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The Heroic Death in Battle of Rani Durgavati
India
Date: ca.1590-1595
Artists:
Kesav (artist)
Jagannath (artist)
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Right side of a double picture representing the heroic death in battle of Rani Durgavati (ruler of the Gond Kingdom of Middle India). The image is overlaid by two panels of text extending from the left hand margin.
This painting by the Mughal court artists Kesav and Jagannath from the Akbarnama (Book of Akbar) depicts the heroic death in battle of Rani Durgavati, ruler of the Gond Kingdom of Middle India, in 1564. She was a princess of the renowned Chandel dynasty of Mahoba, and ruled Gondwana (now included in the state of Madhya Pradesh) as regent for her son Bir Narayan. She was a capable and benevolent ruler as well as being a courageous leader. Her army consisted of 20,000 cavalry and 1000 elephants, and had repelled other attacks on the kingdom, but her forces were easily defeated by the overwhelming size of the Mughal army. This painting is the right half of a double-page illustration, the left half being Museum no. IS.2:36-1896. The image is overlaid by two panels of text extending from the left-hand margin.
The Akbarnama was commissioned by the Mughal emperor Akbar (r.1556–1605) as the official chronicle of his reign. It was written in Persian by his court historian and biographer, Abu’l Fazl, between 1590 and 1596, and the V&A’s partial copy of the manuscript is thought to have been illustrated between about 1592 and 1595. This is thought to be the earliest illustrated version of the text, and drew upon the expertise of some of the best royal artists of the time. Many of these are listed by Abu’l Fazl in the third volume of the text, the A’in-i Akbari, and some of these names appear in the V&A illustrations, written in red ink beneath the pictures, showing that this was a royal copy made for Akbar himself. After his death, the manuscript remained in the library of his son Jahangir, from whom it was inherited by Shah Jahan.
The V&A purchased the manuscript in 1896 from Frances Clarke, the widow of Major General John Clarke, who bought it in India while serving as Commissioner of Oudh between 1858 and 1862.
Copyright: © V&A Images
Rani Durgavati of gadha was really a great worrier died in the bettle with the army of Akbar ... even there are several stories about her great elephant too..........
Where is this place Gadha?
@ Summer Rain The Mughal Empire was not an strictly Islamic empire. Akbar was the most un-Islamic Emperor of the Mughal Empire.
These mughal kings comes from central asian mongol tribes they were converted to islam but never understand it, some went from one extreme to another, like Akbar and Aurangzeb, there is no kingdom in islam, they captured there kingdom from Abraham Lodhi another muslim king. Kill their own siblings and so on....
This is in response to the comments buy Summer Rain, Achintya Nath Sexena and Hafeez Shaikh: Mughals were Sunni muslims. When Humayun the 2nd Mughal was forced out of India he took refuge in the court of Shah of Persia who was a Shia. So for 14 years, Humayun was influenced by Shiaism. Consequently, he accepted images and carvings and paintings in spite of being a muslim. It was he who brought 2 painters, Abdus Samad & one other whose name eludes me at the moment from Herat to India. It is these two painters that started the Mughal Atelier and the Mughal school of miniature paintings came about. Fatehpur Sikri, built by 3rd Mughal Akbar during 1569-72AD has lots of carvings of fruits like pomegranates, grapes etc as well as animals like lions etc in Turkish Sultana's Palace for Summer to see so that he can stop doubting the painting and wonder about the text. 3rd Mughal Akbar The Great is known such because he was broad minded and NOT because he was unislamic. Kindly refer to his Decree of Infallibility that was proclaimed at Fatehpur Sikri. To Hafeez Shaikh: Mughals were never converted to Islam but they were born muslims. Babar's 5th generation ancester Timur-i-lang was Muslim and hence where would be the need to convert Babar to Islam 4 generations later. Some like Aurangzeb were fundamentalist and some like Akbar were more secular in nature, having realised that no country can be ruled without earning the goodwill of the majority.
Summer Rain: He married the daughter of Chagtai Khan, s/o Genghis Khan. So Timur was the Grand son-in-law of Genghis. He was a Barlas Turk. Barlas Turk was a sub order of Chagtai Turks but then Chagtai being the son of Genghis Khan was a Mongol. So you figure it out who he was.
Summer Rain: I have studied it and it is fascinating. The first book I read about him was printed in 1937. Nothing was written about Genghis later as the Mongols did not keep records and hence their history has to be retrieved from their enemies' records. The next one I have studied and read is "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World" by Jack Weatherford, a Prof. at University of Minnesota. That is an abs fantastic book, makes very interesting reading and is the first one written in 2004 or 03 after the one written in 1937. I suggest you too read it in case you haven't.
Summer Rain: Who are you Summer, a man or a woman? Your profile pic does not shed any light on it. Where are you from? What Nationality and what religion, if you would tell please.
Chris Deegan; Nitin Ashok Bhagawat; Deep Kansara: Gautam Mukerjee and Summer Rain: Many thanks to all of you for your LIKE on my comment. I like your LIKEs and appreciate them.
It is hard not to like structured thinking and presentation of verifiable info ... (Y)
Summer Rain: If you are not willing to give a few simple answers that would help me decide whether to be your friend or not, never mind. It is very difficult to be friend with someone who is even scared to use his name here and uses alias over here and yet says, one should be his friend. Nah.
Gautam Mukherjee: I wouldn't care for finding the history of Mickey Mouse in Disneyland. Perhaps the alias Mr/Ms Rain does not know that the whole of USA is current afair, and Mickey Mouse more so. Tch...... Tch......
Who are you? Do I know you? Nah. I don't think so.