Padshahnamah fol. 46v
(plate 6)

One of a pair of paintings depicting the submission of Rana Amar Singh of Mewar to Prince Khurram on 5 February 1615. This painting shows the ceremony surrounding the Rana’s submission. The other (RCIN 1005025.h) is a later extension of the scene showing the entourages of the Rajput king and the Mughal prince.

Emperor Jahangir moved the Mughal court to Ajmer from 1613 until 1616 specifically to support the imperial troops in their war against the Hindu Rajput rulers of Mewar. The Rana of Mewar was the most important in the Rajput hierarchy and Prince Khurram’s defeat over Amar Singh’s forces was vital in ensuring that the Rajput courts acknowledged Mughal overlordship. Prince Khurram’s successful campaign also strengthened his prospects of becoming the next Emperor since the Mughals did not practice the custom of primogeniture. Jahangir bestowed on him the title Shah-Jahan (‘King of the World’) soon afterwards.

In this illustration the Mewar ruler bows in submission to the Mughal prince, the leader of the Mughal army, to acknowledge his defeat. The Padshahnamah text speaks highly of the Rana’s dignity as he entered the imperial fold, but the painting depicts the great Rajput ruler in a humiliating position, bowing before the prince with both Khurram and Abdullah Khan pressing firmly on his back. 

The formal surrender takes place under a red imperial tent in the Mughal encampment on a lakeshore surrounded by hills. Khurram sits with his head surrounded by a halo on the royal dais under an embroidered canopy as servants and courtiers stand barefoot on a carpet around him. On the bottom right and left are an elephant and a grey horse, gifts from Khurram for the Rana, which, according to the Padshahnamah text, accompanied a robe of honour, a jewel-studded dagger, a jewel-studded sword, a golden saddle, and silver elephant trappings.

The artist Lalchand likely copied the composition of this illustration from an earlier painting of the same scene by Nanha (VA& 185-1984). He also painted another painting now in the Royal Collection: a portrait of Shah-Jahan’s grandson Sulaiman Shukoh (RCIN 1005069).

Bibliography:
Milo Beach and Ebba Koch, King of the world : the Padshahnama, an imperial Mughal manuscript from the Royal Library, Windsor Castle, 1996
Saqib Baburi, Beyond the Akbarnamah: Padshahnamahs and Official Regnal Chronography for Shah-Jahan Padshah (r. 1037/1628-1068/1658), 2010.