Jahangir Receives Prince Khurram on His Return from the Mewar Campaign

Jahangir Receives Prince Khurram on His Return from the Mewar Campaign

painting by Balchand from the  Padshanama

       The Padshanama, the biography of Emperor Shah Jahan,  was written by Abdul-Hamid Lahawari. It is similar to Akbarnama as both are biographies of the Emperors written by tge court hiatorians.

        Emperor Akbar had tried his best to subdue Mewar. But Maharana Pratap proved to be an elusive enemy. The task of conquering Mewar fell on Prince Khurram after Jahangir ascended the Mughal throne.  Prince Khurram successfully conquered Mewar. Ironically, Rana Amar and Prince Khurram subsequently became the best friends.

        Here we see Prince Khurram returning from the Mewar campaign.  Interestingly he is show touching the feet of his father, Emperor Jahangir--a Hindu custom.

        Balchand is one of the finest painters of Jahangir's and Shah Jahan's period.  He is known for his individualized portraits of the people. In this painting each figure can be identified as an individual person. The court scene is a veritable list of Who's who of Jahangir's court. This painting depicts the hustle and bustle,  the splendour and the opulence of the Mughal court. No wonder Europeans were dazzled by India's wealth.