Cultural and Religious Developments During Mughals - Medieval India History Notes

Mughal rule resulted in an explosion of multifaceted cultural activity in India. The traditions established during this period in architecture, painting, literature, and music established a precedent and profoundly influenced succeeding generations. Because of its outstanding cultural development, the Mughal period is considered the second classical age after the Gupta period in northern India. Indian traditions were merged with the Turko-Iranian culture brought to the country by the Mughals during this period of cultural development. In this article, we will discuss the Cultural and Religious Developments during the Mughal Empire which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Architectural Development

• Mughal rulers erected magnificent gates, forts, mausoleums, mosques, palaces, public buildings, and tombs, among other structures.
• The pronounced domes, the slender turrets at the corners, the palace halls supported on pillars, and the broad gateways are common features of Mughal architecture.
• Charbagh's style (garden layout) of the mausoleums, beautiful calligraphy, arabesque, and geometric patterns on pillars and walls are some other features of this architecture.
• Buildings during the Mughal period were mostly made of red sandstone and white marble.
• Babur built the Kabuli Bagh mosque in Panipat and the Jama Masjid in Sambhal near Delhi.
• Akbar's most notable architectural achievement was the construction of Fatehpur Sikri, his capital city near Agra which served as a trade and Jain pilgrimage centre.
• Akbar built the Buland Darwaza, also known as the Gate of Magnificence, in 1576 to commemorate his victory over Gujarat and the Deccan.
• Mughal architecture reached its pinnacle during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan (1628–58), with the magnificent Taj Mahal as its crowning achievement.

Taj Mahal

• The palace-fortress at Delhi, begun in 1638, was the second major undertaking of Shah Jahan's reign after the Taj Mahal.
• The red-sandstone-pillared Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience) and the so-called Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience), which housed the famous Peacock Throne, are two of its most notable structures.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Architecture of Mughal Empire

Development of Painting in the Mughal Empire

• Miniature painting has been developing in many places since the 10th century, and it flourished in numerous regional courts throughout the Sultanate of Delhi.
• When Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, returned from exile, he took two renowned Persian artists – Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd al-Samad – with him.
• These artists were Persian and they created several notable paintings, the 'Khamsa of Nizami,' based on Humayun's commands is one such.
• Akbar and Jahangir are credited with the development of Mughal art. The former had a library of 24000 manuscripts, many of which were accompanied by paintings.
• 'Tutinama,' which literally translates to 'Tales of a Parrot,' was one of the first paintings of works commissioned by Akbar. It is a 52-part Persian narrative told in episodic form.
• Two Iranian artists, Abdus Samad and Mir Sayyid Ali were tasked with finishing the project, and it took them nearly five years to complete 'Tutinama.'
• 'Tutinama' is currently on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio.
• Another major project commissioned by Akbar was ‘Hamzanama,’ which narrated the story of Amir Hamza.
• 'Gulistan,' 'Darab Nama,' 'Khamsa of Nizami,' and 'Baharistan,' were other renowned paintings commissioned by Akbar.
• Overall, during Jahangir's reign, Mughal painting flourished and evolved. Artists began to use vibrant colours like peacock blue and red and were able to provide three-dimensional effects to paintings
• The 'Padshanama' was one of the most important works produced during the reign of Shah Jahan.
• Aurangzeb discouraged art and paintings and as a result, much of the Mughal painting's quality was lost.
• Painters like Daswanth, Basawan, Miskin, and Lal were Indian painters, who served in the Mughal court during the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Govardhan, a well-known painter, worked for three Mughal emperors: Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan.

Jahangir’s Painting by Govardhan

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Paintings of Mughal Empire

Development of Language, Literature and Music

• The Persian language and culture deeply influenced Mughal rulers. As a result, Persian remained the Mughal court's official language.
• Akbar abandoned the tradition of keeping revenue records in the local language and used the Persian language for this because this knowledge of Persian had become so widespread in north India.
• Development of regional languages took place owing largely to the growth of the Bhakti Movement.
• During Akbar's reign, Persian prose and poetry reached their pinnacle. Abdul Fazl, a great scholar and stylist as well as the leading historian in Akbar's court, established a prose-writing style that was emulated for many generations.
• Utbi and Naziri were the other two major Persian poets. They migrated from Iran to India and established the Mughal court as one of the Islamic world's cultural centres. Furthermore, Hindus contributed to the development of Persian literature.
• The romance of God Krishna with Radha, the milkmaids' pranks on the child Krishna, and stories from the Bhagawat Gita were mostly written in lyrical poetry and were translated into many regional languages such as Bengali, Oriya, Hindi, Rajasthani, and Gujarati.
• In Hindi, the story Padmavat, written by the Sufi saint Malik Muhammad Jaisi, used Alauddin Khaiji's attack on Chittor as an allegory to expound on Sufi ideas on the soul's relationship with God, as well as Hindu ideas about Maya.
• Tulsidas, whose hero was Rama and who used a dialect of Hindi spoken in eastern Uttar Pradesh, was the most influential Hindi poet.
• Akbar was an accomplished musician. He continued his studies in Hindu vocalisation with Lal Kalawant, who taught him "every breathing and sound that pertains to the Hindi language."
• According to Ain-i-Akbari (written by Abdul-Fazl ibn Mubarak), there were 36 high-level musicians in the Mughal court of Akbar.
• Tansen (also known as Mian Tansen), regarded as one of India's greatest musicians, held a position of great importance in Akbar’s court.
• Tansen invented several new ragas and was even credited with having the ability to stop the flow of the Yamuna with his music.
• The Mughals are credited with bringing two disparate musical systems (Hindu and Muslim) together and giving birth to national Indian music.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Language, Literature and Music in Mughal Empire

Religious Ideas and Beliefs During Mughal Empire

• From 1526 to 1857 AD, India had seen a rise in Islam and its domination in the country. Islam was not new to India, it had been established in the eighth century.
• From the 12th century to the 19th century, Islam was the religion of the ruling class and as a result, it expanded in the country.
• Bhakti movement, Sufi movement and Sikhism were other new religious ideas and beliefs.
• The social, political, cultural, and religious movements that arose in various parts of India during the Mughal period attempted to bind the people together in a harmonious chord.
• During Aurangzeb's reign, the conflict between the two religions became apparent.
• However, during the eighteenth century, Akbar's broad, liberal approach to religion was revitalised and adopted as the standard.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Religious Ideas and Beliefs During Mughal Empire

Conclusion

Mughal rulers like Babur, Humayun, Akbar, and Jahangir were known for promoting cultural development in our country. They introduced Persian culture which intermingled with Indian culture to form new architecture and music types in India. People from various parts of India, as well as people of various faiths and races, all contributed to this cultural development in different ways. In this sense, the culture developed during the period tended toward a truly national culture.

FAQs

MCQs

Question: Which of the following painting does not belong to Akbar's reign?

(a) Padshanama

(b) Tutinama

(c) Hamzanama

(d) Darab Nama

Question: Consider the following statements regarding cultural development during Mughal period:

1. Mughals used red stone and white marble in their buildings.
2. Tulsidas was one of the Navratans present in the Akbar’s court.

Choose the correct option from the codes listed below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 and 2