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Paintings of The Razmnama


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Razmnama—the Persian translation of Mahabharata commissioned by Akbar

(Based on Ashok Kumar Das’ “Paintings of The Razmnama” published 2005 by Mapin, Ahmedabad, reproducing the Birla copy of the Razmnama’s paintings, available from Calcutta’s Birla Academy of Art and Culture)

Al-Biruni (early 11th century AD) records that that Indians have a book they hold in such veneration that they assert firmly that all which occurs elsewhere is found also therein, but not all that occurs in this book is found in other books.

1581: Akbar promulgated his new faith, Din-I Ilahi and commissioned a new history of the first millennium of Islam, the Tarik-I ‘Alfi, in which he ordered translation of the rational contents of different faiths “and the rose garden of the traditional aspect of each religion should, as far as possible, be cleared of the thorns of bigotry.” He held that the translations would end the monopoly of those who distorted the true spirit of their religions and deemed themselves custodians of their faiths. Akbar chose the MBH, says Badauni, because “thisis the most famous of the Hindu books and contains all sorts of stories and moral reflections and advice and matters relating to conduct and manners and religion and science and account of their sects and mode of worship, under the form of a history of wars of Kurus and Pandus…the Hindu believers…keep it hid from the Muslims.” For the task, Akbar assembled Sanskrit scholars (Debi Misra, Satavadhana, Madhusudana Misra—is he the editor of the Mahanatakam?—Rudra Bhattacharaj, Chaturbhuja—is this Nilakantha?—Shaikh Bhawan who was a Dakhini brahman converted to Islam) and learned courtiers including Mulla Sheri, court poet, who also translated “Haribans” before 1585 and Badauni. Akbar personally, for some nights, had the epic explained to Naqib Khan—famous theologian—who wrote it out in Persian. On the 3rd night he summoned Badauni, making him a collaborator. Within 4 months 2 parvas were ready by Mulla Sheri and Naqib Khan and Sultan Haji Thanesari a philosopher of note. Shaikh Faizi was brought in and did 2 parvas, rectifying errors made in the first round, as Akbar’s orders were “to establish exactitude in a minute manner so that nothing of the original should be lost.”

The work was often read aloud followed by discussions. Once in 1596 Akbar lost his temper on hearing certain passages and accused Badauni to have inserted his own bigoted views. Courtiers like Rahim, Akbar’s son Murad, begged permission to make copies of the Razmnama for themselves.

Akbar’s personal copy with 168 paintings in 4 folio vols (the last containing Haribans with 17 full page paintings while the first 3 have 151) is preserved in the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, Jaipur, out of bounds to scholars (how amazing that none of our great Indologists made any efforts to get this out in the open!). In 1603-4 it was valued at 4024 Akbari rupees. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur bought the vols in 1740, throwing away the goat-leather bindings. Started in 1582, it took Naqib Khan 18 months to complete in Aug-Sept. 1584. Abul Fazl added his lengthy Preface in 1586-7. Vol. 4 of T.H. Hendley’s “Memorials of Jeypore Exhibition 1883” reproduces 148 of the illustrations.



By the end of 1588 a Persian translation of Ramayana Akbar commissioned was also ready with 176 full page illustrations and is also in the same museum with the leather binding thrown away.

The Ashvamedhika Parva illustrations indicate that the text completely follows the Jaimini Ashvamedha Parva and not Vyasa’s as narrated by Vaishampayana to Janamejaya e.g. battles of Anusalva-Vrishaketu, Arjuna-Hamsadhvaja-Sudhanya-Suratha, Arjuna-Bhishana rakshasa. The dresses show the contemporary fashion (Mughal) though Krishna is usually bare-bodied and at times with four hands. The women are invariably in choli-ghagra. The demons (even Yama!) are horrendously depicted with horns, protruding sharp teeth, claws, animal-headed and coloured grotesque red, blue, green. That tradition can be seen preserved in the sketches of Bengali folktales (Thakurmar Jhuli, Thakurdadar Tholey—Grandma’s Bag, Grandfather’s Sack).


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