The Illustrated Baburnama

This page intentionally left blank Th e Illustrated Baburnama This book presents the Persian Baburnama, a key primary source and the earliest record of Babur’s memoirs. The authoritative translation uses paintings from the original work and draws on contemporary texts of the period to delve into the history of the legendary Mughal ruler. It provides a fresh treatment of the source material and highlights vivid accounts of the historical events of the time. The paintings are divided thematically, offering a unique and rare perspective into the Mughal world. Accompanied by a detailed introduction, the volume also touches upon narrative art and analyzes the infl uence of European Renaissance art on Mughal painting. With more than 150 Mughal paintings and illustrations in colour, this volume will be an important sourcebook for scholars and researchers of Medieval Indian history, especially Mughal history, and art historians, as well as connoisseurs of art. Som Prakash Verma taught at the Centre of Advanced Study, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University and was Tagore National Fellow (2010–12). At present, he is Senior Aca- demic Fellow at the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi. He is also a practising artist and a recipient of two awards from the Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta (1981) and Indian Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar (1982). Th e Illustrated Baburnama Som Prakash Verma First published 2016 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2016 Som Prakash Verma The right of Som Prakash Verma to be identifi ed as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-1-138-95893-7 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-66094-3 (ebk) Typeset in Goudy by Apex CoVantage, LLC MAY IT NOT BE PERFECT; BUT IT IS THE RIGHT ONE —Author Contents Preface xi Introduction 1 The National Museum manuscript: Baburnama 3 Babur, the Mughal 15 PART I Catalogue: illustrations 35 Historical notes and an appraisal of art 35 PART II Depictions of natural history 271 PART III Interpreting similar themes in related manuscripts 372 Sixteenth-century manuscript painting 397 Appendices Appendix A 417 Appendix B 423 Appendix C 431 Glossary 435 Bibliography 439 Index 447 This page intentionally left blank Preface It is all about Babur’s Memoirs and its early Persian version, known at the National Museum, New Delhi (Inv. no. 50.326). The object of the present work, however, is not to give just another book, but to prescribe a source of history of the great Mughals. It seemed desirable to make the scholars cognizant of the historical data woven into the illustrated historical works from the Mughal School. I have not entered into arguments and interpretations but have endeavoured to reckon the Per- sian chronicle, the National Museum Baburnama, as one of the most guiding sources of historical importance. The National Museum manuscript, datable to 1598, is a version of Abdur Rahim Khan-i Khanan’s Persian translation of the Memoirs of Babur in Turki, presented to Akbar in 1589. I have given full consideration to the English translations of the fundamental source, i.e., the Memoirs in the original Turki, and I have scrutinized the Baburnama illustrations page by page and line by line. This delicate task invited close scrutiny; and in the interest of accuracy and truth, effort has been made to involve all the English translations, viz.: Leyden and Erski ne (1826), ed. Lucas (1921); Caldecott (1844) ; Beveridge, ed. 1 905, tr. 1921; and Thackston (1996) . In addition to these, books and monographs on life and times of Babur authored by Erskine (1854), Lane-Poole (1 890), Williams (191 8), Grenard (1930 ), Lamb (1962), and Hasan (1985), which claim to have examined the Memoirs, crave the indulgence of the students and scholars to perceive the available evidence as honestly and as impartially as possible. I believe essence of history is accuracy. The National Museum manuscript, an elegantly illustrated copy of the Baburnama, brings the historical events of Babur’s lifetime to vivid reality. Through its miniatures we experience their most dramatic moments. These provide not only a pictorial documentation of Babur’s biographi- cal narrative but also exhibit the events and episodes with new nuances and meanings and invest them with a vividness of detail which otherwise one would not have imagined or known at all. They offer a view of a living record of the times and are pictorial documents of authenticating history. The present volume narrates Babur and his career as gleaned through his Memoirs, here com- plemented with historical visuals. Almost all of the major moves of Babur fi nd their expression in the Baburnama illustrations which provide a picturesque view of the challenges he struggled with throughout his life (Illustrations 1–88; 132–55). The most famous genre of the depictions of natural history represented by the Baburnama testifi es Babur’s precise observations on wildlife and proclaim him the great naturalist (Illustrations 89–131). This genre of painting originated with the historical illustrations, the development of which is almost entirely attributable to Akbar’s xii | Preface characteristic enthusiasm and love for art. The Mughal manuscript painting, described essentially as narrative art, is rooted both in Persian and Indian traditions matured with greater complexity with the adaptation of the Renaissance art of Europe. Appendix B (Concordance of the illustrations with their context in Babur’s Memoirs (Hyderabad Codex: Turki Text)) contains evidence of contemporary and subsequent authorities to authenti- cate the eminence of National Museum Baburnama. The illustrations proceed strictly chronologically and these unfold the historic events, and at the same time, they serve to diffuse Persian culture into India and blend the Islamic and native traditions of India. For the success of this work, I owe gratitude to these premier organizations: the National Museum (New Delhi) and the Indian Council of Historical Research (New Delhi). I express my gratitude to Ms. Jayshree Sharma, Director, Exhibition and Public Relation, National Museum, New Delhi, for granting me access to the Baburnama manuscript, and permission to publish its miniatures. An award of the Senior Academic Fellowship (2013–15) at the Indian Council of Historical Research further proved a great asset in the completion of this work. Finally, I am profoundly indebted to my teacher, the late Professor Emeritus S. Nurul Hasan, whose affectionate encouragement has constantly been a source of inspiration. Initially, he mooted the novel idea of the study of Baburnama miniatures in 1969. Now after more than four decades its fulfi llment renewed with valuable suggestions of Professor Emeritus Irfan Habib is a reality. I am full of gratitude for his constant encouragement and instructive prepositions. I am deeply appreciative of Dr. Satya Vrata Tripathi, Curator (Manuscript), National Museum, New Delhi; Professor Muhammad Afzal Khan; and Professor Ishrat Alam for their help in identi- fying themes, correcting my rendering of Persian inscriptions, and organizing my material. Special thanks are due to Professor Ali Athar, Chairman, Centre of Advanced Study, Depart- ment of History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, for his friendly support and cooperation. I must also thank Ms. Jyotsna Arora, Deputy Director (Library), Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi; Professor Amzad Khan, Librarian, Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh; and the staff of the Seminar Library, Centre of Advanced Study, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, for their cooperation. A mention of Mr. Ghulam Mujtaba, a veteran photographer, for his enduring companionship at the workplace; Professor Pushpa Prasad for her sympathy and affi nity with my work; and Dr. Smriti Prasad and her daughters, Astha and Ami, for their loving care is inevitable. Lastly, I am thankful to the Routledge India team, New Delhi, for making my work accessible in its most splendid form to a wider readership. Som Prakash Verma October 2015 Aligarh Introduction This page intentionally left blank Th e National Museum manuscript: Baburnama This page intentionally left blank Figure 1 Fly-Leaf, Baburnama, c. 1598–1600, National Museum, New Delhi (henceforth NM), Inv. No. 50.326, folio 1a. Figure 2 ‘Unvan (an illuminated heading), Baburnama, c. 1598–1600, NM, folio 2a. The National Museum manuscript of the Baburnama (Inv. No. 50.326) is a contemporary version of the Persian translation of Babur’s Chaghatai Memoirs: Waqiat-i Baburi (1530) made by Abdu’u-r Rahim Khan-i Khanan of Akbar’s court in 1589.1 In 1583, however, Payanda Hasan of Ghazni and Muhammad Quli of Hisar had taken up the work of translation privately. These endeavours were never completed and the originals are extant in the British Museum and Library, London (hereafter BML) and in the Bodleian Library, Oxford (hereafter BLO), respectively.2 Numerous versions of the Khan-i Khanan’s work, the Baburnama, richly illustrated by the impe- rial court artists of Akbar (1542–1605, r.1556–1605), have survived to our times.

Load more