Ritchie, Shayla. “Essay: Akbar lost in the desert while hunting wild asses.” In The Akbarnama: A Digital Art History Student Project, April 4, 2018. .
The Akbarnama is an Islamic manuscript translated by Abul Fazl. The Akbarnama narrates the life and conquests of Mughal emperor Akbar. The Akbarnama is compiled of 116 paintings and include documentation of military conquests, courtesan lifestyle and the personal history of the Mughal emperor Akbar (Seyller 2). The painting Akbar lost in the desert while hunting wild asses is a scene from the second volume of the Akbarnama. The scene is an elaborate tale of how Akbar experiences a divine message while hunting in the desert. The divine moment is illustrated by Mughal painters by Mughal artists Kesav and Mohesh.
The scene depicts a group of 7 men surrounding Akbar in the central left part of painting. To the right of Akbar there are 5 wild asses. The asses are dead on the ground with bullet hole wounds seeping blood. In the bottom right of the paintings there are two men, one with a horse admiring a flowering tree and the other closely behind with a fawn accompanying him. The top section of the painting has 5 men, 3 of which are being carried on horseback and others are pointing in the direction of a cluster of buildings in the top left corner. The image is chaotic and has several plots happening inside of it at once. The mountains appear to be aiding the separation of these scenes and help frame a narrative that flows throughout the painting.
The Mughal painting school was started by Akbar to help illustrate his life and success. Akbar coined the creation of manuscript illustrations and combined both Persian and Indian techniques and motifs (Manaju 5). The architecture in these small paintings were an influence of both Persian and Indian styles and foliage was a major accent in all Mughal paintings. The painter and illustrator behind Akbar lost in the desert will hunting wild asses is Kesav and Mohesh. Mohesh is one of the thirteen first rate painters and is also a Hindu. Akbar admired Hindu painters because they were known for their ability to incorporate great detail and vibrant colours into their works (Manaju 36). Akbari influenced landscape and animals all have careful detail to shading and realistic depictions that consist mainly of Persian motifs. In this painting specifically the asses in the far right side appear more naturalistic and have earthier tones. This effect is created by the artists mixing the colours with a white tone to give them a more dusty appearance (Manuja 74).
The tree depicted in the centre of the picture is, from my own observation, a peach tree. Peach trees are prominently illustrated in Mughal paintings and can be portrayed in the flowering and fruit bearing state. The flowering tree directly below the peach tree could be either a peach or a plum tree. The significance of these fruit trees is that they are a clear influence from the Persian-Safari style that first began appearing in paintings in the Hamzanama. These luscious fruit trees in a rough terrain such as the Sutlej Valley are also strong symbol of Persia, a place that holds great significance to Akbar (Manuja 54).
The mountainous terrain is winding and scattered throughout the painting. This Persian technique is meant to fill the spaces in between animals and humans. The mountains can appear more voluminous and round when put to scale beside animals and foliage (Manuja 130).
In this piece specifically the mountains frame the different narratives being displayed. The top left of the piece has four buildings in varying sizes. One appears to be a domed building which could resemble either a mosque or temple. The other structures appear to be fortresses, with one having a green roof and another having a deep blue flooring. The blue flooring could potentially be a pool. Surrounding the village is a large wall with four people depicted on the tops looking outwards. The wall signifies that the village is a secluded and protected area. In the Akbarnama this village is said to be the Rai Alả’û-d-din’s Talondi nestled in the Sutlej Valley, also known as the village of Harhari (Beveridge 522). The significance of this village to Akbar's history in the Akbarnama is this place holds the shrine of Baba Farid (Beveridge 520). In the next paintings in this volume of the Akbarnama Akbar is described as overlooking local fisherman catching fish with their mouths in the Sutlej river. He is also noted as visiting the shrine of Baba Farid to give him strength (Beveridge 526). This painting is the beginning of the several journeys he will have in and around Harhari. The Sutlej valley is said to be depicted in this painting with rolling hills and rough terrain (Beveridge 222).
The central part of the painting shows the emperor Akbar with his legs crossed, arms gently fallen at his side, head tilted forward and his eyes closed. His hunting rifle is resting on his shoulder and he appears to be seated upon a blanket. To his right is a lush fruit tree that engulfs the centre of the painting as it is a focal point for the image. This fruit as explained earlier, is potentially a peach tree. Below Akbar there are seven men gazing up at him. Some are shown pointing towards him, while others are extending their hands out and shown with the expression of distress. To the right are the dead asses laying motionless on the ground, a clear sign of Akbar's hunting trip. Facial expressions and body language play a powerful role in the interpretation of this painting. The Mughal emperor Akbar is appearing in a moment of weakness and exhaustion. The decision to make Akbar appear weak speaks to the significance he has in understanding self reflection (Verma 64). The confused expressions of the servants offers an indication that there is distress in the narrative and continues in the top part of the painting as well. The top part of the paintings has five men, three of which are on horseback and appear to be hurriedly headed towards the village of Harhari. In the Akbarnama it is told that Akbar collapses while hunting all day in the desert. The hot sun and tiresome land eventually cause him to become weak. The scouts and servants rush to aid Akbar and here they are shown surrounding Akbar, using their body language to communicate that something is wrong. The five men in the top part of the painting are depicted venturing back to Harhari to retrieve water and help for Akbar (Verma 63).
The weakness, is translated as a trance that aids in inner-retrospect. One scholar, Annu Manuja, describes how Kesav and Mohesh chose not to portray Akbar as a hero and instead show him in this exhausted state as something superhuman (Manuja 158). These superhuman qualities can be interpreted as visions from gods that are meant to enhance one's strength. In this case, Akbar is being told through this divine vision to protect himself, not just physically but spiritually (Manuja 158). Akbar was interested in religion throughout his reign and even created the religious system known as the “Divine Faith” (Dimand 1). The bottom right of the corner has a man holding a horse while picking the flowering blossoms from a small tree. This tree, as explained early, could be either a plum tree or peach tree representing Persia (Manuja 54). The man holding the horse is not credited anywhere as being anyone of importance but in my opinion it could be Abul Fazl. Images of Abu Fazl portray him wearing a white turban and sometimes in the distance of Akbar's paintings. The man on the bottom right corner could be a servant or another scout.