Emperor Jahangir’s main priorities were power, public welfare, and justice. To establish a lasting legacy of good governance, he announced several measures: the construction of 50,000 rest houses, the digging of 100,000 wells and reservoirs, an end to opening merchants’ bundles for tax collection, recognition of farmers’ and merchants’ accounts, and a six-month waiver of Continue Reading

Jahangir’s remarkable ability to recognise the distinctive qualities of illustrated manuscripts reflected his deep appreciation of art. From his teenage years, his intelligence and passion for fine arts and crafts were evident. He was fascinated by travel, hunting, gardens, flowers, wildlife, science, poetry, and music. His affinity with nature and compassion for animals Continue Reading

The growth of art was notable during the reign of Emperor Humayun. The style of Emperor Akbar was greatly influenced by the Persians, inspired by Khwaja Abdus Samad and Mir Sayyid Ali. He had artists from all over India as well as from foreign lands, while the Hindu painters were dominant under him. Painting was […]Continue Reading

In 1620, Emperor Jahangir visited Kashmir, where he saw a small brown dipper in a stream. He wanted to study its feet to understand the bird fully. His Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri records the effort in detail. The emperor wrote: “I saw the bird near the stream. … It can remain under water for a long time and […]Continue Reading

Emperor Jahangir was extremely fond of nature and exotic animals. He had a huge collection of animals at his royal zoo and used to keenly observe the physical structure and behavior of all the animals. His Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri contains detailed observations of birds and animals. In 1619, Shah Abbas of Iran gifted Jahangir a Barbary falcon. […]Continue Reading

Emperor Jahangir faced the growing presence of colonial powers and their expanding trade activities in India. He banned all Portuguese activities in India after their arrogant conduct. To avoid a similar fate, the English won the trust of influential figures in his court and showed loyalty to the emperor. As a result, English merchants gained […]Continue Reading