Persian Histories and other Literature (Mughal India) | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Babur 

Literary Contributions and Patronage during Babur's Reign:

• Babur brought poets and scholars from Central Asia, including Abu’l Wahid Farighi, Nadir Samarquandi, and Tahir Khwandi.
• Although Babur wrote in Turkish, his court supported both Persian and Turkish writers. He appreciated Persian literature and was a poet and historian himself.
• Jami, the last great mystical poet of Persian literature, focused on Sufism in his works.
• Suleiman Shah, Babur's cousin, wrote poetry in both Turkish and Persian. Other notable literary figures from Babur's time included Shaikh Zainuddin, Mulla Shihab, and Khwandamir.
• Gulbadan Begam, Babur's daughter, was a distinguished scholar who wrote Hamayun Nama at Akbar's request.
• Shaikh Zainuddin Khawafi, Babur's Secretary, was an expert in Turkish, Arabic, and Persian. He translated Babur's Turkish memoirs into Persian and commented on Babur's work on Hanafi jurisprudence.
• Many contemporaries of Babur came to India and produced their works under Indian patronage. This period marked the significant establishment of the Persian language in India.

Humayun 

• Humayun, like his father Babur, was a strong supporter of poetry and prose.
• He was skilled in writing poetry, creating various forms such as masnavi, rubai, diwan, and ghazal.
• M.A. Ghani noted that Humayun's poetry, which included almost all major forms except qasida and gita, established his reputation as a Persian poet.
• In addition to being a poet himself, Humayun encouraged other scholars, poets, and historians, many of whom became prominent figures in his court.
• Shaikh Amanullah Panipati was known for his qasida.
• Shaikh Abdul Wahid Bilgrami and Shaikh Gadai were notable Hindi-Persian poets at Humayun's court.
• Dustamdari wrote the Jawahir nama-i-Humayuni, a 22-chapter work.
• Nafais ul Maasir was written by Mir Alauddaula Kazwini.
• Maulana Qasim Kahi compiled a diwan with various qasida, masnavi, and ghazal, while Shah Tahir Dakhani wrote qasida and masnavi in praise of Humayun.
• Yusuf bin-i-Muhammad Hirwal was another important literary figure, credited with works like Riyaz ul Insha, Jamiul Faicaid Qasida Fihifz-i-Sihat, and Badaiul Insha.
• Jauhar wrote Taqkirat-ul-Waqiat.
• Khawaja Hussain Mervi compiled a diwan and translated the Hindi work Sanghasan Battisi into Persian.

Akbar 

• During Akbar's reign, Persian literature flourished, producing significant literary and historical works.

Prominent Works of the Time:

• Tarikh-i-Alfi by Mulla Daud
• Ain-i-Akbari and Akbarnama by Abul Fazal
• Muntakhab-ut-Twarikh and Tabakat-i-Akbari by Nizamuddin Ahmed
• Masir-i-Rahimi by Abdul Baqi

Abul Fazal:

• A renowned scholar and close friend of Akbar for nearly 35 years.
• His extensive body of work is highly regarded by scholars.

Abdul Qadir Badauni:

• Wrote Muntakhab ul-Tawarikh or Tarikh-i-Badauni, covering history from the Ghazanvides to Akbar's fortieth year.
• This work is valuable for correcting the overly flattering accounts in the Akbarnama.

Nizamuddin's Tabakat-i-Akbari:

• A chronicle that focuses on external events and omits the Emperor's religious views.

Takmila-i-Akbarnama by Inayatulla:

• This work fills in the gaps of Akbar's reign not covered by Abul Fazal.

Faizi's Akbarnama:

• Although not original and based on Tabakat-i-Akbari, it provides clear information about Akbar's reign.

Wikaya-i-Asad Beg:

• Offers insights into the later years of Akbar's reign.

Muntakhabu-t-Tarwarikh by Hasan Bin Muhammad al-Khaki al-Shirazi:

• A valuable history of Akbar and notable figures from Tartary and Hindustan.

Abul Faizi:

• Brother of Abul Fazal and a renowned poet.
• His notable works include Nala-o-Daman, Markaz-i-Adivar, Mawarid-ul-Kala, and Swati-ul-Ilham.
• Recognized as a great poet, with Badauni praising his unmatched skills in various fields.

Translation Initiatives under Akbar:

• A special department was established to promote the fusion of Hindu and Muslim cultures through literature.
• Significant works from Sanskrit, Arabic, Turkish, and Greek were translated into Persian.

Notable Translations by Abul Fazal:

• Kisan Joshi
• Gangadhar
• Mahesh Mahananda
• Panch Tantra

Other Translations

• Malialharat translated by Naqib Khan
• Ramayana translated by Abul Qadir Badayuni and Shaikh Sultan of Thaneshwar
• Atharvaveda translated by Haji Ibrahim Sarhindi
• Lilauati translated by Faizi
• Rajatarangivi translated by Maulara Sheri

Jahangir 

Jahangir's Intellectual and Literary Contributions:

• Jahangir, like his father, was an intellectual with a strong appreciation for literature.
• He supported scholars and surrounded himself with literary figures at his court, including Nasiri of Nishapur, Ghiyas Beg, Naqib Khan, Mutamid Khan, Niyamat-Ullah, and Abdul Haq Dehlvi.
• Jahangir authored his autobiography, Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri,providing an honest and vivid account of his daily life.
• While he included many aspects of his life, he omitted certain events like his rebellion against his father, his marriage to Nur Jahan, and the death of Khusrau.
• Similar to Babar, he acknowledged his weaknesses and faults in his writings, leaving a positive impression of his character and abilities.
• During Jahangir's reign, Amid Khan produced the Iqbal-namah-i-Jahangiri, a significant historical work about his reign.
• Other notable historical texts from his period include Maasir-i-Jahangiri and Zubd-ul-Tuwarikh.
• His era also saw the creation of remarkable poetry and commentaries on the Quran.
• Unlike his father, Akbar, Jahangir disbanded the Department of Translation, which had been quite active during Akbar's time.

Shah Jahan 

Shah Jahan's Support for Scholars:

• Shah Jahan continued to support scholars and men of learning during his reign.
• Notable scholars under his patronage included Abu Zalih, Haji Muhammad Jan, Chandra Bhan Brahman, Abdul Hamid Lahauri, Aminai Qazwini, Inayat Khan, and Muhammad Salih.
• Abdul Hamid Lahauri, the court historian, authored the Padshah-Nama.
• Inayat Khan and Muhammad Salih wrote Shahjahan-Nama and Amal-i-Salih, respectively.
• Many scholars from Persia arrived during Shah Jahan's time, contributing to Persian literature, which evolved a distinct character in India.

Dara Shikoh's Contributions:

• Dara Shikoh, one of Shah Jahan's princes, was a significant patron of learning.
• He translated Hindu scriptures like the Gita, Upanishads, and Yoga Vashistha into Persian and wrote a treatise on Hindu pantheism.
• Dara Shikoh was deeply interested in religious and philosophical studies, leading to the production of masterpieces in Persian literature under his patronage.
• His most notable work, Majm-ul-Bahrain(Mingling of the Oceans), attempted to show the common goal of Hinduism and Islam.
• He also wrote Sir-i-Akbar, a work of Sufi literature.

Aurangzeb 

• Aurangzeb, despite being a strict Sunni Muslim, was a critical scholar of Islamic theology and jurisprudence.
• He had a dislike for poetry and was not in favor of writing history about his reign.
• Many histories were written about his time, but these were not sponsored by him. Instead, they were created independently by scholars.
• Some notable historians and their works from Aurangzeb's era include:
• Khafi Khan -Muntakhab ul-Lubab
• Mirza Muhammad Qasim -Alamgir-Nama
• Ishwar Das Nagar -Maasir-i-Alamgiri
• Bhim Sen -Nushkha-i-Dil Kasha
• Sujan Rai -Khulasa-ut-Tawarikh
• Aurangzeb supported various theologians in creating a detailed digest of Muslim laws, leading to the compilation of Fatawa-i-Alamgiri.
• He was also proficient in Persian, as demonstrated in his collection of letters known as Raqqat-i-Alamgiri.

Later Mughals 

• During the reign of Muhammad Shah (1713—1748), Persian literature was neglected, and attention shifted to Urdu.
• Despite this shift, the later Mughal period saw the production of several works in Persian, focusing on Sufism and history, by both Hindu and Muslim scholars.
• These later works, however, did not match the high literary quality of those produced under earlier Mughal patronage.
• Some local rulers continued to encourage the creation of historical works in Persian.
• Notable chronicles from the later Mughal period include:
  • Sair-ul-Mutakherin by Ghulam Husain
  • Tarikh-i Muzaffari by Muhammad Ali Ansari
  • Tawarikh-i-Chahar-i Gulzar-i-Shujai by Hari Charan Das
  • Imad-us-Saadat by Ghulam Ali Naqvi
  • Ibrat-Nama by Khair-ud-din

In South India 

• Persian literature continued to thrive in the South during this period, producing several notable works.
• In 1611, Farishta authored the Gulshan-i-Ibrahimi, considered one of the most comprehensive chronicles of Medieval India.
• Aziz Tabataba wrote the Burhan-i-Maathir in Ahmadnagar, covering the history of the Bahmanis and subsequent states up to 1694.
• The Tarikh-i-Muhammad Qutb Shah chronicled the history of the Qutb dynasty from its founding to 1617.
• In Golconda, Khurshah composed the Tarikh-i-Qutbi(also known as Tarikh-i-Elchi-e Nizam Shah) in 1628, which presented a history from Creation to the present, notably omitting the history of Golconda itself.
• Other significant works on the Qutb Shahi dynasty include Nisbat Nama Shahrayari, Nasab Nama Shahryari, and Tarikh-i-Qutb Shahi, primarily compiled during the reign of Muhammad-Quli Qutb Shah.
• Under the patronage of Mahmud Gawan, the Persian language flourished. Gawan, a wazir of Bahmani origin who came to India from Persia in 1453, made significant contributions before his death in 1481.
• Gawan compiled his letters in Riyazu’l Insha and authored Manaziru’l Insha, a guide on Persian diction.
• In Bijapur and Golconda, Persian scholars received substantial support. The influx of Persian historians, poets, and literary figures during Ibrahim Qutb Shah's reign was so great that it necessitated the founding of the new city of Hyderabad in 1592.
• Persian learning attracted both Hindus and Muslims across India, reflecting a trend of cultural goodwill, as noted by Sherwani.