Fender, Joshua. “Essay: Mirza Ibrahim Husain.” In The Akbarnama: A Digital Art History Student Project, April 4, 2018. .
The Akbarnama is the one of many Illustrated manuscripts created during the Mughal Empire of the Indo-genetic plain region. This Mughal miniature painting features the defeat of Ibrahim Husain Mirza in the region of Gujarat. Like many Mughal paintings it a sequence of events held within the single painting and is full of detailed imagery. The painting in the Akbarnama is adjacent to another painting which also highlights the defeat of Ibrahim Husain Mirza.
In the 11th year of Akbar’s reign, Mirza Muhammad Hakim, King of Kabul marched against the emperor. Joining the revolt was Husain Ibrahim Mirza and his father Muhammad Ibrahim Mirza (Abul Fazl’ Allami 462). During the uprising Husain and Muhammad held the major fortresses of Broach, Baroda, and Surat in defiance against the Emperor Akbar. Ibrahim Husain Mirza was notoriously cruel during his besieges of near-by towns. During araid of the town of Pali he was recorded to have raped 12 woman, many of them until they died (Khan Alam 31). His cruel character may have made the Emperor insistent on glorifying the defeat and ultimately the death of Ibrahim Husain. Although this painting shows Husain and Muhammad at the fortress of Surat, is gives reference to a sequence of events leading up to the battle.
The fortress of Surat is a small yet exceedingly strong and secure structure It was built on the seashore in the mid tenth century. Khudawand Khan the ruler of the time, called on his architect to design the fortress to utilize the shoreline to limit enemy access points. He built ditches along the shoreline to increase the security from naval attacks. The walls were 5 yards thick and doubled to total 15 yards thick. They towered 20 yards high and were formed using stone, chunam, and burnt bricks. Chunam is a plaster made from shell-lime and sand, which was a material used in the region of India. Each stone was fastened firmly with cramps of iron. For centuries before the Mughals the fortress defended from attacks from the sea including the Portuguese After the death of Genghis Khan the fortress was in the possession of the Mirza’s (Elliot 346-347).
The architecture breaks up the scene through solid lines. This technique is present throughout the history of Mughal painting. It was inherited from the Persian miniature tradition and is present in Islamic painting of the Mughal period. This technique allows the painting to be read like a narrative beginning in the top right of the painting and then circling right and down into the battle scene. Circular columns separate the scenes as the diagonal line work at the top of the fortress direct the narrative down into the battle scene below. All together the painting acts as a timeline for the events leading up to the defeat of Ibrahim Husain Mirza.
In the painting the Husain Ibrahim Mirza and his father Muhammad Ibrahim Mirza are depicted various times, perhaps indicating a sequence of events. This is evident as the two are dressed in different colors and depicted in various sections across the top of the fortress. In the scene at the top in the middle, they are composed and perhaps reflecting on Husain Ibrahim’s assassination of Rastam Khan Rumi at the fortress of Bhorj (Abul Qudir 146). In the scene next to it a change of mood has occurred as Husain Ibrahim Mirza frantically points at the advances made by the Imperial army in the imagined distance. Soon after Ibrahim Husain goes to the near by town of Sarnal to cause a disturbance elsewhere. In the final image Muhammad is left to watch the battle that ensued swiftly after Ibrahim leaves to the town of Sarnal. In each scene there are less people present which may serve as a symbol for the defeat of the Mirza’s.
After hearing of Ibrahim Husain Mirzas uprising in the town of Sarnal the Emperor became infuriated. Despite resistance from his advisors, Akbar decided to attack the fortress of Surat (Solanki 337). With a force of 200 soldiers he travelled throughout the night and over to the next day to reach the fortress. Upon arrival he took 40 horsemen on the banks of the Mahindri river who spotted Ibrahim Husain across the river in the town of Sarnal. Boldly moving forward, the Emperor took his remaining regiment to attack Ibrahim. With his army of about 1000 troops Ibrahim Husain thought he had an advantage and decided to meet the Emperors army out in the open plain. The Emperor was able to attack Ibrahim Husain’s army as the rest of his reinforcements circled around.
The battle took place in the shallows of the river, as well as along the broken road in front of the Fortress of Surat. The road next to the fortress was very broken and gave the advantage to the Emperors army who were able to incircle the enemy. Thorny plants surrounded the battle field. The Emperor himself used the foliage to defend himself from the large number of troops that pursued him. Caught between two towering jagged rock faces and fighting on very uneven ground Ibrahim’s army rapidly dwindled (Elliot 345-346).
On top and amongst the rock terrain were prickly pears. These prickly pear plants are most likely the edible cactus plant Opuntia. This plant grows in arid and semi-arid regions in parts of Gurarat and Rajasthan. It is also found in regions of Mexico and across Latin America (Prickly Pear India). In the painting Akbar is depicted next to a cactus pear.
Because of the difficult terrain and the courageous pursuing of the Emperor’s army, Ibrahim Husain was forced to flee. He took his horse on fled to Sarohi by the way of Ahmagnagar (Abul Qudir (151). After hearing the news of her husband’s defeat, Ibrahim Husain’s wife Gulrukh Begum, fled with their son Muzaffar Husain Mirza from Surat to the Deccan (Elliot 348 ). To honor his brave soldiers the Emperor increased the rank of each and every one of them. He gave them the award of becoming a jagir. The Emperor then returned to Baroda where he had investigators design a plan to conquer Surat.
Later that year in December of 1573 the Imperial army was planning to siege the fortress of Surat. Muhammad Husain Mirza, Akbar’s rebel relative had made the fortress his center of operation (Peri). While out hunting, the Mirzas fortress was attacked; Mas’ud Husain Mirza, younger brother of Ibrahim Husain Mirza took the initiative to go out and attack the enemy. He was flung off his horse and taken prisoner. When returning from his hunt Mirza Ibrahim fought bravely to try and free his brother. When he realized all was lost so he turned the reins of his horse and fled (Abul Qudir 161). Later 300 prisoners were brought before the Emperors court covered in skins of asses and hogs. Also brought was the head of Mirza Ibrahim Husain who could not escape from the Imperial forces a second time (Elliot 510).