Who wrote the Akbarnama and when was it completed?

Abu'l-Fazl wrote the Akbarnama and the first volume was completed in the year 1590. The project took seven years to finish and involved at least forty-nine different artists from Akbar's imperial workshop.

What is the Akbarnama and what does it contain?

The Akbarnama is the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor, commissioned by the emperor himself. It contains historical narratives, miniature paintings, and administrative details known as the Ain-i-Akbari which covers the empire's army, revenues, and geography.

When was the Akbarnama purchased by the Victoria and Albert Museum?

The South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria and Albert Museum, bought the Akbarnama in 1896 from Mrs Frances Clarke. The manuscript was acquired by her husband upon his retirement from serving as Commissioner of Oudh between 1858 and 1862.

What is the third volume of the Akbarnama called and what does it describe?

The third volume of the Akbarnama is known as the Ain-i-Akbari and it describes the administrative system of the Empire. This section contains the famous Account of the Hindu Sciences and provides rich statistical details about crop yields, prices, wages, and the caste system.

Who is the author of the Akbarnama of Faizi Sirhindi and when did he write it?

The author of the Akbarnama of Faizi Sirhindi is a writer who started the work at the age of 36 years and finished it in 1602. His father was Mulla Ali Sher Sirhindi and he lived in Sirhind sarkar of Delhi Subah.

Akbarnama: the story on HearLore

Akbarnama

In the year 1590, a single manuscript volume was completed that would eventually become the most expensive book in the world, not for its gold or jewels, but for the sheer number of hands required to create it. This was the Akbarnama, the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor, commissioned by the emperor himself and written by his court historian and biographer, Abul Fazl. The project was not merely a record of history but a deliberate act of statecraft, designed to immortalize Akbar's legacy through a medium that combined the highest literary standards of Persian with the most advanced visual art of the time. Abul Fazl, one of the Nine Jewels of Akbar's royal court, stated in the book that it took seven years to be completed, a testament to the immense labor and resources poured into its creation. The original manuscripts contained many miniature paintings supporting the texts, thought to have been illustrated between 1590 and 1594 by at least forty-nine different artists from Akbar's imperial workshop. These artists represented the best of the Mughal school of painting, and masters of the imperial workshop, including Basawan, whose use of portraiture in its illustrations was an innovation in Indian art. The book followed the Baburnama, the more personal memoir by his grandfather, Babur, founder of the dynasty, yet it surpassed its predecessor in scale and ambition, transforming the history of the empire into a visual and textual spectacle that defined the Mughal golden age.

The Birth of a Legend

The first volume of the Akbarnama opens not with a battle or a treaty, but with a divine intervention that set the stage for the greatest Mughal ruler of all time. The narrative begins with Humayun, the second Mughal emperor and Akbar's father, praying to the Ka'ba, an Islamic holy place, for a successor to the Mughal empire. After this prayer, Maryam Makani, Humayun's wife, showcases different signs that she is pregnant with Akbar, such as having a shining forehead that others believe to be a mirror on her face or the warmth and joy that enters her bosom when a light shines on her. Miryam believes the light to be God's Light blessing her and her unborn child. Nine months later, while Humayun is away, Maryam gives birth to Akbar under what is considered an auspicious star, and there is great celebration. This account, written by Abul Fazl, serves to legitimize Akbar's rule by embedding his birth within a framework of divine providence, a common practice among rulers seeking to justify their authority. The volume also details the history of Timur's family and the reigns of Babur and Humayun, as well as the Suri sultans of Delhi, providing a comprehensive backdrop to Akbar's eventual rise to power. The narrative of Akbar's birth and upbringing is woven into a tapestry of political intrigue and spiritual destiny, setting the tone for the rest of the chronicle.

The Legacy of Ink and Paint

After Akbar's death in 1605, the manuscript remained in the library of his son, Jahangir, and later Shah Jahan, ensuring its survival through the generations. Today, the Victoria and Albert Akbarnama, with 116 miniature paintings, is at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a testament to the enduring value of the work. It was bought by the South Kensington Museum, now the V&A, in 1896 from Mrs Frances Clarke, acquired by her husband upon his retirement from serving as Commissioner of Oudh between 1858 and 1862. Soon after, the paintings and illuminated frontispiece were removed from the volume to be mounted and framed for display, separating the visual art from the text in a way that reflects modern museum practices. The Akbarnama of Faizi Sirhindi, another contemporary biography of the Mughal emperor Akbar, exists as a secondary work, mostly not original and basically a compilation from the Tabaqat-i-Akbari of Khwaja Nizam-ud-Din Ahmad and the more famous Akbarnama of Abul Fazl. The only original elements in this work are a few verses and some interesting stories, and very little is known about the writer of this Akbarnama. His father Mulla Ali Sher Sirhindi was a scholar and Khwaja Nizam-ud-Din Ahmad, the writer of the Tabaqat-i-Akbari, was his student. He lived in Sirhind sarkar of Delhi Subah and held a madad-i-ma´ash, a land granted by the state for maintenance, village there. He accompanied his employer and patron Shaikh Farid Bokhari, who held the post of the Bakhshi-ul-Mulk, on his various services. His most important work is a dictionary, the Madar-ul-Afazil, completed in 1592. He started writing this Akbarnama at the age of 36 years, and his work also ends in 1602 like the one of Abu'l Fazl. This work provides us with some additional information regarding the services rendered by Shaikh Farid Bokhari and also provides valuable information regarding the siege and capture of Asirgarh, adding another layer to the historical record of Akbar's reign.

Akbarnama

The Birth of a Legend

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