Analyze why the Sulh-i-kul policy of Akbar was considered as the cornerstone of the enlightened rule? How chronicles were produced during the Mughal era? Explain.
OR
Analyze the importance and limitations of Ain –i-Akbari as a source of Akbar's reign.
The policy of Sulh-i-kul (absolute peace) was considered as the cornerstone of enlightened rule. The Mughals pursued this policy in order to establish peace and accommodate various ethnic and religious communities in the Empire.
All religions and school of thought were given freedom of expression, but the emperor stood above all religions and ethnic groups. No community was to undermine the authority of the state and enough space and freedom were given to the existence of every culture so that they would not fight among themselves. This ensured that justice and peace prevailed under the Mughals.
In the Mughal state, the nobility was recruited from diverse backgrounds. It was a composite one comprising Iranis, Turanis, Afghans, Rajputs, Deccanis. The nobility was awarded based on their service and loyalty to the king. In order to implement the policy of sulh-i-kul, Akbar abolished pilgrimage tax and jizya (imposed on non- Muslim subjects). He even gave grants for constructing places of worship.
The Mughals commissioned chronicles in order to project a vision of an enlightened kingdom to all those who came under its umbrella. They were authored by courtiers and were written in Persian.
● The manuscripts were handwritten, the centre of which was the imperial kitabkhana.
● It was a scriptorium where the collections of manuscripts were kept and new manuscripts were produced.
● A number of skilled workers were required for the creation of manuscripts. Paper makers prepared the folios of the manuscript, scribes or calligraphers copied the text, gilders illuminated the pages, painters illustrated scenes from the text, bookbinders gathered the individual folios and set them within ornamental covers.
● Thus, chronicles were a piece of intellectual wealth and beauty that exemplified the power and prestige of its patron.
OR
Ain-i-Akbari was a Mughal chronicle authored by Abu’l Fazl. It was a combination of five books (daftars).
● Ain-i-Akbari was completed in 1598. It recorded the arrangements made by the state to ensure cultivation, to enable the collection of revenue by the agencies of the state and to regulate the relationship between the state and rural magnates, the zamindars.
● Ain presented the vision of Akbar’s Empire where social harmony was provided by a strong ruling class. Any revolt or assertion of autonomous power against the Mughal state was, predestined to fail.
● Ain gave the account of a diverse population that existed in the Mughal Empire. It was composed of Hindus, Jainas, Buddhists, and Muslims and thus represented a composite culture.
● The Ain also gave detailed accounts of the organization of the court, administration, and army, the sources of revenue and the physical layout of the provinces of Akbar’s empire and the literary, cultural and religious traditions of the people.
● It mentioned the intricate quantitative information of the various provinces (subas) of the empire. It also gave a detailed picture of the sarkars below the suba.
● It informed the emperor about the varied and diverse customs and practices prevailing across his extensive territories.
● Ain is important as it provides us a glimpse into the structure and organization of the Mughal Empire and by giving us quantitative information about its products and people.
Limitation of Ain-i-Akbari includes:
● Numerical errors have been found. This pertains to simple slips of arithmetic or of transcription by Abu’l Fazl’s assistants.
● Skewed nature of the quantitative data means that the information has not been collected uniformly from all provinces. For instance, information on caste composition is not available for Bengal and Orissa.
● Important fiscal parameters such as prices and wages have been documented only in and around the capital of Agra. This cannot be applied in the whole of India.