Calligraphic Art in Mughal Architecture (1526-1658)

The present work 'CALLIGRAPHIC ART IN MUGHAL ARCHITECTURE' is part of my D. Litt. Thesis 'History of Decorative Art in Mughal Architecture' which was originally published by the Iran Society Calcutta in 1979. This is study of the inscriptions of the Mughal monuments of Fatehpur Sikri, Agra and Delhi (c. 1526 to 1658 A.D.). So far no research work has been done on this very technical and difficult, though extremely useful, aspect of Mughal Architecture and the inscriptions remain obscurely undefined, inspite of the fact that, in its various representations in carved, painted and inlaid designs, this is one of the most distinctive characteristics of the Muslim artistic aspirations in India which developed to as magnificent scales in this country as in Iran, and also inspite of the fact, unfortunately, that it is the most authentic record of History which neither man nor time can forge, pollute or alter. We have yet to realize that once this language of stone is interpreted, it would throw a floodlight on the personality of the builder, as much as it would represent the spirit of the age and the condition of the regime which are more faithfully expressed hereon than in the accounts of the contemporary chroniclers who may be as biased as Abul Fazl or as prejudiced as Badaoni. The ornamental curves of these beautiful inscriptions may open up vistas of meaningful facts which would be of immense value for writing cultural history of the age and its dominating trends, currents and forces. I have made an attempt in the following pages to evaluate if, and whether, the raison d'etre of Mughal inscriptions was merely ornamental, and how, and to what degree, it was a historical document or a religious dictum with reference to these trends, currents and forces which weave the warp and woof of a cultural epoch. It is adequately illustrated and some plans also accompany to furnish an idea of the exact location of an inscription. Translations of 18 Persian inscriptions have been appended. A few Persian texts have also been given.My eBook: 'Arabic (Quranic) Inscriptions in Mughal Architecture' (1562-1654 A.D.), illustrated by 13 text figures and 32 plates may also be referred to. Professor R Nath