The History of Arabic Calligraphy on Mughal Monuments

Paintings of any living being, were in a way, prohibited in Islam for a very long time. The belief of the harsh consequences that one would have to face on the Last Judgement had they disobeyed this, kept people away from experimenting with lifeforms. And this was when Islamic artists found refuge in the art of Arabic calligraphy.

Arabic calligraphy(inlaid work on white marble) at Taj Mahal; Image source: cecilimages

Art in the form of any figurative representation, was condemned in Islamfor a very long time. The root of this can be found in Islamic aniconism, which prohibits the representation of any living or sentient beings. People chose to refrain from it for they believed thatAllah is the greatest artist and only he could “breathe life” into them. In other words, they considered it God’s prerogative. Painting animals or human beings i.e. figurative art was therefore, in a way prohibited and the artists who went against this were threatened to be punished on the day of the Last Judgement or Yawm ad-Din. Thus, calligraphy, the art of writing, became something that provided a safe ground for artistic expression.

Initially, it was seen as a means to display piety while copying the manuscripts of the Quran. Even the greatest of Islamic emperors around the world engaged themselves in this religious practice and their manuscripts were sent to the Makkah as a token of devotion to the almighty Allah. Thus learning Arabic calligraphy had become a necessary part of education for any Islamic ruler.

Calligraphy took center stage when it came to Islamic monuments for it was the only means of decoration for the longest of times. It entered India with the Muslim conquest. In Quwwat-ul-Islam, the first mosque in North India, we find verses of the holy Quran inscribed along the arches. It flaunts Arabic calligraphy. Though we find the display of Arabic calligraphy during the period of the Delhi Sultanate, it was only during the Mughalperiod that it prospered and reached its ultimate peak.

With Muhammad of Ghur’s invasion of India, Arabic and Persian entered the Indian subcontinent. While Persian served as a court language, the use of Arabic was limited to religious texts. And thus Arabic became the language of calligraphy as the monuments predominantly displayed Quranic verses.

Be it theQuwwatul Islam Mosque or the Alai Darwaza, all portray the works by calligraphers from Central Asia who had migrated to India during the Islamic invasion or afterwards. The three capitals of the Mughals viz. Delhi, Agra, and Fatehpur Sikri, also showcase beautiful Arabic calligraphy on their monuments.

There are several popular versions of Arabic calligraphy viz. Kufic, Naskh, Thuluth, Taliq, Nashtaliq, Tughra and Muhaqqaq. While Kufic and Naskh were more predominant during the reign of the slave dynasty, the Thuluth script in particular flourished during the Mughal period.

Right fromBabur’s reign, calligraphy has stayed as an element of utmost importance for the Mughal monuments. Humayun, during his stay in Persia, is known to have brought Persian calligraphers to India. The next Mughal emperors in line like Akbar and Shahjahan too considered the calligraphers as a crucial part of their courts. They even bestowed on them titles of honour like Muhammad Husain was given the title of Zarrin Qalam (meaning 'the golden pen') during Akbar’s reign while Shahjahan named Abdul Haq of Shiraz as Amanat Khan. Amanat Khan was the calligrapher who worked on the inlaid calligraphy of the Taj Mahal. These calligraphers were at times given the liberty to choose the Quranic verses to be inscribed for various sites.

Calligraphy on Buland Darwaza; Image source: picssr

Buland Darwaza, built by Akbar, showcases the Surah Az-Zumar in the Thuluth script. It is in carved relief on sandstone. It even has the calligrapher, Ahmad al Chisti’s name mentioned in the very beginning. In Akbar’s tomb, we get to see golden-coloured calligraphy on a blue stucco  background and the script is Thuluth.

Calligraphy at Akbar's Tomb; Image source: 10yearitch

TheTaj Mahal remains the best of the lot. It has an inlaid work of black stone in white marble, which breaks away from the trend of carved relief on sandstone. The calligrapher Amanat Khan has displayed several Surahs here and he is seen to use not just the popular Thuluth script but also Nastaliq and Tughra. The Taj Mahal truly embodies the best ornamentations of the Mughal period.

The Mughal period shows a transition in the monuments, viz. from red sandstone to white marble, from Kuficto Thuluth script and from carved relief to inlaid work. Arabic calligraphy can be seen evolving during this period and becoming more refined as the master calligraphers kept adding their special touches to it.