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Ruling over a vast empire during a period of relative peace and prosperity, Jahangir enjoyed riches beyond the wildest imagination. Yet, for all Jahangir’s organizational ability and interest in his subjects, when one takes into consideration the amount of wine and opium, he consumed every day, one wonders whether he even drew a completely sober breath. To understand the reign of Jahangir, historians often greatly depend on the written sources of the period, of which the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri also known as Jahangir Nama acts as the primary source.
Jahangirnama
Jahangir continued the tradition of his great-grandfather, Babur, who is credited with penning the Baburnama, by writing an autobiography. It was written from the time of the emperor's accession to the throne until 1622, when the emperor, weakened with illness left his secretary Mu'tamad Khan with the job of recording all subsequent events of the reign. The two men collaborated until 1624, when the writing abruptly comes to an end.
After the death of Jahangir, Mutamad Khan authored the Iqbal Nama and Kamgar Husaini wrote the Maásir-i-Jahangiri. These two books were produced especially to win the favour of Shah Jahan, the new Emperor who had finally ascended the throne after a five-year revolt against his father. The text of this period written on the reign of Jahangir often seemed to contradict facts that were there in the Jahangirnama, to purposely legitimize Shah Jahan’s accession to the throne. The rebellion of Shah Jahan against Jahangir is justified in comparison to Jahangir’s rebellion against Akbar. > While writing his autobiography, Jahangir adopted a different linguistic path, which was far from pretentious or antiquated, and the language used was both informal and fluid. The Persian narrative is interlaced with Turkish, Hindustani, or Kashmiri terms, highlighting the multiplicity of languages used by Jahangir in his work. >
Jahangir's knowledge with Hindustani poetry and imagery reflects his sensitivity to his Indian surroundings. He depicts how the sight of a field of water lilies reminds him of Tansen's lines and a popular love metaphor in Hindustani poetry, that of the lotus flower and the black bee. The deliberate usage of these terms lends a certain "Indianness" to Jahangir's Persian. This exemplifies the empire's Indianization process, which was exemplified by the Rajputs' ascension into the ranks of royalty which can be seen from the time of Akbar.
The Jahangir Nama is written in a chronological order and recounts occurrences year by year. Some sections are devoted to the history or geographical description of the regions visited by the emperor, such as his stay in Mandu, which allowed him to relate some episodes from the lives of the Malwa sultans, and his regular visits to Kashmir, which allowed him to pay a stirring homage to the natural beauty of this paradise on earth. Other portions feature ethnological, zoological, or botanical research that highlight a key aspect of Jahangir's personality, namely, his "scientific" curiosity and the significance he placed on experimentation in the pursuit of knowledge.
The monarch's memoirs also give us a look into his personal life; while he openly admits to his drug addiction, he is noticeably silent about his relationship with Nur Jahan and his spiritual life. The text also contains a wealth of administrative records gleaned from the documentation of promotions and demotions, as well as the titles bestowed to imperial servants.
Various manuscript versions of the Jahangirnama have been unearthed, including fake copies and interpolations in some of the copies. The Tuzuk, which was published in Gazipur and Aligarh by Syed Ahmed Khan, is said to be the best surviving original text. This was also the first copy to be published. The Tuzuk has been translated into English by a number of scholars, although experts prefer Rogers' translation, which has been amended, edited, and commented by Beveridge. It is one of the most significant sources for reconstructing the history of Mughal empire.
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