Darbar (Court) of 'Alamgir'

Darbar (Court) of 'Alamgir'

A painting by Bichitr
Auranzeb period
1658 AD.

       Having killed his elder brother, Prince Dara Shikoh, having imprisoned his father, Shah Jahan, in 1658 Aurangzeb usurped the Mughal throne. Upon ascending the throne he took the title of 'Alamgir ( Seizer of the Universe). He personified his title.  Before the British, he had the largest empire in Indian history, stretching from Kabul to almost Kanyakumari, from Sind to Assam. Politically the empire was united, socially fragmented,  economically distintigrating.
      Here Bichitr portrays the new  Emperor with his sons and maternal uncle. The emperor no longer sits in the company of learned men, or in the opulence of a court. He sits with a hawk perched on his right hand. It was the hawkish policies of Aurangzed which tore apart the unity of Hindustan, and partially damaged its diversity. Bachitr has reflected the rigid psychology of the emperor in his rigid posture. This painting is one of the finest portraits in Mughal miniatures.
         The battle between the liberal Dara Shikoh and the orthodox Aurangzeb is another turning point in Indian history. With the victory of fundamentalism,  India began its decline which led to its eventual subjugation by the British.

Prince Dara Shikoh with Learned Men in a Garden

Prince Dara Shikoh with Learned Men in a Garden

by Bichitr
Shah Jahan period
1640-1650 AD

         Prince Dara Shikoh was Shah Jahan's eldest son. He was the crown prince to the Mughal throne. In order to prevent a royal revolt, and in order to train Dara into the administrative functions,  Shah Jahan always kept Dara with him. Prince Dara Shikoh grew up in the liberal Sufi tradition of the Mughal court. Like Akbar and Jahangir, he was fascinated by Hinduism. He himself translated Hindu texts into Persian. He was a devotee of Nizamuddin Aullia Chisti of Delhi.
            Here Bichitr portrays Prince Dara Shikoh in a discourse with learned men. There is lively conversation,  wine and music. During the discourse a servant pours the wine, and the singer sings animatedly.  Bichitr paints his self-portrait as the man reading the book on the left side of the painting. The setting of the painting is Kashmir as Bichitr has painted the Iris flowers and the Cyprus trees.
            But the painting is more symbolic: under liberalism, ideas blossom and flower.  Liberalism is a Garden of Eden, a paradise.

Jahangir Enthroned on an Hourglass

Jahangir Enthroned on an Hourglass 

a painting by Bichitr
from Jahangirnama
Jahangir period
17th century AD.

         Another painting of propaganda.  Not a political one, but a spiritual one. The Emperor sits on an hourglass where the sand of time and life flows by. He has four supplicants before him. Shaikh Husain of the Chishti shrine, the Ottoman Sultan, James I --the King of England, and the painter Bichitr himself. The Emperor ignores the last three. Instead he gives his Book of Life to Shaikh Husain. The Emperor takes refuge in Islam.
        This painting is interesting for many other reasons as well. It shows the growing interest in Western art and technology.  The portrait of James I is a copy of an English painting. The cherubs are also borrowed from western paintings.  The  idea of an hourglass is an English imported item. Further it is one of the few occasions in Indian art that we have a self-portrait of an artist. A rare thing indeed. The status of the artist has improved from being a mere artisan to being depicted with the Emperor himself. The artist is beginning to emerge in his own right.