Primary Source Analysis: Shah Jahan The King of the World

Submitted by Karan Thukral

Student ID: 301174522
Submitted to: Dr. Bidisha Ray
Dated: Monday June 9th, 2014

Note: Welch, Stuart Cary, Annemarie Schimmel, Marie L. Swietochowski, and Wheeler M.
Thackston. "The Kevorikian Album." In The Emperors' album: images of Mughal India. New
York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987. p. 208. (Accessed June 9, 2014)

Shahabuddin Muhammad Shah Jahan also known as Shah Jahan, meaning the king
of the world was the fifth Mughal Emperor. He ruled the empire after his father
Jahangir who died in 1627. This picture was portrayed in 1629AD by Shah Jahans
leading artist Mir Hashim, to represent the honor and might of Shah Jahan and the
Mughal Empire. The famous court painter placed Shah Jahan on the top of the

globe, depicting the name in literal sense.1 The tone of the image is very subtle
here as the facial expression of the king is depicted in a very soft nature where he
can be seen as genuine and loyal ruler. The picture also has some European
influence as two of the three angels are offering crown and sword of kingship
depicting the right to rule the kingdom by King Shah Jahan, while the one in center
is holding a royal canopy bearing the imperial pedigree2 indicating his royal
status chosen by the angels of God. In the picture, the crown of light behind the
king is to symbolize the holiness and the spirituality of the ruler; also giving him a
semi-divine status to remind us that king Jahangir (father of Shah Jahan) sprang
from mythical Mongol princess Alanquwa who was also impregnated by shaft of
light.3 The most significant area of attention should be given to the bottom part of
the image where the lion and the lamb are illustrated to coexist peacefully under
his feet. This stance by Shah Jahan is symbolizing his just rule.4 Stuart Cary Welch,
in his book In the Emperors album: images of Mughal India, has translated the
quotes in the image as:
Oh God, keep this king, the friend of the dervishes,
Under whose shallow peoples peaceful existence |is maintained|
|Keep him| for a long time established over the people;
Keep his heart alive by the succor of obedience |to You|.5

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, dervish is a member of a Muslim

religious order who worship by performing fast spinning dance.6 Here, the quotes
by the painter are trying to characterize the king as a spiritual personality. By
showing the ray of light and peaceful existence of the two forces, Muslims and
non-Muslims, the painter has beautifully captured both the religious as well as the
political aspect of the Shah Jahans rule over Hindustan. There have been
continuous debates for several decades amongst the South Asian historians over the
just rule of Shah Jahan.
The above image illustrates Shah Jahan as the glorified ruler for the peaceful
existence of its shallow people from different religious backgrounds. It has been
argued over the decades that Shah Jahan has taken numerous steps to preserve such
1 Stuart Cary Welch et al. In The Emperors' album: images of Mughal India (New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987), p.206.
2 Stuart Cary Welch et al. In The Emperors' album: images of Mughal India, p.206.
3 Asher C.B., and Cynthia Talbot. India Before Europe. (New York: Cambridge University
Press, 2008), p.191
4 Asher C.B., and Cynthia Talbot. India Before Europe, p.191
5 Stuart Cary Welch et al. In The Emperors' album: images of Mughal India. p.206.
6 Merriam-Webster Dictionary, s.v. Dervish, accessed June 9, 2014,
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dervish

coexistence. One of the many steps taken in this regard can be understood during
the great famine in Deccan and Gujarat in 1630 AD. Thousands of people died
because of starvation. A European Traveller, Peter Mundy was present in the
Deccan around 1630. He described the horrific images of the markets during that
period of time. Peter mentions that people were lying in the markets; some were
dead and others were living the last moments of their lives.7 Abdul Hamid Lahori,
a court historian of Shah Jahan, writes that the lands that were famous for their
fertility were now completely empty and there was no trace of productiveness.8
The king was naturally sympathized for his people and took every required step.
According to Raj Kumar, in his book India Under Shah Jahan, the king ordered
to open public kitchen in Burhanpur, so that the public has access to free food.
Furthermore, the king remitted seventy lakhs in crown lands amounting nearly
one-eleventh of the total revenue of the empire. Moreover, Dr. Vincent Arthur
Smith, a British Historian, comments on benevolent acts of Shah Jahan by praising
his selfless intention to save the interests and reduce the suffering of his people.9
Therefore, one can conclude that the king took care of his subjects. This illustrates
that there was no discrimination on the basis of religion and the king decided to
sanction relief packages for all the communities. Linking this back to the image,
the connection is clear as why Mir Hashim decided to show the peaceful
coexistence of the two forces.
Moreover, the administration under Shah Jahans rule was fair and just. The
following example depicts the unbiased behavior of Shah Jahan. Raj Kumar states
that Shah Jahan made all the necessary arrangements for the welfare of its people
and even punished noblemen when they forgot to perform their assigned tasks.10
Mir Hashims representation of Shah Jahan as the master of globe in the image can
be related to previously mentioned evidence as the king, who took required steps
during his governance to maintain the comfort of his subjects. Being himself as the
highest judge in the empire,11 he provided established judicial system and the

7 (The Hakluyt Society 1914)

8 Iftikhar, Rukhsana. Historical fallacies: Shah Jahans Reign: period of golden
Age. A Research Journal of South Asian Studies (Lahore:University of the
Punjab, 2013), Vol.28(2) p. 363
9 Raj Kumar. India Under Shah Jahan, (Delhi: Anmol Productions Pvt. Ltd.,
2000). p.11-14
10 Raj Kumar. India Under Shah Jahan. p.64
11 Raj Kumar. India Under Shah Jahan. p.66

option to appeal to the chief diwan.12 It indicates that he wanted to establish a long
lasting empire that focuses on transparent and fair judicial system for his people.
Contrary to this view, few historians argue that Shah Jahan was barbaric and
ferocious in nature. This can be understood through Inayat Khans compilation of
Shah Jahan Nama, where the royal librarian has compiled all the activities and
important events that took place in the reign of Shah Jahan starting from early life
before his accession till his final years in captivation. According to Inayat Khan,
the king commanded to destroy all the recently build idol-temples and instructed
that ,they should be razed to the ground13, which indicates that it was considered
a sacred duty of the king to conduct such parochial act. As a result, 70 temples
were demolished in Banaras. This effort from the Shah Jahan contradicts the above
claimed reality by Mir Hashim as this demonstrates the kings intolerant behavior
for different faiths especially against Hinduism. This also shows that the court
painter was biased in his creation. Therefore, one can conclude that such artwork is
administrated and funded by the king himself, which limited the painter to
showcase the harsh reality of society at that period of time. Moreover, Asher and
Talbot further proclaimed that the ground reality regarding the Shah Jahans
characteristics as shown in above image and many more official paintings, were
completely different. He was perceived as lascivious, arrogant, and intolerant14
which suggests that the above paintings were merely part of the monarchical
campaigns orchestrated to showcase the enduring strength and rampant abundance
of the Empire to their subjects.
Based on the above analysis, it is fair to conclude that the pictorial representation
Shah Jahan, is artificial in its nature in such a way that the painting create some
interest in eyes of the viewers. This creates a faade in the mind of the people that
the ruler of that time was tolerant and focused on peaceful coexistence. However, it
is also necessary that people should learn about the realties and investigate further
on the lives of people in that point of time. This will help to better understand both
views of the argument and provide a comprehensive understanding of Shah Jahans
rule in India.

12 Raj Kumar. India Under Shah Jahan. p.67

13 W.E. Begley and Z.A. Desai. The Shah Jahan Nama of Inayat Khan. (Delhi:
Oxford University Press, 1990), p.90
14 Asher C.B., and Cynthia Talbot. India Before Europe, p.207

Bibliography
Asher, Catherine B., and Cynthia Talbot. India Before Europe. New York:
CambridgeUniversity Press, 2008.
Desai., W.E. Begley and Z.A. The Shah Jahan Nama of Inayat Khan. Delhi:
Oxford University Press, 1990.
Iftikhar, Rukhsana. "Historical fallacies: Shah Jahans Reign: period of golden
Age." A
Research Journal of South Asian Studies (University of the
Punjab, Lahore) 28, no. 2
(2013):361-367.
Kumar, Raj. India Under Shah Jahan. Delhi: Anmol Productions Pvt Ltd, 2000.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Dervish. http://www.merriam
webster.com/dictionary/dervish (accessed 06 09, 2014).
The Hakluyt Society. The Travels of Peter Mundy, in Europe And Asia 16081667. . Edited by Lt.-Col. Sir Richard Carnac Temple. Vol. 2. London:
Cambridge, 1914.
. The Travels of Peter Mundy, in Europe And Asia 1608-1667. Edited
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Welch, Stuart Cary, Wheeler M. Thackston, Marie L. Swietochowski, and
Annemarie Schimmel. The Emperors' album : images of Mughal India. New
York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987.