Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Kazakh State Women's Pedagogical University

The personality of Babur in the history of India. Babur in the literature of the East

Completed by: Gradovskaya E.

Checked by: Burkhanova D.S.

Almaty, 2011

2. Conquest of India

4. Creativity of Babur

5. "Babur-name"

Conclusion

Bibliography

1. Babur's military campaigns, the founding of the Mughal state

Babur, Zahireddin Mohammed (1483-1530), founder of the Mughal power in India, which existed for more than two centuries (1526-1761). On the paternal side - a descendant of Timur, on the maternal side, possibly Genghis Khan. This man entered world history as the founder of the largest power in the XVI-XVIII centuries in India and Afghanistan - the Mughal Empire. This empire was called Mughal because its creator was the grandson of Tamerlane, who, in turn, was a distant descendant of Genghis Khan - that is, a Mongol. The Great Mughals is the name of the dynasty, the beginning of which was laid by this man.

His name is Babur. Babur means "lion". And the original name was Zahireddin Mohammed. At the age of eleven, he inherited the Fergana principality from his father. Expelled from Central Asia by the Turkic tribes who came from Siberia (the ancestors of the Uzbeks). In 1504, with the help of his relative, the ruler of Herat, he occupied Kabul, where he began to create strong army, recruited from the natives of Central Asia, Afghans and Gakars. Following this, he made an unsuccessful attempt to capture Samarkand, former capital Timur.

Deciding that only by conquering India would he become the head of a powerful state, in 1518 and 1524 Babur launched attacks on the Punjab. The governor of the Punjab, Daulat Khan, being at enmity with Sultan Ibrahim Lodi, who reigned in Delhi, at first supported the actions of Babur, believing that he, like Timur, would crush the Delhi Sultanate and go home, and the throne in Delhi would be vacant. But, Babur, having occupied Lahore in 1524, the next year, at the head of a 12,000-strong army, undertook a new campaign. Daulat Khan opposed him, but was defeated. The decisive battle with the 40,000-strong army of Sultan Ibrahim Lodi took place in April 1526 on the Panipat plain (on the way from the Punjab to Delhi). Babur's army had an overwhelming superiority in artillery and skillfully created shelters for their cannons from wagons tied with belts. In addition, it adopted from the Mongols the tactics of covering the enemy's flanks with cavalry. All this ultimately predetermined Babur's victory; the road to Delhi was now open to him. However, the ruler of Mewar, Raja Sangram Singh, stood in his way, having gathered an army of many thousands from the cavalry detachments of several Rajput princes. The battle of the Rajputs with Babur took place in March 1527 at Khanua. Once again, Babur's superiority in artillery was decisive for the outcome of the battle. These two victories meant in fact the establishment of Babur's dominance in Northern India. Later, his state expanded to the lower reaches of the Ganges in the east as a result of the defeat in May 1529 of the Afghan rulers of Bihar and Bengal.

Part of the Afghan detachments of Babur's army returned home loaded with booty. The warriors who remained in India received allotments of land from Babur as official grants. These new landowners hired Indians as administrators who knew the customs of their country well. Babur did not have time to complete the formation of the tax-administrative apparatus and the centralized system of government. These tasks were solved by his successors.

Babur was an outstanding commander and politician. Feeling the precariousness of his position in the conquered country with a distinctive culture, he tried to get better acquainted with local customs and specifics. Sources note his education, observation, ability to appreciate art. He was interested in the history, culture of the peoples of Central Asia, Afghanistan and India, flora and fauna of these countries. Babur is known as a remarkable poet who wrote in the Jagatai and Tajik languages, as the author of the memoirs "Babur-name". Although he treated the Indians somewhat condescendingly as "infidels", he nevertheless showed a certain tolerance towards them and persecuted only those of them who treated him unkindly.

babur india timur genghis khan

Before his death, Babur divided his possessions between his sons, leaving the main Indian part of the territory of the state to the eldest - Humayun - and ordering the rest, who received the Punjab, Kabul and Kandahar, to obey him.

2. Conquest of India

One of the Indian scholars, Tripathi Ram Prosad, giving an assessment of this victory of Babur under Panipat, wrote that "Zakhireddin Muhammad Babur's victory under Panipat laid the foundation of the Great Mughal (i.e. Baburid) Empire in India, which, in its splendor, power and culture remained the greatest empire in the Muslim world and could even rival the Roman Empire.

However, in order to finally consolidate the victory in Panipat, Babur had to continue his political struggle, as well as to conduct such internal politics which would win him the sympathy and favor of the inhabitants of the cities and villages of India. One of the manifestations of such a policy was the issuance of a decree on the abolition of the tamga tax levied on trade.

Another battle of Babur in Sikri with Rano Sangram Singh, which took place on March 13, 1527, found its most detailed description in "Babur-name". the son of the ruler of Chandari is Bhupat Rao, and many others could not resist Babur's military tactics. The tulgama maneuver successfully performed by him, i.e. a sudden blow from the rear and flanks of the enemy, and an artillery strike, decided the fate of the battle of Sikri. Describing this battle, Babur objectively analyzes the weaknesses and strengths of his opponent, while not forgetting to pay tribute to the bravery and courage of his enemy, Rano Sangram Singh.

As is known, the situation in India became relatively stable politically after Babur's third battle at Goghra, which took place on May 6, 1529 and ended with a complete victory for Babur and a major defeat for the Afghan and Bengal feudal lords. The Battle of Goghra was the third and last victory that made Babur the complete master of Northern India. Very valuable are his data on the independent principalities of Gujarat, Malwa, Mewar, Bengal, Deccan, and Bijanagara. Babur mentions Kashmir and Sind in passing. Babur, while in India, had a good opportunity to communicate with the indigenous population of the country. His powers and authority were extended from Kabul to Bihar, covering most of the densely populated agricultural oases of North India. An analysis of Babur's data on the geography of India shows that Babur most clearly distinguishes three basins: the basin of the Indus, the Ganges, and a tributary of the Ganges. "Those mountains that are located in the north of Hindustan, the Indians call Salavak-Parbat. In the language of the Indians, sava is a quarter, lak is one hundred thousand, parbat is a mountain; it turns out," writes Babur, "a quarter and a hundred thousand mountains," that is, twenty-five thousand mountains.

3. Domestic and foreign policy of Babur in India

Despite a very short reign in India (1526-1530), Babur managed to some extent unite the feudally fragmented country and put into practice such important measures as streamlining land and water relations and the tax system. By his order, mosques were improved, buildings for various purposes were built, baths were built, wells were dug, etc. In the major cities of India - Delhi, Agra, Lahore, Devalpur - Babur laid gardens and parks with ornamental plants. Characteristically, when planning gardens, Babur used the Central Asian charbag system. From "Babur-name" it becomes known that in 1526 in Panipat, Babur, in honor of the victory over Ibrahim Lodi, planted a large garden called Kabul-bakht, which, apparently, was his first construction in India. In gardens planted in India, Babur first applied the experience of growing Central Asian melons and grapes (in India, a grape variety called Anguri Samarkandi, i.e. Samarkand grapes, is still grown).

Babur in his activities constantly pursued the goal of improving the major cities of India subject to him. The layout and architecture of public and private buildings, their external design and interior, having a lot with the Central Asian style, organically combined at the same time with the Indian form and style, which led to the contact of two cultures - Indian and Central Asian. This process was further developed under the successors of Babur, which is especially noticeable in the style of large buildings erected in North India by his descendants.

However, not only the interpenetration and mutual influence of two cultures - Central Asia and India - is characteristic of the time of Babur's reign in India, but the well-known transformation of some feudal institutions inherent in both countries in the Middle Ages (for example, the institutions of Tarkhan, Suyurgal, etc.). All this is well reflected in "Babur-name".

In India, Babur constantly sought to strengthen trade and economic ties with Central Asia, Afghanistan and Iran, which were interrupted after the defeat of Babur in 1511 in the battle with Ubaidullakhan at Kuli Malik, near Bukhara. A special firman (decree) of Babur on measuring the distance between Agra and Kabul, on the improvement of caravanserais, the construction of special wells on trade routes, the procurement of fodder and food supplies for travelers was created with the aim of raising the country's trade turnover, normalizing the system of external relations with other countries.

4. Creativity of Babur

Babur also wrote a treatise on poetics; presentation in poetic form of fiqh (Muslim law) and own development of the alphabet - “Khatti Baburi” (“Babur's Alphabet”). “Khatti Baburi” was created on the basis of the ancient Turkic writings and was simplified in style (compared to the complex Arabic writing).

During his 47-year life, Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur left a rich literary and scientific heritage. The famous “Babur-name” belongs to his pen, which has won worldwide recognition, original and beautiful lyrical works(gazelles, rubais), treatises on Muslim jurisprudence (“Mubayin”), poetics (“Aruz risolasi”), music, military affairs, as well as a special alphabet “Khatt-i Baburi”.
Babur, the eldest son of the ruler of the Ferghana district, Omar Sheikh Mirza, was born on February 14, 1483. in the city of Andijan at the height of the internecine struggle of various Timurid rulers in Central Asia, and in Khorasan for the redistribution of the vast territory of the state created by Timur.

In 1494, Omar Sheikh Mirza tragically died, and the 11-year-old Babur was declared the sovereign of Fergana. In subsequent years, Babur stubbornly sought to create a large centralized state in Maverannahr, but his plans were not crowned with success.

The leader of the nomadic Uzbeks, Muhammad Sheibani Khan, skillfully taking advantage of the turmoil and political strife among the rulers of Maverannahr and Ferghana, in 1504 captured Samarkand, Andijan and Tashkent, and thereby forced Babur to leave Fergana, and Babur settled in Kabul and Badakhshan. Babur's repeated attempts (in 1505-1515) to return the "subjective possessions" of the Timurid state ended in complete failure, and Babur turned his eyes to India. In 1526 at the Battle of Panipat, north of Delhi, the Delhi sultan Ibrahima Lodi is defeated and Babur becomes the ruler of North India. Babur founded the Baburid Empire (“Mughal Empire”), which lasted until the 19th century.

In his capital Agra, Babur gathers around him many outstanding writers, poets, artists, musicians of that time. It should be emphasized that the Timurid rulers always contributed to the development of culture and science.

Babur died on December 26, 1530. Some time after Babur's death, the remains of his theme were transferred from Agra to Kabul, in a country garden, which is now known as Bagh-i Babur (Babur's Garden).

Lyrics

Babur's poetic heritage is multifaceted and rich. His poems realistically reflect the historical events of the era, his personal life, environment, attitude to man, religion, and customs.

It can be said that Babur's poems are the poet's autobiography, in which deep feelings are touchingly expressed in poetic language, masterfully tells about the experiences generated as a result of a collision with life circumstances. What the poet himself eloquently says:
What suffering did not endure and grave troubles, Babur?
What betrayals, insults, what slanders, Babur did not know?
But whoever reads "Babur-name" will see how much torment
And how much grief the king and poet Babur endured.

The poet's lyrics are saturated with the inspired poetry of A. Navoi. Babur's correspondence with Navoi shortly before the latter's death is known. In his ghazals and rubaiyat, the poet raises such problems of human relationships as love, friendship, striving for beauty, etc. Earthly love, the poet sings as the highest human dignity.

Babur claims that for the sake of a date with his beloved, he is ready to endure any difficulties. Without his beloved, he cannot imagine life. With great sincerity, the poet expresses his readiness to sacrifice himself, his whole being, for the sake of love.

Love for Babur is above everything: wealth, social status and all earthly blessings. The poet in his gazelles creates the image of a beautiful beloved, endowing her with an unprecedentedly beautiful appearance, rich inner and spiritual content.

In the lyrics of Babur, a special place is occupied by the theme of the homeland. In his gazelles, and especially in the rubaiyat, longing for the motherland and boundless love for it are expressed with great impressive force.
You are in a foreign land - and, of course, a person is forgotten!
Only a man feels sorry for himself,
In my wanderings, I did not know joy for an hour!
For a dear homeland, a person mourns from eternity.

Babur's poetry also touches upon the issues of morality and spiritual perfection of a person. The poet elevates a person, treats him with great respect, puts high human dignity. In his rubaiyat, he talks about how a person should cultivate the best moral qualities in himself.

Speaking of artistic language works of Babur, it is necessary to note its simplicity, accessibility, clarity and conciseness. The poet does not like loud phrases and complex expressions. The simplicity of Babur's language contributes to a clear perception by readers of his creations, a rich palette of feelings and experiences.

Babur's poetic mastery is expressed in artistic style in the skillful use of the most means of expression mother tongue and in the creative recreation of sources folk art.

About the work "Babur-name"

The central place in the work of Babur is occupied by an invaluable literary monument of prose in the Uzbek language, the historical work “Baburname”, which the orientalist V. Bartold called “the best work of Turkic prose”. The book was completed in India, it is mainly autobiographical (memoir) in nature and reflects the history of the peoples of Central Asia at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 17th centuries.

In terms of the totality of information and their reliability, “Babur-name” is the most important and valuable historical and prose work, unparalleled among similar works written in the Middle Ages in Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan and India.

In terms of the richness and variety of material, in terms of language and style, “Baburname” is superior to any historical chronicle compiled by the court chroniclers of that time. It is not surprising, therefore, that at different times this work attracted the close attention of scientists from their world. “Babur-name” is devoted to describing the activities of Babur, his successful and unsuccessful military campaigns, and the presentation of all the vicissitudes of his rich adventurous life. The history of the creation of “Babur-name” is unknown, according to the information of the daughter of Gulbadan-begim, in her book “Humayun-name”, it is described that in India, in the city of Sikri, there was a platform in the garden and at the top of this platform Babur used to write books.

"Babur-name" consists of three parts. Its first part is devoted to the description of political events in Maverannahr at the end of the 15th century. The second part covers the events that took place on the territory of Afghanistan, which in the era of Babur was known as the “Kabul Destiny”. The last part describes the political events in Northern India, the geographical data of the country, its natural features, contains interesting information about the peoples who inhabited this country.

The author of "Babur-name" with his characteristic frankness describes the struggle for power, cites the facts of the devastation of agricultural oases, the increase in land and other taxes, the collection of which became more frequent during the years of unrest in the possessions of the last Timurids in Khorasan and Maverannahr.

Thanks to “Babur-name” we learn about the terrible famine that took place in the city of Samarkand during the days of its siege by Sheibani Khan in 1501. The veracity of Babur's information is confirmed by the historians of that time: Khandemir, Muhammad Haidar, Muhammad Salih, Bennai and others.

Babur himself writes: “... everything that is written here is true, and the purpose of these words is to praise oneself - everything, in reality, was as I wrote. In this chronicle, I made it my duty to ensure that every word I wrote was true and that every deed was presented as it happened.

“Babur-name”, although it is devoted to the political history of the above-mentioned countries at the turn of the 15th-17th centuries, it also abounds with invaluable materials from the socio-economic life of peoples, touches on issues of morality, ethics, morality and aspects of the era contemporary to the author.

"Babur-name" contains numerous information about the literary environment of Babur himself. Based on this information, it is possible to recreate the biographies of many little-known poets of that time who lived in Central Asia and wrote poetry, both in Persian and Turkic. The book contains many verbal portraits of a number of the poet's contemporaries, statesmen, artists, musicians, historians. Babur's information about the mineral resources of the cities of Central Asia is extremely valuable. The book not only provides individual information about natural resources, but at the same time notes their purpose in the economic life of the country.

With great love, Babur writes about Samarkand, the author does not lose sight of the description of Ulugbek's observatory, which he admired, noting the perfection of this structure, its amazingness.

In the book of Babur received detailed descriptions of life and labor activity various Afghan tribes that lived in the vast territory between the Vakhsh and the Punjab.

The “Babur-name” reflects the flora and fauna of the described countries. Babur, describing Hindustan in detail, admires its nature, compares it with his own: “This is an amazing country; in comparison with our lands it is a different world. Mountains, rivers, forests, cities, regions, language, plants and winds - everything there is different from ours. Although the hot regions adjacent to Kabul are in some ways similar to Hindustan, but in other respects they are not similar: one has only to cross the Sindh River, and earth and water, and trees, and stones, and people, and customs - everything becomes like that. same as in Hindustan. Describing the political life of India, Babur gives information about the history of India in the 15th - early 16th centuries.

There is a lot of factual data on ethnography in “Babur-name”: descriptions of Indian clothes, their customs, the way of life of the common people and the nobility are interesting.

Babur in his activities pursued the goal of improving the major cities of India subject to him. The layout and architecture of public and private buildings, their external design and interior, have much in common with the Central Asian style, orchanically combined with Indian and Central Asian. Babur seeks to strengthen trade and economic ties with neighboring countries.

At present, “Babur-name” is increasingly attracting the attention of specialists from different countries peace. The value of the information given in "Babur-name", the sincerity and self-criticism of the author, the reliability of the facts received the unanimous recognition of scientists from all over the world. The data of "Babur-name" were included in the summary volumes on the history of the peoples of Central Asia.

Interest in the remarkable creations of Babur, especially in his book “Babur-name”, is growing year by year all over the world.

Here is what he writes:
If I die with a good name, fine.
I need a (good) name - the body belongs to death.

The great work of Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur "Babur-name" immortalized the name of the poet for centuries.

Great Mughals- a dynasty of rulers in India, the descendants of the Samarkand ruler Timur (1336-1405). They ruled / ruled India from 1526 to 1858. The most famous Mughals, whose names history repeats again and again, are Babur, Akbar And Shah Jahan.

Family tree of the Great Moghuls - the descendants of Timur

Rulers of the Mughal dynasty in India:

• Babur (ruled 1526-1530),
• Humayun (1530-1539, 1555-1556),
• Akbar (1542-1605),
• Jahangir (1605-1627),
• Shah Jahan (1627-1658),
• Aurangzeb (1658-1707),
• Bahadur Shah (1707-1712),
• Jahandar Shah (1712-1713),
• Farrouk Siyar (1713-1719),
• Muhammad Shah (1719-1748),
• Ahmed Shah (1748-1754),
• Alamgir II (1754-1759),
• Shah Alam II (1759-1806),
• Akbar II (1806-1837),
• Bahadur Shah II (1837-1858).

II. Babur - gardener

The founder of the Mughal dynasty - Babur - a commander, poet and writer, is rightfully considered the most brilliant heir of Timur. And the most brilliant heir of Babur was his grandson Akbar the Great, to whom the next chapter is devoted. Babur was the great-grandson of Sultan-Mohammed (grandson of Timur), whose father, Miranshah, was the third son of Timur.

The founder of the dynasty Babur (1483-1530) was born in Andijan, in the Ferghana Valley (modern Uzbekistan). On the paternal side, he was a descendant of Timur, and on the maternal side - Genghis Khan. At the first shaving of his head, Babur's grandfather, the stern ruler of Tashkent Yunus Khan, who arrived from Tashkent in the Fergana Valley, awarded him this nickname, after several unsuccessful attempts to pronounce the name given to the child - Zahireddin (translated from Arabic - "Keeper of the Faith") Muhammad. The old Mongol exclaimed that the boy reminded him of a tiger cub. The nickname Babur-Tiger remained with the future conqueror for life (Babur means "Tiger").

After the death of his father, 12-year-old Babur was declared the sovereign of Fergana. In subsequent years, he stubbornly sought to create a large centralized state in the territory between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, but his plans were not crowned with success. After being expelled in 1504 by Uzbek nomads from Central Asia, Babur settled in Kabul.

In 1526, he defeats the Delhi Sultanate and establishes a new ruling dynasty in northern India, which is called the "Moguls", which in Persian means "Mongols" in memory of the fact that they come from Central Asia (Mogolistan), which was part of the Mongolian state of Chagatai Ulus is the possession of Chagatai (1186-1242), the second son of Genghis Khan, who belonged to the very heart of Central Asia. Chagatai was appointed by his father as the great guardian of the Yasa, a collection of generally accepted Mongolian legal regulations and generalized wisdom formulated by Genghis Khan. This dynasty was called the Great Mughals by European travelers of the 17th century.

Babur left his mark not only in world history, but also in world literature, as a connoisseur of art, literature and science, a poet and author of "Babur-name" ("Babur's Notes") - a rare and talented biographical work in which tells about all the significant events of the era of his reign, and also describes in detail the political situation that prevailed in Central Asia and Northern India at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. "Babur-name" is compiled on the basis of Babur's subtle observations of the surrounding world.

Babur's merits as a historian, geographer, ethnographer, prose writer and poet are confirmed by new translations into French of "Babur-name", published under the auspices of UNESCO in Paris in 1980 and 1985. Babur's heritage is being studied in almost all major oriental centers of the world.

Babur was one of the few rulers who had the courage to speak frankly about his failures and defeats, he knew how to treat his own behavior with humor. Babur's impressions of India, its natural features and the peoples that inhabited this country contained in the "Babur-name" are very interesting. With the advent of Babur, India learned, which distinguished the descendants of Timur, the love of gardens, music and poetry. He introduced India to Persian gardens, which from ancient times personified the idea of ​​Paradise, which passed into the Bible and the Koran. Babur managed to build a new Samarkand in India, although this happened after his death. The largest Persian garden in India is the Taj Mahal Garden in Agra, built by Shah Jahan in the 17th century.

Babur's daughter, Gulbadan Begim, was the only female historian in medieval India. A descendant of Babur was the Indian poetess Zebuniso (daughter of Aurangzeb, the last strong Mughal emperor). Zebuniso wrote in Persian (Farsi), also spoke Arabic and Urdu, studied philosophy, literature, astronomy, was famous not only for calligraphy, but also for her beauty.

A talented commander, a wise ruler, a passionate gardener, he was a loving father and voluntarily passed away for the sake of his son's recovery (when his son was dying, he begged Allah for his son's life in exchange for his own). Some time after Babur's death, his remains were transferred by his wife Bibi Mubarika Yusufzai from Agra to Kabul (his first capital), as he bequeathed, to the country garden, which is now known as Babur's Garden (Bag-i Babur). Babur very carefully chose the place of his burial. Remaining in his heart an incorrigible romantic and naturalist, he asked that his grave not be covered with anything so that rain and the rays of the Sun could fall on it.

Next to his grave in 1646, the builder of the Taj Mahal, the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built a marble mosque. The grave itself consisted of a simple marble slab on a small dais and the following words were inscribed on it: “ Only this mosque of beauty, only this church of nobility, built for prayers to the saints and the appearance of cherubs, is worthy to stand in such a respected refuge as this road of the archangels, these heavenly expanses, this bright garden of the God-chosen angel king, who rests in this divine garden, Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur the Conqueror»

Babur possessed eight important qualities: sober judgment, noble ambitions, the art of victory, the art of government, the art of achieving the well-being of his people, the talent for gentle government, the ability to win the hearts of his warriors, the love of justice. They were inherited and multiplied by his grandson - Akbar twice the Great.

III. Akbar twice the Great

The Indian emperor Akbar the Great (1542-1605) was the grandson of Babur and the builder of the Mughal Empire (the Timurid Empire in India) - the largest power in India. Akbar the Great is often called twice great, but not only because in Arabic, Akbar means Great. He is rightfully considered one of the greatest rulers not only of India, but of the whole world. Akbar the Great was a contemporary of the first Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible and the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

Akbar the Great, like his ancestors Timur and Genghis Khan, owned the Chintamani Stone sent to him by Shambhala - the gift of Orion, responsible for spiritual evolution on Earth. His military genius was comparable to the mission of enlightenment.

His humanistic views and love for civilian life were in harmony with military talent. Like his glorious ancestor Timur, Akbar did not lose a single battle. He collected lands and fought not at all because of personal insatiability, but creating a new page in a great history. Akbar managed to unite Muslims and Hindus, giving the country the long-awaited political stability, and pursued a policy aimed primarily at asserting human dignity, spiritual and physical health of the nation. The expression of Thomas Carlyle fully applies to Akbar: “The history of the world is, in essence, the history of inspirational heroes, educators and leaders of peoples.”

Carlyle in his work "Heroes, the veneration of heroes and the heroic in history" gave the following classification of different types of heroes: a deity, a poet, a prophet, a spiritual shepherd, a reformer, where a special place is given to the hero-ruler, since he organically combines the best qualities of all the others types. If we briefly summarize the main, according to Carlyle, qualities that distinguish such a hero from ordinary people, we get the following list:

- deep sincerity and insight;

- the ability to penetrate into the true essence of things through external appearance;

- devotion to the activity that transforms the world;

- spiritual mentoring of their people;

- loneliness among the crowd.

These qualities were fully possessed by Akbar, whose reign years (1562-1605) are unanimously called by historians of the world the “age of Akbar”. Even today, Akbar the Great remains for the Indians a symbol of mercy, justice and nobility. Thanks to the wise policy of Akbar, peace has been maintained in multinational India for a long time.

Akbar put forward 3 principles of public policy:

1. Preservation of the nation state.

2. Tolerance, i.e. reconciliation of Muslims with Hindus.

3. Unification of India.

Akbar is often compared to the Biblical Solomon, finding their similarities:

- both became famous for their wisdom and justice;

- both thought about the single beginning of existence;

- both cared about strengthening their states;

- both created a fair trial;

- both felt power as a heavy burden;

- each death caught in the midst of creation.

Akbar's nature was incredibly active, he was in a hurry to live and worked for the benefit of his people. Akbar, as an enlightened ruler, deeply, broadly and sharply thought about the state, about the world and the place of man in it. Akbar was not only a philosopher, but also a practitioner: it is difficult to name a craft or an art that he did not know.

At the age of 13, after the death of his father, Akbar's childhood ended and the difficult years of rapid maturation and the building of a great empire began. At the age of 13, Akbar, whose childhood passed among military campaigns, was a very strong and strong young man. He was well versed in military affairs, had a sharp mind, excellent intuition, resourcefulness, observation and a strong sense of justice.

Conditionally, the following periods of Akbar's activity can be distinguished:

• 1562 - 1574 - expansion of the borders of the state;
• 1574 - 1580 - economic reforms;
• 1580 - 1602 - the conquest of new territories;
• 1582 - 1605 - implementation of a unique religious reform.

Aggressive campaigns for Akbar were not an end in themselves, but rather a hard necessity, a means of creating a monolithic and powerful state. In campaigns, Akbar showed a minimum of violence and a maximum of mercy. Jawarharlal Nehru, assessing Akbar's policy, stressed that he " gave preference to victories won by love over victories won by the sword, knowing full well that the former are more durable».

Akbar united many different ethnic groups with established traditions, customs, and religions into one people with a national idea. He carried out a unique cultural synthesis of Hinduism and Islam, which allowed the empire founded by Akbar to exist for more than a century and a half.

One of the main principles of Akbar's policy was principle of religious tolerance. Akbar wrote to the Iranian Shah Abbas: “From the very beginning, we were determined not to take into account differences in religious doctrines, but regard all nations as servants of God. It should be noted that the grace of the Lord marked all religions and every effort must be made to reach the ever-blooming gardens of the world for all."

At the court of Akbar there were many outstanding personalities who possessed extraordinary talents. Construction and architecture enjoyed his special attention and patronage. Akbar was also well aware of the importance of literature; 24,000 manuscripts were collected in his library. Several thousand poets were in the service of the ruler.

Akbar's policy was peace for all, he preferred peaceful pursuits and disliked wars. Akbar attracted the hearts of many people. A particularly important role in his entourage was played by the "9 Treasures" - the most talented and spiritually close people to Akbar.

The far-sighted and wise ruler paid great attention to the education of his subjects. Schools were established in villages and towns to ordinary people where they taught to read, write and count. The number of higher educational institutions for Muslims and Hindus, in the program of which Akbar introduced new subjects: medicine, history, arithmetic, geometry, as well as the science of morality and behavior in society.

Akbar actively pursued a policy of mitigating religious differences. In 1582 he proclaims Din-i illahi– “Divine Faith”, which creatively synthesized best achievements various religions. One of the meanings of the word "din" in Arabic is "power - submission", which is very close to the ancient concept of "power - sacrifice", when the rational and caring management of the state, the ruler's selfless work for the benefit of his subjects were combined with the submission of his entire nature to the Higher Will . Din-i illahi's main postulate was that reason must be the basis of all actions. In all religions, Akbar valued only the feeling of the divine and did not attach importance to the dogma itself and its rituals.

While the fires of the Inquisition were blazing in Europe, Akbar created in his capital Fatehpur Sikri the world's first parliament of religions, where in the spirit of freedom and respect, religious and scientific disputes were held between representatives of the main religions of the Indian subcontinent (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Judaism, etc.).

The reforms carried out by Akbar show that he pursued a policy aimed primarily at asserting human dignity, the spiritual and physical health of the nation, which was extremely far-sighted. During the years of his reign, he cancels many taxes, prohibits the sale of prisoners of war into slavery, declares self-immolation illegal, prohibits child marriage, that is, the marriage of girls under 14 years old and boys under 16 years old, because they “give weak offspring, and spouses, having reached maturity, they will hate one another.

Akbar boldly rejects blind adherence to the dead letter of the law, the mechanical copying of ancient traditions, offering instead the spirit of research and free thinking. “Man’s excellence depends on the treasures of the mind… Many people think that following outward signs and the letter of Islam makes sense without inner conviction ... Now it is clear that one cannot take a single step without a torch of evidence, and only that faith is true, which the mind approves, ”the ruler of the great empire claimed.

The 16th century itself, in which Akbar lived and worked, is a special time for all mankind. This is the time of the Renaissance in Europe, the era of the Mahdi movement in Islam, the time of renaissance in China ruled by the Ming dynasty, the time of Sufism and bhakti in India. New life pulsated in every civilized country, new energetic dynasties entered the arena: in England - the Tudors, in France - the Bourbons, in Spain and Austria - the Habsburgs, in Prussia - the Hohenzollerns, in Egypt - the Mamluks, in Persia - the Safavids, in Central Asia - The Shaibanids, in China - the Ming, in India - the Timurids, in Russia - the Ruriks strengthened the centralized power of Moscow. All this happened at the same time and we can talk about the determinism (non-randomness) of these events. We can say that the greatness of each ruler expressed the general innovative spirit of the era: Henry VIII and Elizabeth in England, Henry IV in France, Frederick in Prussia, Sigismund in Austria, Philip II in Spain, Suleiman the Magnificent in Turkey, Shah Ismail in Persia, Khan Shaibani in Central Asia, Babur and Akbar in India, Ivan III and his grandson Ivan the Terrible in Russia.

The book The Lords and Their Mansions by Mark and Elizabeth Prophet states that Akbar was the incarnation of Mahatma El Morya, who was first reported to the world in the 1880s. Helena Blavatsky. Another incarnation of El Morya was no less famous than Akbar, Sumer - the common forefather of the three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam).

Jalandhar

The biological mother of Shah Jahan (and wife of Jahangir) was the Rajput princess Jodha, born in the city of Jodhpur, located at northern latitude. It is the second largest city in the state of Rajasthan. It is located in the middle of the desert. Until the middle of the 20th century, it served as the capital of the Rajas of Mar. His maternal grandmother was also named Jodha and was a Rajput princess whom Akbar married for political reasons. She gave birth to his eldest son and heir, Jahangir. The epic film "Jodha and Akbar" was made about this story, where the role of Jodha was played by Miss World.

From the Punjab, the power of the Great Moghuls began to spread throughout India.

IV. Mughal architecture

The next famous ruler from the Mughal dynasty is Akbar's grandson Emperor Shah Jahan(1592-1666) during whose reign majestic buildings were built - Taj Mahal in Agra, the Red Fort and the Cathedral Mosque in Delhi, belonging to the best monuments of Mughal architecture. Under Sha-Jahan, the Mughal Empire reached the peak of its power. Shah Jahan had the same throne name (title) as his ancestor (Conqueror of the World).

Various sources indicate that Akbar was the incarnation, and his grandson Shah Jahan is the incarnation of Kuthumi.

Once Shah Jahan ordered to carve on the famous "Ruby of Tamerlane" the name that he chose for himself - "Second Lord of the favorable planets." Prior to this, only Timur (Tamerlane) was called the Lord of auspicious planets in the Muslim world. He got the ruby ​​during the capture of Delhi in 1398. Timur liked the stone so much that he took it with him to.

How this stone influenced the fate of Shah Jahan can only be guessed at. In 1658, the builder of the Taj Mahal, the owner of countless treasures, was imprisoned in the tower of the Red Fort in Agra by his own son Aurangzeb, whom he called the "Ornament of the Throne." From this tower (see photo), until his death, Shah Jahan saw the Taj Mahal, amazing in beauty and perfect in its architectural merits - the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.

At that time there were cruel customs. For example, Shah Jahan began his own reign (1627) by killing siblings and relatives in order to get rid of unnecessary legitimate contenders for the throne. Nevertheless, the name of Shah Jahan has become forever associated with the history and pride of India - one of the wonders of the world - the Taj Mahal mausoleum.

Samarkand mausoleum Gur-Emir in which the legendary commander and conqueror is buried Timur (Tamerlane), became the forerunner and model for the mausoleums of his descendants - the ruling dynasty of North India mughal, in particular Mausoleum of Humayun in Delhi and famous Taj Mahal in Agra.

The architect of Humayun's mausoleum, the first Timurid-style mausoleum in Mughal India, was invited from , where he designed various structures. Therefore, the influence of the Timurid funerary architecture on this and subsequent mausoleums is not surprising.

The emperors from the Great Mogul dynasty were very proud of their belonging to the family of Timur, who had the title of Ruler of the World and, when ascending the throne, took the corresponding throne names (titles):

• Akbar (1542 - 1605) - King of Kings (as Biblical Solomon);
• Jahangir (1569 - 1627) - Conqueror of the World;
• Shah Jahan (1592 - 1666) - Ruler of the World;
• Aurangzeb (1618 - 1707) - Ruler of the Universe.

So, Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal, took the name that Timur bore - the Lord of the World. The Taj Mahal built under him became the most striking and famous expression of Persian architecture, widely represented in Central Asia, including in Samarkand, where Timur brought the best architects, builders and artists from Persia he conquered (now Iran). Thus, the architectural styles of Iran (Persia), Central Asia and India itself are harmoniously woven in the Taj Mahal.

The mausoleum of Itmad-Ud-Daullah is considered the forerunner of the Taj Mahal in India. It is often referred to as the little Taj Mahal or the original model from which the Taj Mahal grew. In addition to the external, they also have a deep historical connection. The mausoleum of Itmad-ud-Daullah was built by Empress Nur Jahan, who was the aunt of Mumtaz Mahal, in whose honor Shah Jahan would later build the majestic monument of love, the Taj Mahal. Nur Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal had a very strong influence on their husbands, often replacing them in public affairs.

The Mausoleum of Itmad-Ud-Daullah is located in the center of the Persian park Chakhar-Bagha (square-plan park). The choice of the Persian Garden emphasized that the father of Nur-Jahan, for whom she built this mausoleum, was from Persia. He had the title of "Support of the State" or Itmad-Ud-Daullah, having made a successful career at the court of Emperor Akbar (father-in-law Nur Jahan) and continued to faithfully serve his son, Emperor Jahangir, Nur Jahan's husband.

The mausoleum, small in size, perfectly reflects the taste and mind of the gifted Empress Nur Jahan. Openwork marble panels and a rich mosaic of gems are delicate and delightful in a feminine way.

At the time of the construction of Itmad-ud-Daullah, Mumtaz Mahal was still Arjumand Banu Begam, the daughter of Chief Minister Jahangir, whose son and successor - Shah Jahan, later, in 1612, will take her as his wife. Despite the fact that Shah Jahan already had a first wife - a Persian princess, Arjumand received a higher status and the love of her father-in-law, and soon after the wedding she received a new name - Mumtaz Mahal(“Exalted Chosen One of the Palace” or “Crown of the Palace”).

Taking into account the high position of Mumtaz Mahal's father and grandfather at the Mughal court, as well as her status as a beloved wife and first assistant to her husband Shah Jahan, some researchers do not exclude that she was in secret order Sufis, being the conductor of his ideas. While the beautiful and wise Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Banu) was alive, the emperor was famous for his success in the arts, sciences, politics and military affairs. With her death, his affairs went from bad to worse and, as a result, he was put under house arrest by his youngest son Aurangzeb, who killed his brothers, who were or could become possible contenders for the throne, in order to seize power. Being exhausted and depressed, Shah Jahan, who had seized the throne in the same way (by killing his own brothers), could not stop either fratricide among his own sons, or prevent his removal and further arrest, under which he spent 9 years, until his very death.

Aurangzeb did not allow his father to build a second Taj Mahal (if this is not a legend), but after his death he buried his ashes in the Taj Mahal itself, next to his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, in whose memory Shah Jahan built this masterpiece of world architecture. By order of Aurangzeb, the ashes of Emperor Shah Jahan were transferred to the Taj Mahal at night and buried without honors. Since then, the cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal, like her sarcophagus in the crypt, is located exactly in the center under the dome of the Taj Mahal (according to the plan and traditions), and the cenotaph of Shah Jahan is located nearby and, as it were, in the shade, which creates some asymmetry, but may reflect their roles in life (see above).

Regarding the strong influence of Mumtaz Mahal's aunt, Empress Nur Jahan, on her husband Emperor Jahangir, there are several opinions. According to one of them, his addiction to opium and alcohol made it easier for her to influence state affairs. For many years, she actually ruled the empire. She tried to strengthen her position through her brother Abdul Hassan Asaf Khana who was the imperial vizier or chief minister. She arranged the marriage of his daughter (her niece) Arjumand Banu Begam on the son of Jahangir - Prince Khurram who later became emperor Shah Jahan.

As mentioned above, in the struggle for power, Shah Jahan rebelled against the throne and began a fratricidal war. Due to Shah Jahan's toughness, Nur Jahan stopped supporting him and relied on him younger brother Prince Shahrar, organizing his wedding to his daughter from his first marriage, Ladli Begum.

Emperor Jahangir was captured by the rebels in 1626 during his journey to Kashmir. Nur Jahan intervened to free her husband. He was released in 1627 but died soon after. After Jahangir's death, Asaf Khan took his brother-in-law's side against his sister. Nur Jahan was confined to a small house for the rest of her life. She died in 1645 and was buried at Shadar in Lahore, where her husband Jahangir is also.

The fate of the Itmad-Ud-Daullah and Taj Mahal mausoleums, as well as the connection between Persia and India through them, is shown in the diagram below, which shows the genealogy of the "culprits" of the construction of both mausoleums - Nur Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.

V. Taj Mahal - the image of Paradise on Earth

Taj Mahal on the river is the pearl and hallmark of India. This is the most extravagant monument of human love, created Shah Jahan in honor of his dear wife Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth to his 14th child. It is noteworthy that the number itself often reflects a special symbolism in the story.

The mausoleum was built of marble delivered from Rajasthan over 300 kilometers. The surface of the Taj Mahal was inlaid with thousands of precious and semi-precious stones. The width of the building is equal to its total height m, and the distance from the floor level to the parapet above the arched portals is half the entire height.

Every detail of the building is unique and one-of-a-kind: these are classic gardens that invite reflection, intricate bas-reliefs of semi-precious stones adorning white marble. The Taj Mahal is so precious to India and its people that more than 200 factories in the area have been closed due to air pollution causing the white marble to darken.

From all sides, the Taj Mahal is covered with a variety of decorations, such as an elegant gilded pattern, calligraphy and intricate relief carving. The four sides of the monument are adorned with a mesh pattern consisting of floral and geometric patterns, which are a real wonder. The Mughals were admirers of nature and believed that flowers are a symbol of the divine environment. The Taj Mahal itself was conceived as a material embodiment on Earth.

Taj Mahal garden built in the style of Charbakh (quaternary garden), originating in the Koran, which speaks of 4 rivers. Its entire area is divided by water channels and fountains into 4 squares with a pool in the center. Each square has flower beds, so there are 64 flower beds in the garden, like the number of cells on a chessboard.

An invariable attribute of Mughal architecture are Persian gardens. India is the easternmost point of their distribution. The most western is in Spain. Descendants of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization, the Persians paid great attention to the cultivation of gardens, known in this region as far back as 4000 BC. In the Koran, the words Paradise and Garden are synonymous, and the Avestan (ancient Persian) word means a fenced land (garden).

In addition, the Bible is also associated with Armenia and Mount Ararat. Noah, whose ark, after the Great Flood, landed on the mountain, from which he descended into the Ararat valley in the region Nakhichevan, which in translation from Armenian means " the place where Noah descended". Later, he planted the first vine there and began to cultivate grapes.

Interestingly, the legend of Noah has parallels in older Indian texts, which say that the guardian god Vishnu, who turned into a goldfish Matsya, saved from Flood only a hermit who after this flood came out of his ark into valley Kullu(Northern India, in the Himalayas). Here Manu founded the city Manali(now the center of tourism), becoming the forefather of mankind, setting out the first legislation for people (Laws of Manu). The Kullu valley is considered one of the most beautiful places in India, it is called the valley of the gods. The heroes of the Mahabharata, the Pandava brothers, visited the valley three times, and the Roerich family lived here for 20 years. In ancient times, the Kullu Valley was called the end of the inhabited world.

Persian gardens are distinguished by strict geometric lines. As a rule, this is a large garden, divided into 4 squares by water channels, symbolizing 4 rivers that originated in the Garden of Eden (Eden). In the center is a fountain that feeds the canals with water, emphasizing the connection with the Garden of Eden. This form of garden is also called Chahar-Bah or 4 gardens (according to the number of squares separated by water channels or paths). Typical features of a Chahar-Bah garden are: an enclosing wall, rectangular pools, a system of connected water channels, garden pavilions, and abundant vegetation. The shady fruit trees in it not only fill it with aromas, but also symbolize eternal life, the Tree of Life that grew in Eden.

Persian gardens became the basis of Mughal gardens in India and Pakistan, the most famous of which was the Taj Mahal garden in Agra, the largest Persian garden in the world. From the very beginning, the Mughals attached great importance to gardens. The founder of the dynasty - Babur-Tiger, being a great lover of gardens and a refined connoisseur of beauty, began to lay the first geometric Persian gardens in India, similar to the Garden of Eden. Moreover, the Mughals in India traditionally maintained kinship, military and cultural ties with Persia. The Persian garden, which houses the first Mughal mausoleum belonging to Emperor Humayun (son of Babur), is divided into 36 squares by water channels and paths, which is in line with the Iranian tradition of mausoleums in Sultania and Samarkand.

In modern Iran, such gardens can be found in the cities of Yazd - the famous center of Zoroastrianism (the pre-Islamic religion of the Persians) and in Isfahan, famous throughout the world for its complex, with a Persian garden (or what is left of it) in the center.

Returning to the Taj Mahal, one can recall the legend according to which Shah Jahan dreamed of building a mausoleum for himself, an exact copy of the Taj Mahal, but only from black marble, on the other side of the Jamna River (), opposite the white marble Taj Mahal (see photo) . These two mausoleums would be connected by a black and white openwork Bridge of Sighs - a symbol of eternal, imperishable, timeless love. However, such expenses were not included in the plans of his son Aurangzeb, who succeeded him on the throne. It took about 20,000 workers and a year to build just one Taj Mahal, plus hundreds of kilograms of gold, precious and semi-precious stones. The Taj Mahal has absorbed the best achievements of Islamic (Persian) and Hindu architecture.

Domes play a special role in the architecture of Islam. For example, the dome of the Taj Mahal symbolizes the mountain or throne of Allah (the One God). Being near the Taj Mahal, a person understands that in front of him is Allah himself, merciful and ruthless at the same time, who created the world and dissolved in it, Allah is visible and invisible. Allah is incomprehensible.

The Taj Mahal is designed in such a way that a loudly spoken word will first be reflected by a powerful echo from the walls of the mausoleum; then, when the echo is almost gone, the cry will be repeated in turn by each arch of the lower gallery, after which the upper ceilings will answer in chorus, and, finally, the unbearable roar of the last echo reflected from the vault will crown everything. It is believed that this word can only be "Allah", because the wonderful echo was a pre-calculated part of the artists' plan, who gave the Taj Mahal a voice and told it to forever repeat this name of the One God for all.

The main principle of Islam is the uniqueness of the Almighty God, one of whose names is "Allah" and the need to worship only Him alone, and not any image (for example, an icon) or other entity (for example, any pagan idol or statue).

However, the human mind is imperfect and has a tendency to better perceive something visible, material. Given such features of the human imagination, science arose - sacred geometry. This is the science of the art of creating a certain limited space, where everything would remind a person of the greatness of the Most High God.

Sacred geometry forms the basis of Islamic architecture. Entire spiritual concepts are represented in the amazing geometric patterns of Muslim buildings. Images include the geometric pattern of the elements of the human body, and the forms of plants, and geological structures, so there is an expression "in geometry, the Almighty manifests itself."

The era of the ancestor of the Great Moghuls - Timur and his descendants (Timurids) became one of the most important periods in the development of Islamic art. A special feature of almost all structures built under the Timurids is the symmetry of the building plan.

In Islamic architecture, the designs are so intricate and the designs so geometric that they seem to stretch into infinity, inviting your mind to follow. The task of Muslim architects is the embodiment of some non-material concept in a real physical object that affects the human mind. And the task of sacred geometry is the creation of a certain surrounding space of perfect physical harmony, reflecting the concept of divine harmony, as a manifestation of the Grace of the Most High to his creatures. A person who is in such an environment cannot help but feel its impact; at the same time, he himself shows the desire to be a more harmonious personality.

A more modest copy of the Taj Mahal was the mausoleum built by Emperor Aurangzeb, 850 km away. southwest of Agra.

VI. Lalla Rook

The Irish writer and poet of the 19th century, Moore, wrote the popular poem "", which tells about the love suffering of the fictional daughter of Aurangzeb from the Mughal dynasty. Moore was one of the main representatives of Irish. In Russia, he is known primarily for the poem "Evening Bells", translated by Ivan Kozlov and became a well-known Russian song. Moore also wrote other works with a Skye flavor.

Aurangzeb (Pers. "Conqueror of the Universe") became the last real ruler of the Mughal dynasty. Under him, and on the labors of his ancestors, the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent and power, uniting practically the message of Hindustan. Several times he sent ambassadors to the Khanate and allocated funds from his own treasury for restoration Gur-Emir- the mausoleum of his ancestor Timur.

He was the third son of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Aurangzeb received an excellent education. Despite his status, he observed modesty in clothes and in everyday life, befitting a Muslim. Before ascending the throne, in the middle of the 17th century, he ruled.

Aurangzeb's path to power was within the framework of that time. He waged an internecine war with his older brother for the succession to the throne. Having exterminated the rival brothers and their offspring, Aurangzeb overthrew his own father Shah Jahan and imprisoned him in the fort.

Having become emperor, he zealously pursued a policy of imposing Islam in India, causing justified anger and revolts of his subjects. Aurangzeb's power was especially fragile in western and southern India, c. This historical plateau is bounded from the north by the river Narmada, from the south by the river ri.

To fight the independent sultanates of the Deccan, Aurangzeb moved his capital to Aurangabad in 1681, from where he ruled until his death in 1707. The tomb of Aurangzeb is located in the suburbs of Aurangabad, where the Valley of the Saints (Sufi cemetery) is also located.

In the past, the Rulers of Hyderabad were the richest people on the planet. The funeral procession of the last of them (Asaf x VII) in 1967 became one of the largest in the history of India. Hyderabad was named after the wife of the ruler Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. He planned Hyderabad after the example of the legendary city. The architectural heritage of Hyderabad is quite comparable with, and.

Hyderabad is well known in the world under the name City. It is the largest processing and trading center for pearls in India, and one of the largest in the world. Trade in pearls, gold, diamonds became the basis of the wealth and prosperity of Hyderabad.

Charminar, Hyderabad

Today Aurangabad is part of the Indian state of Telan. gan a, whose capital is Hyderabad. Within the boundaries of this city is the ancient Golconda, famous for its diamonds, which were mined and processed in the area. The most famous diamonds were found here, including the ("Mountain of Light"), which now adorns the crown of Queen Elizabeth of England, is stored in.

In the vicinity of Golconda / Hyderabad are the world-famous complexes of the cave temples of Ajanta, Ellora and. Here are the remains of Daulatabad - one of the capitals of the dynasty. He transferred his administrative functions to Aurangabad in the 17th century. 250 km. from Aurangabad is where the famous Bollywood is located. However, it is in Hyderabad that the world's largest complex of film studios (Ramoji) is located. This is the largest film set on the planet, listed in the Guinness Book of Records. On its huge areas there are 500 film sets and 50 closed pavilions.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a Spanish mosque was built in Hyderabad in the Moorish style of architecture, following the example of the cathedral mosque of Cordoba. It is built on the model in Agra, but inferior to it in size and pomp.

Their eldest child was Shahzadi, the poetess Zeb un- ("Decoration of women"). She was distinguished by her beauty. Owned, Arabic and Urdu, Turkic. She studied philosophy, literature, astronomy, and was famous for her calligraphy. He is the author of the commentary to the Koran "3ebi tafasir" ("Beauty of interpretations"). Being imprisoned by her own father, she left this life five years before his death. Buried at the gate in. When the railway was built in India, her grave was moved to Sikandra, to her ancestor.

India is one of the largest countries in the world with a distinctive culture and interesting history. In particular, to this day, researchers are interested in the question of how the son of Emir Fergana Babur, left without a father at the age of 12, not only did not become a victim of political intrigues and died, but also penetrated India and created one of the greatest empires in Asia. .

background

Before the mighty Mughal empire was formed on the territory of modern India and some adjacent states, this country was fragmented into many small principalities. They were constantly raided by nomadic neighbors. In particular, in the 5th century, the tribes of the Huns penetrated the territory of the Gupta state, which occupies the northwestern part of the Hindustan peninsula and the lands adjacent from the north. And although by the year 528 they were expelled, after their departure in India there were no large state formations. A century later, the charismatic and far-sighted ruler Harsha united several small principalities under his leadership, but after his death, the new empire collapsed, and in the 11th century, Muslims under the leadership of Mahmud Ghaznevi penetrated the territory of Hindustan and founded the Delhi Sultanate. During the 13th century it was able to withstand the invasion of the Mongols, but by the end of the 14th century it fell apart as a result of the invasion of the thousands of Timur's hordes. Despite this, the largest principalities of the Delhi Sultanate lasted until 1526. Their conquerors were the Great Mughals, under the leadership of Babur, a Timurid who came to India with a huge international army. His army at that time was the strongest in the region and the rajas could not prevent him from conquering Hindustan.

Biography of Babur

The first Great Mogul of India was born in 1483 on the territory of modern Uzbekistan, in the famous trading city Andijan. His father was the emir of Fergana, who was the great-great-grandson of Tamerlane, and his mother came from the Genghisides family. When Babnur was only 12 years old, he was left an orphan, but after 2 years he managed to capture Samarkand. In general, as researchers of the biography of the founder of the Mughal empire point out, from early childhood he had an exceptional desire for power, and even then he cherished the dream of becoming the head of a huge state. The triumph after the first victory did not last long, and after 4 months Babur was expelled from Samarkand by Sheibani Khan, who was three times his senior. The experienced politician did not rest on this and ensured that the young Timurid was forced to flee with the army to the territory of Afghanistan. There, fortune smiled on the young man, and he conquered Kabul. But resentment for the fact that his fiefdom - Samarkand is ruled by an alien Uzbek ruler, did not give him rest, and he repeatedly made attempts to return to this city. All of them ended in failure, and, realizing that there was no turning back, Babur decided to conquer India and establish his new state there.

How was the Mughal state founded?

In 1519, Babur made a campaign in North-West India, and after 7 years he decided to capture Delhi. In addition, he defeated the Rajput prince and founded a state centered in Agra. Thus, by 1529, the empire included the territories of Eastern Afghanistan, the Punjab and the Ganges valley up to the borders of Bengal.

Death of Babur

Death overtook the founder of the Mughal Empire in 1530. After Hamayun's accession to the throne, the Mughal Empire in India lasted until 1539, when the Pashtun commander Sher Shah expelled him from the country. However, after 16 years, the Mughals were able to recapture their possessions and return to Delhi. Anticipating his imminent death, the head of state divided the empire between his four sons, appointing Hamayun as chief of them, who was supposed to rule Hindustan. Three other Baburids got Kandahar, Kabul and Punjab, but they were obliged to obey their elder brother.

Akbar the Great

In 1542, a son was born to Hamayun. He was named Akbar, and it was this grandson of Babur who had to make sure that the empire founded by the Great Mughals went down in history as an example of a state where there was no religious and national discrimination. He ascended the throne, almost at the same early age as his grandfather, and spent almost 20 years of his life suppressing rebellions and strengthening centralized power. As a result, by 1574, the formation of a single state with clear systems of local government and tax collection was completed. Being an exceptionally intelligent man, Akbar the Great allocated land and financed the construction of not only mosques, but also Hindu temples, as well as Christian churches, which missionaries were allowed to open in Goa.

Jahangir

The next ruler of the empire was the third son of Akbar the Great - Selim. Having ascended the throne after the death of his father, he ordered to call himself Jahangir, which means "conqueror of the world." This was a short-sighted ruler who first of all abolished the laws concerning religious tolerance, which turned against himself the Hindus and representatives of other nationalities who are not Muslims. Thus, the Great Mughals ceased to enjoy the support of the population of many areas, and were forced from time to time to suppress uprisings against their henchmen-rajas.

Shah Jahan

The last years of the reign of Jahangir, who became a drug addict towards the end of his life, were a dark time for the empire that the Great Mughals founded. The fact is that a struggle for power began in the palace, in which the main wife of the padishah named Nur-Jahan took an active part. During this period, the third son of Jahangir, who was married to his stepmother's niece, decided to take advantage of the situation and made himself proclaimed heir, bypassing his older brothers. After the death of his father, he took the throne and reigned for 31 years. During this time, the capital of the Great Moghuls - Agra turned into one of the most beautiful cities in Asia. At the same time, it was he who decided in 1648 to make Delhi the capital of his state and built the Red Fort there. Thus, this city became the second capital of the empire, and it was there that in 1858 the last Great Mogul, along with his closest relatives, was taken prisoner by the British troops. Thus ended the history of the empire, which left behind a huge cultural heritage.

Capital of the Great Mughals

As already mentioned, in 1528 Babur made Agra the main city of his empire. Today it is one of the most famous tourist centers in Asia, as many architectural monuments of the Mughal period have been preserved there. In particular, everyone knows the famous Taj Mahal mausoleum, built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife. This unique building is rightfully considered one of the wonders of the world and impresses with its perfection and splendor.

The fate of Delhi was completely different. In 1911, it became the residence of the Viceroy of India, and all the main departments of the colonial British government moved there from Calcutta. For the next 36 years, the city developed at a rapid pace, and areas of European development appeared there. In particular, in 1931, the opening of his new district of New Delhi, completely designed by the British, took place. In 1947, it was proclaimed an independent capital and remains so to this day.

The Mughal Empire lasted from the first half of the 16th to 1858 and played a major role in the fate of the peoples inhabiting India.

Babur's activities in Central Asia. Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire in India, was a Chagatai Turk. He was a direct male descendant of Timur, and on his mother's side he could claim descent from Genghis Khan.

His father, Umar Sheikh Mirza, ruled Fergana. Babur was born in Fergana in February 1483. His father died in 1494 and he succeeded to his father's principality at the age of eleven.

Babur developed exceptionally fast. His elder and younger paternal uncles died soon after each other; feuds began over the mastery of Samarkand, which was conquered by Babur in 1497, when the winner was barely fifteen years old. Shortly thereafter, he lost this capital of Central Asia, being fully occupied with maintaining his power in Fergana. Then he again conquered Samarkand, but this entailed a clash with Shei-bani-khan, the leader of the nomadic Uzbeks, who defeated Babur in the battles of Sar-i-Pul and Akhsi and drove him out of Samarkand and Fergana.

These defeats made Babur a wanderer, "moving," as he writes in his autobiography, "from one square to another, like a chess king." He succeeded in capturing Kabul in 1504, overthrowing the usurper there. Circumstances thus directed Babur's attention to the southeast. However, Babur received another opportunity to restore his position in Central Asia. Sheibani Khan, it seemed, like Genghis Khan and Timur, sought to conquer the world. He aroused the enmity of Shah Ismail, the Safavid ruler of the revived Persian Empire. Shah Ismail utterly defeated Sheibani Khan and killed him. Babur, apparently, sent gifts to Shah Is-mail, which he considered a tribute. Shah Ismail, as a champion of Shiism, agreed to reinstate Babur in Samarkand and Bukhara, but he apparently insisted that Babur agree to promote the dissemination of Shiite doctrines. Although weakened by the death of Sheibani Khan, the Uzbeks resisted Babur, and he was unable to occupy Samarkand. The Persian army was defeated at the battle of Gadzh-Davan; the Persians attributed the defeat to Babur's apostasy.

Babur's activities outside of India greatly influenced his activities in India. In the battles of Panipat and Khanua, we see in Babur an established warrior who knew how to endure hard trials, learned the use of firearms through contacts with the Persians and the use of tulugma (flank attack) in wars with the Uzbeks. The tactics of the Uzbeks consisted in bypassing the flanks of the enemy and in a simultaneous attack on a furious quarry in the forehead and rear of the enemy. The effective combination of well-trained cavalry and new firearms, as well as brilliant tactics that ensured Babur's victories at Panipat and Khanua, were the fruits of his experience in Central Asia. Another factor that often goes unnoticed is

1 Chagatai was the second son of Genghis Khan.

HISTORY OF INDIA

in the influence that Babur's turbulent youth and romantic adventures had on Mughal policy in Central Asia during the time of his successors.

Activities in Afghanistan. In April 1512, Babur's attempts to realize his claims in Central Asia suffered a complete failure. After that, he moved to Kabul. Kandahar was captured in 1512. The riches of India already occupied his enterprising mind and teased his imagination. In 1516 he was preoccupied with the reorganization of the army, casting cannons and improving tactics, which was necessary in connection with the use of firearms.

Babur first invaded India in 1519. He fought against the Yusuf Zays. A campaign against Bijaur was also undertaken in 1520. As a descendant of Timur, Babur regarded the Punjab as his ancestral domain. In 1524 he crossed the Khyber Pass, crossed Jhelum and Che-nab, and approached Dibalpur, which he tried to take by storm. However, he had to retreat to Lahore and return to Kabul. He counted on the help of two disgruntled nobles from the state of Lodi, Daulat Khan Lodi and Alam Khan Lodi, who turned their weapons against him when they realized that his goal was more conquest than robbery. Now the situation has changed. Babur began to prepare to deal a crushing blow to the weakened Afghan Delhi state.

First Battle of Panipat (1526). In November 1525, Babur set out from Kabul and entered the Punjab with an army of 12,000 men. Daulat Khan Lodi, who resisted him, was defeated and recognized himself as a vassal of Babur. From the Punjab, Babur moved towards Delhi. Ibrahim Lodi set out from Delhi to meet him. Ibrahim Lodi Babur described as "an inexperienced young man who moved in a campaign without precaution, stopped or retreated without any plan and entered the battle without thinking." Such a person could not count on victory over such an experienced warrior as Babur.

The decisive battle took place on April 21, 1526 at Panipat, where the fate of India was so often decided. Indeed, if the enemy coming from the northwest could not be stopped at the Khyber Pass, the area between Sutlej and Jumna inevitably became a battlefield. Since the Punjab rivers could be forded in many places in winter, it was difficult to keep a line of defense on the river. The enemy could easily cross it in many places. Naturally, the nearest advantageous place for a decisive battle was the vast plains between Sutlej and Jamna, where the advantage in the number of troops could be better used and where the defending army had Delhi and Agra in the rear.

Ibrahim led an army of forty thousand to Panipat. However, this dense mass of troops provided an excellent target for Babur's cannons, which were controlled by two specialists, Ustad (master) Ali and Mustafa. The flat terrain was well suited for cavalry operations and for the use of Babur's flank tactics.

Babur reinforced his weak front line by placing wagons in a row to keep the Afghans along the stretched front and thereby secure an opportunity to attack the flanks. Ibrahim was completely defeated, and the number of Afghans killed was enormous. Babur's military skill, the excellent interaction of his cavalry and artillery brought him complete success. Immediately afterwards he occupied Delhi and Agra. Generosity towards his followers and rich gifts to friends in Samarkand, Kashgar, Khorasan, Persia and Kabul made the name of Babur famous in distant lands, gave rise to the desire to imitate him and helped him to replenish his army. He also succeeded in persuading his adherents to remain in India.

THE STRUGGLE OF AFGHANS AND MOGULS FOR POWER

Rajput and Afghan resistance - battles of Khanua and Gogra. Two

the enemy that Babur had to contend with in order to secure dominance in Hindustan were the Afghans in the east and the Rajputs under the leadership of Rana Sangram Singh, the ruler of Mewar. The Afghans in the east, led by Yasir Khan Lokhani and Maaruf Farmuli, dispersed when the troops of Babur's eldest son, Humayun, appeared against them. In the eight months since Ibrahim's defeat at Panipat, Babur's power had extended from Attock to Bihar. Multan was also attached to his dominions.

In the south, Babur's possessions extended to Kalpi and Gwalior. But one had to face the danger threatening from Rajputana. Babur was well aware that he would have to meet with a proven warrior. Rana Sanga had previously dealt with Babur. The latter complained that there was an agreement between him and Rana that Rana would attack Agra when Babur went on a campaign to Delhi. Rana, in turn, complained that, in violation of the earlier agreement, Babur had captured Kalpi, Dholpur and Biana. Sanga recognized Sultan Mahmud Lodi, who was supported by the Afghans in the west, as the legitimate claimant to the throne in Delhi.

The dispute between Babur and the Rana was resolved at the Battle of Khanua (March 27, 1527). The Rajput cavalry could not resist the crushing fire of Mustafa, the battle was stubborn, since the Rajputs had a numerical superiority. But artillery played a decisive role. The Rajputs and their Afghan allies were completely defeated. The Battle of Khanua made it impossible for the Rajputs to establish power in northern India on the ruins of the Delhi Sultanate. This was followed by the defeat of Medini Rai, one of the most eminent generals of the Sanga Rana, who commanded the important fortress of Chanderi in Malwa. Rana died heartbroken in 1528.

Having got rid of the threat from the Rajputs, Babur turned against the Afghans to the east. The Afghans fought among themselves. Clashes between the houses of Lohani and Lodi were detrimental to Afghan interests. In 1529, Sultan Mahmud Lodi united a significant part of the Afghans under his leadership. Babur headed east through Allahabad, Benares and Gazipur. Jalal-ud-din Bahar-khan Lokhani submitted to him. Babur occupied Bihar. The army of Nusrat Shah, the Sultan of Bengal, which came to the aid of the Afghans, resisted Babur on the banks of Goghra. Babur brilliantly carried out the crossing under heavy fire. The Bengal army fled in disarray. Nusrat Shah made peace with the Mughals. Other Afghan chieftains also submitted. Thus the Battle of the Goghra River (May 6, 1529), at least for the time being, destroyed the possibility of a political revival of the Afghans.

Evaluation of Babur's activities. Babur died on December 26, 1530. There are indications that in last days his life in the palace, a conspiracy was organized to eliminate his eldest son Humayun. If such a conspiracy really took place, then it ended in complete failure, and Humayun calmly succeeded Babur. Babur, as a ruler, did not possess outstanding abilities. He was first and foremost a warrior. The old, spontaneously formed system of government that existed before him was preserved under him. He left to his son a vast empire (stretching from the Amu Darya to Bihar), which was not cohesive and could only be held by military force. The English historian Len Poole correctly described Babur as "an intermediate link between Central Asia and India, between wild hordes and imperial organization of government, between Tamerlane and Akbar."

HISTORY OF INDIA

Autobiography of Babur. Babur had a good literary background. He wrote well both in Farsi and Turkic. The most important source of our information about his activities is an excellent autobiography, which was originally written in Turkic Ya*y-ke, then transcribed by his son Humayun and translated into Farsi under Akbar. As the English historian Elphinstone points out, “his memoirs contain a detailed description of the life of the great Turkic monarch, along with the expression of his personal opinions and feelings, free from disguise and concealment, as well as from ostentatious frankness and directness. His style is simple and masculine, as well as lively and imaginative. As if in a mirror, Babur's autobiography reflects his compatriots and contemporaries, their appearance, customs, aspirations and deeds. In this regard, it is almost the only example of genuine historical description in Asia: Babur depicts the appearance, clothes, tastes and habits of each person and describes the countries, their climate, landscape, economy, works of art and crafts. However, the character of the author himself gives the greatest charm to the work. It is gratifying in the midst of the pompous coldness of Asian history to meet a ruler who could cry and tell us how he mourned the death of a comrade of his childhood.