9
Passage (86-90)
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
The tradition and fascination for painting started by Humayun was carried forward by his son Akbar (1556-1605). Abul Fazal, the court historiam of Akbar, writes about Akbar's passion for arts. He records that more than a hundred artists were employed in the royal atelier. This included the most skilled Persian and indigenous Indian artists of that time. This integrated composition of Indo-Persian artists led to the development of a unique style in this period. These artists together undertook ambitious projects that established new artistic standards with regard to visual language, as well as, subject matter. Akbar, laid great emphasis on illustration of manuscripts. It was under his patronage that several seminal projects of translation and illustration of manuscripts were carried out. The earliest of his projects is the continuation of his father's artistic legacy of Hamza Nama, an illustrated account of the heroic deeds of Hamza, the uncle of Prophet Muhammad. It is recorded to have consisted of 14 volumes with 1400 illustrations and took nearly 15 years to be completed. The suggested date of this mangnificent project is 1567-1582 and was completed under the supervision of two Persian masters – Mir Sayyid Ali and Abdus Samad. Akbar envisioned cultural integration and commissioned translation of several reserved Hindu texts. He commissioned translation and illustration of revered Sanskrit texts into Persian. The Persian translation and illustrated version of the Hindu epic Mahabharata done in this period came to be known as Razm Nama. Tahis was completed in 1589 under the supervision of master artist Daswant. This manuscript was scribed in ornate calligraphy and contained 169 paintings. The translation and illustration of the Ramayana were also carried out around this time. Artists like Govardhan and Miskin were celebrated for their visuals of court scenes. Akbar Nama, an extraordinary manuscript, on the lines of Babur Nama, containing a detailed account of Akbar's political and personal life, was one of the most expensive projects undertaken by Akbar. Akbar personally engaged with the artists, and supervised and evaluated the artworks. The Mughal paintings under Akbar's patronage depicted a variety of subjects, including, detailed political conquests, seminal court scenes, secular texts, portraits of important men along with Hindu mythologies and Persian and Islamic themes. Akbar's fascination for Indian scriptures and regard for India made him one of the most popular emperors of the country.
