Akbar's Sacred Kingship: Religious Influences and Their Visual Manifestations in the Akbarnama

From 1556-1605, Akbar the Great ruled the northern Indian Mughal kingdom, constructing a mode of kingship unlike any before him. He renegotiated the balance between saintly attributes and personable human behavior as an... [ view full abstract ]

From 1556-1605, Akbar the Great ruled the northern Indian Mughal kingdom, constructing a mode of kingship unlike any before him. He renegotiated the balance between saintly attributes and personable human behavior as an emanation of God’s light, qualifying him to rule Hindu-majority India despite his own Muslim beliefs. Akbar’s rule was recorded in the Akbarnama, or Book of Akbar, an illustrated manuscript whose images have been widely missed by scholars as an opportunity to understand Akbar’s self-definition as the most worthy ruler for his extensive kingdom. Through the paintings and text, one begins to understand Akbar’s self-fashioned synthesis as the Ideal King of an empire that guards worldly cultivation and Perfect Man of the spiritual realm who has achieved mystical unity with God. Four images in particular, all part of the Akbarnama manuscript owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, speak to the syncretic motifs that Akbar emphasized: Akbar Fulfilling His Vow, Akbar on Pilgrimage Visiting the Tomb of Mu’in ad-Din Chishti, Akbar Ordering the Slaughter to Cease, and Akbar Watches The Battle at Thaneshwar. Using both art historical and religious lenses, this paper illuminates the reign of Akbar and the context from which it emerged.