Portraits and Figurative Paintings of Jahangir's
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Aesthetics of the Qur'anic Epigraphy on the Taj Mahal
Aesthetics of the Qur’anic Epigraphy on the Taj Mahal by Rio Fischer B.A. Philosophy & Middle Eastern Studies Claremont McKenna College, 2012 SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE STUDIES AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY June 2017 ©2017 Rio Fischer. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. Signature of Author: __________________________________________________ Department of Architecture May 25, 2017 Certified by: __________________________________________________________ James Wescoat Aga Khan Professor Thesis Supervisor Accepted by:__________________________________________________________ Sheila Kennedy Professor of Architecture Chair, Department Committee on Graduate Students Committee: James Wescoat, PhD Aga Khan Professor Thesis Supervisor Nasser Rabbat, MArch, PhD Aga Khan Professor Thesis Reader 3 Aesthetics of the Qur’anic Epigraphy on the Taj Mahal by Rio Fischer Submitted to the Department of Architecture on May 25, 2017 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Architecture Studies ABSTRACT This thesis examines the Qur’anic epigraphic program of the Taj Mahal. Following the 1989 Begley & Desai book Taj Mahal: an Illustrated Tomb, the flourish of scholarship that would expectedly follow a complete epigraphical catalog never arrived. Despite being well-known and universally cherished as indicated by the Taj Mahal’s recognition as a UNESCO world heritage monument and as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, there is insufficient research directed towards the inscription program specifically. -
Abul Fazl Allami. the A-In-I Akbari, H. Blochmann and H.S. Jarrett Trans. 3 Vols
Arakan and Bengal : the rise and decline of the Mrauk U kingdom (Burma) from the fifteenth to the seventeeth century AD Galen, S.E.A. van Citation Galen, S. E. A. van. (2008, March 13). Arakan and Bengal : the rise and decline of the Mrauk U kingdom (Burma) from the fifteenth to the seventeeth century AD. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/12637 Version: Not Applicable (or Unknown) Licence agreement concerning inclusion of doctoral thesis in the License: Institutional Repository of the University of Leiden Downloaded from: https://hdl.handle.net/1887/12637 Note: To cite this publication please use the final published version (if applicable). BIBLIOGRAPHY Abul Fazl Allami. The A-in-i Akbari, H. Blochmann and H.S. Jarrett trans. 3 vols. 2nd rev. ed. (New Delhi: Oriental Books Reprint Corporation, 1977-1978). ⎯. Akbarnama, Abdul Rahim ed. 3 vols. (Calcutta: Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1873-1887). ⎯. The Akbarnama of Abu’l Fazl, H. Beveridge trans. 3 vols. repr. (Calcutta: The Asiatic Society, 2000). Adamson, H. Report on the settlement operations in the Akyab district. Season 1885-1886, 1886-1887, 1887-1888 3 vols. (Rangoon, 1887-1888). Alam, M. and S. Subrahmanyam. The Mughal State, 1526-1750 (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1998). ⎯. ‘Southeast Asia as seen from Mughal India: Tahir Muhammad’s ‘Immaculate Garden’ (ca. 1600)’, Archipel 70 (2005), pp. 209-237. Ali, S.M. ‘Chandra kings of Pattikera and Arakan’, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Pakistan 6 (1961), pp. 267 274. Allen, C.H.G. Final report of the survey and settlement of the district of Chittagong, 1888 to 1898 (Calcutta, 1900). -
The Mughal Gardens Along the Grand Trunk Road in Pakistan and Afghanistan
The Mughal Gardens along the Grand Trunk Road in Pakistan and Afghanistan Abdul Rehman and Munazzah Akhtar* The Mughal gardens introduced by the Mughal The Grand Trunk Road acted as a vessel for Emperor Babur developed until the late Mughal pe- communication and transmission of ideas from one riod. Their architectural features also found a reso- region to another. Its entire route runs across a vari- nance during the Sikh period and consequently be- ety of climates, landforms and geographical features. came a part of urban culture. Even now the tradition It passes mountains, valleys and plains and plateau of gardens still prolongs itself in the form of modern with diverse water features. Thus the presence of parks in all small and large towns of Pakistan. These wells, natural springs, streams and rivers provided gardens were not only designed as architectural important element for the selection of garden sites, masterpieces, but hosted activities that transformed as well as a source of life for them. the culture of historic cities through a long develop- Gardens built in the suburbs of existing towns were ment process. In that respect the Grand Trunk Road commissioned at three levels by the court. Initially played a pivotal role. they were commissioned by the Mughal Emperors, The Grand Trunk Road stretches between but simultaneously important contributions were Kabul and Bengal. Although it existed from ancient also made by court members at subimperial level, and times its alignment did not stay unchanged. The -fi third by ladies of the harem. Later, during the reign nal alignment was laid out by the powerful Afghan of Shah Jahan, every one took lead and thereafter chieftain Sher Shah Suri. -
Canonical Hindustani Music Treatises of Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir’S Reign
Canonical Hindustani music treatises of Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir’s reign This guest post for the British Library by Katherine Butler Schofield accompanies the podcast “The Maestro: Remembering Khushhal Khan Gunasamudra in Eighteenth-Century Delhi”, the second of six lectures and conversations she is presenting at the British Library in 2018 as part of her British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship “Histories of the Ephemeral: Writing on Music in Late Mughal India”. Please cite the original blog post. On 12th March 2018 I retold a revealing story about the great seventeenth-century Indian musician Khushhal Khan kalāwant ‘Gunasamudra’, the ‘Ocean of Virtue’. Khushhal Khan was one of the most feted Mughal court musicians of his time. Great-grandson of the most famous Indian musician of them all, Tansen, and chief musician to the Mughal emperors Shah Jahan (r. 1627–58) and Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir (r. 1658–1707), he was written about extensively in his lifetime as a virtuoso classical singer of exceptional merit and serious character. A portrait of him, dressed in pink and singing with other renowned court musicians at the wedding of Dara Shukoh in 1633, may be found in this c.1700 painting in the Royal Collection. In the podcast, I look at this larger-than-life figure from two perspectives. The principal one is a lengthy story that memorialised Khushhal Khan one hundred years after his heyday, as told by Mughal nobleman Inayat Khan ‘Rasikh’ in the first ever stand-alone biographical dictionary (taẕkira) of Hindustani musicians—the Risāla-i Ẕikr-i Mughanniyān-i Hindūstān-i Bihisht-nishīn Fig. 1. -
The Roles and Uses of Intoxicants at the Mughal Court
University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 8-2010 Pursuing pleasure, attaining oblivion : the roles and uses of intoxicants at the Mughal court. Stephanie Honchell 1984- University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd Recommended Citation Honchell, Stephanie 1984-, "Pursuing pleasure, attaining oblivion : the roles and uses of intoxicants at the Mughal court." (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 628. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/628 This Master's Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PURSUING PLEASURE, ATTAINING OBLIVION: THE ROLES AND USES OF INTOXICANTS AT THE MUGHAL COURT By: Stephanie Honchell B.A., University of Louisville, 2008 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Louisville in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of History University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky August 2010 PURSUING PLEASURE, ATTAINING OBLIVION: THE ROLES AND USES OF INTOXICANTS AT THE MUGHAL COURT By Stephanie Honchell B.A., University of Louisville, 2008 A Thesis Approved on May 7, 2010 by the fol1owing Thesis Committee JohI\ McLeod, Thesis Director Raphael Njoku I!.,. AIl&t'l Furr ii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my father Roger Louis Honchell iii ABSTRACT PURSUING PLEASURE, ATTAINING OBLIVION: THE ROLES AND USES OF INTOXICANTS AT THE MUGHAL COURT Stephanie Honchell May 7, 2010 Intoxicant use in Mughal India was not only widespread, it also represented an important part of the empire's history and culture. -
JLGC 3-6 Palyu
Dying Inayat Khan NATURE, SPIRITUALITY, AND MORTALITY IN THE JAHANGIRNAMA Cheryl Ann Palyu University of North Texas, Denton, USA ABSTRACT - Representations of death and dying are rare in Mughal miniature painting. Two images titled Dying Inayat Khan stand apart and hold unique positions in the Mughal miniature tradition. A 1618 preparatory drawing and finished painting depict the Mughal emperor Jahangir’s close court offi- cial, Inayat Khan, as a dying man. His likeness was recorded after he was summoned to the imperial court. Although these images have been discussed in many studies of Mughal painting, scholars have failed to fully explain how they fit within the tradition of Mughal miniature painting and why Jahangir would order the creation of the images. This paper contends that the images of the spectacular demise of Inayat Khan resonated with Jahangir’s scientif- ically- and spiritually-informed perceptions of his own (im)mortality and polit- ical potency. Like many of the nature studies and scientific inquiries commissioned or conducted by the emperor at court, Inayat Khan’s death was commemorated as a unique preternatural event fraught with personal and political implications for Jahangir and his reign. INTRODUCTION In 1605, Prince Salim took the throne as the fourth emperor of the Mughal Empire, anointing himself Nur-ur-din Muhammad Jahangir Padshah Ghazi – Nur-ur-din meaning “light of the faith” and Jahangir meaning “world-seizer.” Jahangir’s reign was one of general political stability and remarkable advance- ment in the arts, particularly painting. Supporting the painting schools estab- lished by his predecessor and father Akbar, Jahangir commissioned many of 66 | JOURNAL OF THE LUCAS GRADUATE CONFERENCE CHERYL ANN PALYU the finest Mughal miniature paintings yet created. -
Riverside Mansions and Tombs of Agra: New Evidence from a Panoramic Scroll Recently Acquired by the British Library
The Riverside Mansions and Tombs of Agra: New Evidence from a Panoramic Scroll Recently Acquired by The British Library Ebba Koch and J. P. Losty Introduction The riverfront at Agra once formed one of the great sights of Mughal India. In addition to the great fort founded by the Emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) and the Taj Mahal (the tomb built for the Emperor Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz Mahal), both banks of the River Yamuna were lined with great mansions, palatial garden houses and imperial gardens. The Emperor Babur (r. 1526-30) had been the first to build a garden at Agra, nearly opposite the site of the Taj Mahal, and the others were laid out mostly in the time of the Emperors Jahangir (r.1605-27) and Shah Jahan (r.1628-58), who gave the land on the riverbanks to their sons and to the great nobles of the empire. Jahangir’s powerful Iranian wife Nur Jahan laid out the garden now known as the Ram Bagh and also converted the garden of her parents, I`timad al-Daula and his wife ‘Asmat Banu Begum, into the first of the great tombs in Agra itself. Apart from the emperor and the imperial women, all the men who built gardens or tombs on the river front were mansabdars (high-ranking officers of the court), whose numerical rank ormansab defined the status and income of its holder (see below for an explanation of the system). The houses of the princes and mansabdars lined the right bank up- and down-river from the fort, while the left bank was mostly devoted to imperial gardens. -
Vilayat Khan and the Emerging Sitar
Networks of Music and History: Vilayat Khan and the Emerging Sitar Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Hans Utter, MA Graduate Program in Music The Ohio State University 2011 Dissertation Committee Margarita Mazo, Advisor Ron Emoff Danielle Fosler-Lussier Jack Richardson Copyright by Hans Frederick Utter 2011 Abstract My dissertation explores the sitar’s rise and significance in post- independence India (1947-2009), primarily through the Imdad Khan Gharana and Vilayat Khan. Pioneering sitarists such as Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan were vitally important in forging India’s cultural modern identity. By studying critically the role of individual creativity in the re-imagining of tradition, my dissertation investigates how contesting cultural heritages found expression in new artistic mediums that challenged and reached new audiences. In order to create a “non- linear” history of the sitar it is conceptualized as a “quasi-object” using the semiotic- material schema found in Latour’s Actor Network Theory (Latour 2008). Musical analysis is informed by a Deleuuzian approach for the perception of multiple “truths,” exploring performance as the interpenetration of the virtual and actual in assemblages. ii Dedication Dedicated to my family and Vivek iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing a dissertation is ultimately a collective endeavor. The efforts of many people, generously offering their personal time, to provide information, comments, and suggestions made this work possible. In addition, several organizations including The Ohio State University with its many departments and scholarly facilities provided the necessary infrastructure and logistical support for this endeavor.