Sackler Gallery in Washington DC. The painting is set in a garden and shows Nur Jahan hosting a party to celebrate the victory of Ahmednagar.

The garden was built by Emperor Babur and was probably called Aram. Later, Empress Nur Jahan added a pavilion and more gardens. The park was later renamed Bagh-e-Nur Afshin. At the event, Prince Khurram was presented with a sleeveless robe, embroidered with gold thread, as mentioned in the Tuzk-i-Jehangiri.

In the painting, we see Empress Nur Jahan passing a jade cup to the Emperor. Prince Khurram is next to Jehangir. He is deliberately painted in a smaller size to show their relative stature and to maintain hierarchy. In the background are the walls of the pavilions decorated with paintings of Mary and Jesus Christ.

Those who have visited Bagh-e-Nur Afshin can confirm that the paintings on the wall could be seen until a few years ago. The alcove in the painting contains two bottles. According to historians, Jehangir had ordered glass bottles from Europe at some point. But we are not aware whether these are the same European bottles.

These beautiful paintings, which serve as reminders of important historical events, are now lost from our collective social memory as the paintings were taken away and kept in museums far away from the lands of their origin.

Studying Mughal paintings gives a glimpse into past events etched on paper, preserved in jewel tones, decorated with gold, for future generations.

The author writes on history and culture.