Mughal Rule

Choose the Correct Answer

Correct Answer : Option c

Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: Akbar's reign was shaped by his curiosity regarding religions other than his own Muslim faith on the one hand, and his desire for religious tolerance on the other. Acutely aware of tensions between his Hindu and Muslim subjects, he wanted the major Sanskrit texts to be translated into Persian so that they could be widely read by non-Hindus. In doing so, they hoped that "those who display hostility may refrain from doing so and may seek after the truth". The Translation Bureau was therefore given the task of producing Persian versions of fundamental texts such as the Ramayana (Razmnama, or Book of War) and the Harivamsa, considered to be an appendix to the Mahabharata, detailing the life of Krishna.

Statement 2 is correct: The third volume of Akbar’s text, the Ain-e Akbari (the Regulations, or Institutes of Akbar), describes the many departments of the royal household, including the Ketabkhane, with a list of the leading artists of the age. Many of their names are inscribed on paintings accompanying an incomplete, unbound manuscript of the Akbarnama that was bought by the South Kensington Museum in 1896. These demonstrate that the manuscript was originally intended to be the presentation copy for the emperor. The text covers the years 1560 to 1577 and has 116 paintings, all attributed by a contemporary librarian to the artists who painted them. These inscriptions, written in red ink beneath each illustration, record that one designed the composition (tarh), while a second, presumably junior, artist was responsible for the 'work' (‘amal), filling in the colours of this outline. In some cases, a specialist portraitist was given the task of painting the features of the main characters in the scene.