UK to open exhibit on Mughals Nov. 9

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Mughal splendour and power in India was founded by Babur in early 16th century and ended effectively with the exile of Bahadur Shah Zafar after the 1857 War of Indian independence to Burma.
The four centuries of the Mughal rule and its extravagant rulers will be depicted in the British Library’s exhibition, Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire, which opens on November 9. The glittering exhibition will include more than 200 manuscripts and paintings of the Mughal rulers, who were great patrons of art, architecture and culture.
Last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar’s gem-encrusted gold crown and the only known black and white photograph poet-emperor Zafar, whose official title was Bahadur Shah II, are the highlights of the ambitious exhibition. The photograph was taken in May 1858, while the British held him in Delhi awaiting his trial for his part in the 1857 Uprisings. He was exiled to Burma and the vast Mughal collections of jewellery, artefacts and art were auctioned in Delhi.
Zafar’s crown, which is on loan from the Royal Collection, and two throne chairs were bought by Major Robert Tytler, who had taken part in the Siege of Delhi. He declined £1,000 for the crown and instead offered the relics to Queen Victoria, who purchased them in 1861 for a mere £500. Jewels and rare ornaments will also be included in the exhibition, described as the first to document the entire historical period of the Mughal rule in India. Rare manuscript, Noteb-ook of Fragrance, written for Emperor Shah Jehan’s court as guide to princely household management and courtly activities will also be displayed. The manuscript has never been exhibited till now.
The exhibition will also include drawings, paintings and photographs of Mughal architecture in India, including the Taj Mahal. The Mughal dyna-sty’s descent from Genghis Khan and Timur was celebrated in Mughal genealogical paintings. A dynastic group portrait of Emperors Babur, Huma-yun, Akbar and Jahangir with their ancestor Timur and poet Sa’di will also be displayed. A miniature of Emperor Akbar ordering the slaughter of animals to be stopped during a hunting expedition in 1578 will also be displayed. The miniature on a folio is from Akbarnama and is attributed to the artist Miskina.
“The objects in our collection span four centuries, from the foundation of the Mughal dynasty by Babur in the 16th century, through the heights of the empire and the ‘Great’ Mughal emperors of the 17th century, into the decline and eventual collapse in the 19th century. It is with great pleasure that we are able to share our collection’s beauty with a wider audience,” according to Dr Malini Roy, the curator of visual arts at the British Library, who also has curated the exhibition.
The exhibition will cover extravagant lives of the emperors, focusing on family battles for crown, love affairs and a constant hunger for knowledge and power.
“We are so pleased to be displaying these stunning manuscripts, paintings, and jewelled objects from Mughal India, some never before exhibited, opening a window into a long-diminished world,” Dr Roy added.