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calligraphers at Akbar’s court who was honoured with the title ‘Zarrin Kalam’
(Golden pen).

The Paintings of Mughal Period:

• Abu’l Fazl described painting as a ‘magical art’, but the production of painting was
largely criticised by the Ulama, as it was prohibited by the Quran as well as by the
‘hadis’.
• Hadis described life event of prophet Muhammad which restricted the deception of
living beings as they regarded it as function of God.
• The Safavid kings and the Mughal Emperors patronised the finest artists like
Bihzad, Mir Sayyid Ali, Abdus Samad, etc.

Historical Text of Mughals: Akbar Nama and the Badshah.Nama:

• The Akbar Nama written by Abu’l Fazl is divided into three books, of which the
third one is Ain-i Akbari which provided a detailed description of Akbar’s regime.
• The Badshah Nama was written by Abul Hamid Lahori about the reign of
Shahjahan. Later, it was revised by Sadullah Khan.
• The Asiatic Society of Bengal founded by Sir William Jones in 1784 undertook the
editing, printing and translation of many Indian manuscripts, including Akbar Nama
and Badshah Nama.

The Ideal Kingdom of Mughal Empire:

• Iranian Sufi thinker Suhrawardi developed the idea that there was a hierarchy in
which the Divine Light was transmitted to the king who then became the source of
spiritual guidance for his subjects.
• The Mughal artists, from the 17th century onwards began to portray emperor
wearing the haloto symbolise the light of God.
• Abu’l Fazl described the ideal of Sulh-i kul (absolute peace) as the cornerstone of
enlightened rule.
• In sulh-i kul all religions and schools of thought had freedom of expression but
they did not undermine the authority of the state or fight among themselves.
• Akbar abolished the discriminating pilgrimage tax in 1563 and Jizya in 1564.
• Abu’l Fazl defined sovereignty as a social contract i.e., the emperor protected life,
property, honour and faith and in return demanded obedience and a share of
resources.

Capitals and Courts of the Mughals:

• The capital cities of the Mughals frequently shifted during the 16th and 17th
centuries.
• Babur took over the Lodhi capital of Agra.
• In 1570, Akbar decided to build a new capital, Fatehpur Sikri.