Bellmond, Brooklyn “Akbar Hunting at Palam, Near India” In The Akbarnama: A Digital Art History Student Project, April 4, 2018. .
The Akbarnama chronicles the life of Mughal emperor Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, or commonly simply Akbar. It was written by Abu’l Fazl, the grand vizier to Akbar, by commision between the years 1590 to 1596. Between 1592 and 1595, royal artists were commissioned to create miniatures illustrating scenes from the the text. The book itself acts as a symbol of Akbar’s power during his reign, often referred to as ‘Akbar the Great,’ a title that proves itself through the stories told through the Akbarnama. One of the illustrations which illustrates clearly the importance and power of Akbar, as well as his respect for lasting Mughal traditions, is the illustration Akbar Hunting at Palam, Near Delhi. This illustration is composed by Mukund and painted by Manohar.
Akbar Hunting at Palam, Near Delhi is a hunting scene, illustrating the events after Akbar led his forces against the fortress of Chitor. This was a battle that, while successful, was extremely hard on his armies. Akbar would later move on to take over the fort of Ranthambhor. En route, taking part in hunting along the way allowed Akbar to move his armies without suspicion and check on different places of his territories and how they were managed. This scene captures one of those hunting trips en route to Ranthambhor, as he had stopped by Delhi from Agra. The scene clearly shows use of a Timurid form of hunting called the Qamargah, a form that was used by his ancestors. Akbar rides horseback in the center of the page, surrounded by his followers whose gaze falls upon Akbar, reassuring his status among them.
The use of the Qamargah is particularly important in showing Akbar’s homage to his lineage. It is important to note that, to the Mughals, it was essential to remember their ancestors before them. Many illustrations show their important and powerful ancestors of the past, including Babur, the Mughal founder and even Timur before him. While the Qamargah is important in this scene to show Akbar’s respect for his lineage, since it was a technique used by them, we can also see some importance in other elements such as his main choice of weapon in this hunt: the bow. The bow was also used in hunting by his ancestors. However this isn’t the only thing shown by the bow. To effectively use a bow, it is necessary to be very skilled in the art of using the bow. This requires a great deal of strength and practice, and therefore is another show of power from Akbar in a simple task.
Another key element of the use of the Qamargah in this scene is the fundamental guidelines of it. Especially in this case, only the elite could take part in the hunt if invited by request of Akbar himself. During the hunt, only the most important person there would take part in the actual hunting, while the attendants who were there for the hunt would gather the animals by surrounding them with a large circle and trapping the animals within (Blake). In the image, we can see that many of the attendants also carry wrapped swords for Akbar to use.
For the attendants, the hunt is a chance for them to prove themselves to Akbar, whether they realize it or not. The hunt provides a context outside of battle where the stresses of an attack are not present. We can see in the image that the attendants are in a good mood. A man near the bottom left enjoys a drink while others near him throw their hands up. Near the top of the image, the attendants can be seen smiling and some point towards the action. For Akbar, the change of context allows him to judge his attendants abilities. Perhaps the man distracted by the drink will not be best suited for an important role in the next battle.
The composition of the image itself provides formal elements that also show Akbar’s power and significance. The people surrounding him and looking to him provide a frame that accentuates his importance, and those that are pointing to him additionally provide leading lines to the most important action of the image. Even the hunted animals provide leading lines, even though they are facing away from him - but who would blame them? The lines of their bodies nonetheless provide hypothetical arrows to Akbar. Their fear of Akbar, while understandable, also provides a formal element that semiotically can be attributed to anybody who might stand in the way of or targeted by Akbar. It is hopeless to run away, be you either an animal or the enemy of Akbar. The overarching power and support of Akbar throughout the territory is symbolized by the arms of his attendants of the hunt.
The depiction of Akbar’s character also carries some weight in showing his importance and power through the illustration. He is the only one in this entire illustration who is seated on horseback, and with that he is also the only character that is suspended in active action of the hunt, as is the nature of the form of the Qamargah. The horse itself bears strings of jewels and decoration that mirror the jewels teaming from Akbar’s hat, as only the best of the best could be attributed to Akbar. The feathered plume from his hat also shows that he is the most important, and his sword far outweighs the stature of anyone else’s sword, of which are only depicted as plain and not in use. Again, the bow that he uses is not even carried by any of the other attendants of the hunt.
This is just one of many illustrations of the Akbarnama. The writing and the depictions of Akbar in the book all add up to show his powerful status at the time. His powerful image would go on to his descendants who would also include him in their bibliographies, and they would utilize the tactics used by Akbar in assuring his power while creating new depictions. Formal drawing elements and the ancestral use of the Qamargah as well as the bow are all details that show Akbar’s power, as well as the importance of lineage and ancestry that also helped affirm his powerful stature.