Indian Painting under the Mughals, A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1750 c14.3

c14.3

It must be admitted that Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, had on the whole a somewhat unfavourable opinion of India; and, on more than one occasion, expressed himself with feeling on the barrenness of the country and the shortcomings of its people. From this emperor's famous *Memoirs*¹ it is clear that he had not sufficient sympathy with the aspirations of his subjects to appreciate properly their intellectual qualities or their handiwork. He had too recently left the polished courts of his ancestors in Turkestan, with their brilliant array of talent, literary and artistic, to discern much virtue in what he considered the crude efforts of the Hindus. Rarely does he make any reference to the art of painting in his autobiography, and then only in a desultory way. Nevertheless Babur's influence on the artistic development of India was immense, although this did not show itself during his lifetime. To explain this it will be necessary to realize something of the strength of this monarch’s character and the versatility of his genius. Babur stands out in high relief as one of the most remarkable men Asia has ever produced. His ancestry was a distinguished one. On his father’s side he was a direct descendant in the fifth generation from the Amir Timur, while he was connected through his mother with the famous Mongol Chinghiz Khan. With the blood of these two great families in his veins it is not to be wondered at that Babur developed early into a man of outstanding ability. As a young man he succeeded his father, ‘Umar Shaikh Mirza, in the sovereignty of Farghana, the eastern portion of Timur’s dominions. His extreme youth, however, forbade him to assert his authority over a group of powerful nobles who had usurped every species of power, and eventually he was driven from his kingdom. After years of adventure, and repeated efforts to regain the throne of his fathers, he was obliged to give up the contest, and to turn to other fields to find an outlet for his unbounded energies. An opportunity soon presented itself. In the stern diplomatic school in which he had been trained, he had acquired a shrewd knowledge of Asian affairs; and when the time for a decision arrived, his mind reverted instinctively to India. What followed is told in his own words: ‘In the year 1525, when the sun was in Sagittarius, I set out on my march to invade Hindustan’. How this expedition, so simply set down in his *Memoirs*, prospered, so that within a year he was seated on the throne of Delhi, there to found the Mughal empire, is outside the scope of this work. But the high courage and indomitable will that animated this enterprise, and the fine mental qualities that he showed in this and throughout the whole of his career, are frequently recalled by the characteristic actions of his successors, who were touched with his spirit. It is therefore no exaggeration to say that, as Babur’s ideals were their guide, so his culture which he bequeathed to them inspired that appreciation of art and learning which marks the finest period of their rule.