Buttar, Gurman. “Essay: Battle of Sarnal in Gujarat.” In The Akbarnama: A Digital Art History Student Project, April 4, 2018. .
Humayun the father of Akbar and the second ruler of the Mughal empire fell down the stairs to his death, leaving the succession of the empire to his son Akbar. Akbar took over the empire at a young age of about 14 years old and from there started his conquest to conquer the north part of India. Akbar was known for his military knowledge but his love for literature and books was just as known. After taking control of the north around Delhi, Akbar set his eyes on Rajasthan and eventually took it under his control. This then led to the takeover of Gujarat next because Akbar wanted to get further into the Deccan region. Akbar was also big in religion, in that he participated in a lot of faiths and their festivals even of those that were non-Muslim. Akbar set a new standard for ruling in that he assigned certain officers to certain regions and they would collect revenues and give them back to the government. This was then used to pay the military and other responsibilities. Making Akbar’s reign a very wealthy one. Akbar was one of the most successful Mughal empire leaders in India, but his death in 1606 ended his rule.
Also known as the book of Akbar, was issued by Akbar himself for he had a big passion for art, literature and books. The project leader was Abul Fazi, who wrote the entire book. The Akbarnama is in three volumes and took approximately seven years to make. There were a couple of different painters along with a couple of people doing the composition as well. The official language of the Mughal empire was Persian and so hence the Akbarnama was written in Persian. The Akbarnama follows the life of Akbar from childhood to when he gets older. The first volume consists his birth and his family history like how he is a descendant of Timur and some stories Humayun. The second volume is all about Akbar’s reign and his some of greatest conquests during battle. The third volume is more about his empire and what he has done with it for his people and also consists of other battles.
Akbar was very successful in conquering most of India because of the backing he had in the Mughal army. These men were trained mercenaries that their sole goal was to win every battle they fought. The army mostly consisted of cavalry which rode on horseback into battle. They usually were heavily armoured and carried spears, swords and shield. The army was usually cut into branches each with its own officer in command that took direct instructions from Akbar. The army also had a big support system from archers that would stay in the back and shoot arrows at the incoming enemies. These mercenaries were also paid by the government for their role in the army. Akbar would fight along his men in the battles as well.
Sarnal is located in the northwest region of Gujarat which is known for being a desert area. The terrain in this area can be very rough in that it is very hilly with some parts having very large hills. These hills also make it very narrow in some sections making it hard to maneuver around. The ground is covered in cacti making it harder to get through at certain parts. There are also many fortresses seen in this area that are meant to be strongholds for whomever is ruling in the area. The Mahi river also goes through Sarnal and flows to the Arabian Sea. This is where the Portuguese have setup a port which allows them easy access to India. Controlling this area favors the ruler in that it opens trade with these Portuguese and allows for a passage way to the sea.
The Mirza’s had taken over most of Gujarat after they took down Chingez Khan and Itimad Khan. Akbar did not like the Mirza’s at all so when Itimad Khan to him for help to defeat the Mirza’s, Akbar accepted and set out for Gujarat. Ibrahim Husain Mirza had snakingly taken over Baroda, so Akbar went after him first and scared him out of Baroda to Sarnal. Akbar was able to defeat Ibrahim Husain Mirza’s army which left him vulnerable and caused him to flee. Akbar would later take over the other regions controlled by the Mirza’s as well. The Mirza’s also lost help from the Portuguese after they saw the ability of Akbar and his Mughal army.
Akbar was growing his empire from the north towards the south of India. After conquering Rajasthan, he was given the news of the Mirza’s taking over Gujarat and posing a threat to him. Akbar dislike the Mirza’s quite a bit so chose to go into battle. After taking over some parts of Gujarat, Akbar was given information that Ibrahim Husain Mirza was hiding in Sarnal. Akbar had only two hundred troops at this time because he had sent the rest to fight in others region of Gujarat. His determination took over and he led his troops to Sarnal. Upon reaching Sarnal it was found that Ibrahim Husain Mirza had just over a thousand troops ready to fight. But the narrow valleys of Sarnal and the terrain made it hard for his large army to move around. Giving the advantage to Akbar and his troops, who were able to defeat the Mirza army. Ibrahim Husain Mirza was able to flee but was later captured and ended up dying. This victory led to the rest of Gujarat being conquered and allowed him to discover the Portuguese. The battle of Sarnal also showed how strong Akbar truly was.
The painting was done by Babu Naqqash and the composition was done by La’l around 1590-95. It was done using opaque water colour with gold the paper. The painting shows Akbar on a horse in the center, while being surround by his troops. The hilly terrain with the cacti can also be seen. In the top half bigger hills with the Mahi river right beneath them can be seen painted in. In the bottom left a mercenary from the Mughal army can be seen penetrating his spear into a trooper of the Mirza army. This the right side of the double image, made to show Akbar’s fearlessness and ability to fight.