Who wrote the Akbarnama and when was it created?
Abu'l-Fazl wrote the Akbarnama after Emperor Akbar ordered its creation in the early 1590s. The project required seven years of dedicated work from the scribe and his team to document the reign.
Questions about Akbarnama
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Where is the original Akbarnama manuscript located today?
A surviving copy now resides at the Victoria and Albert Museum after being bought in 1896. Mrs Frances Clarke obtained the book when her husband retired as Commissioner of Oudh between 1858 and 1862 before the South Kensington Museum purchased it.
What does Volume One of the Akbarnama cover regarding Akbar's birth?
Volume One covers the birth of Akbar and the history of Timur's family line including the reigns of Babur and Humayun. Maryam Makani displays signs of pregnancy with a shining forehead others mistook for a mirror nine months before she gives birth to Akbar while Humayun is away during an auspicious star alignment.
What statistical information is included in the third volume known as Ain-i-Akbari?
The third volume contains statistical records on crop yields, wages, revenues, geography, and the structure of the army under Akbar. This section remains housed in the Hazarduari Palace in West Bengal today.
Who wrote another biography titled Akbarnama around the same period as Abu'l-Fazl?
Shaikh Illahdad Faiz Sirhindi wrote another biography titled Akbarnama around the same period which mostly compiled material from Tabaqat-i-Akbari by Khwaja Nizam-ud-Din Ahmad rather than creating new history. He began writing this account at age thirty-six while living in Sirhind sarkar of Delhi Subah.