Akbar visits Ajmer | Ist time gets married to MUZ | also after Salim's birth

Hi all,


This post talks of two important events in the life of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Both of them are related to Akbar's visit to Ajmer Sharif. And, both of them are related to the date today - 20th January.!

1st - 453 years Back...

The main incident i am going to talk about is of 20th  January 1562. Here's the background. It was the first time Akbar visited Ajmer. It so happened that one night, Akbar was hunting near Agra in a village called Mandarkar. There, he heard praises of the Sufi saint Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chisti from some Indian minstrels and made up his mind to visit the Dargah/Shrine. Despite the fact that it was not safe for him to visit Ajmer at that time of the year, Akbar showed an inward inclination to visit Ajmer. 

Says Abul Fazl - "...he showed a desire for enlighten­ment, conceived a strong inclination to visit the Khwaja's shrine. The attraction of a pilgrimage thither seized his collar....though his followers urged that he should not go to remote places, and spoke of the dangers of them and the numbers of refractory persons there, he did not give heed to them, for his mind was set upon going, and only became more determined to make the expedi­tion..."


Akbar proceeded to Ajmer and the first thing which reached his ears was the trouble which Raja Bharmal was facing at the hands of Sharif-ud-din, Mughal Subedar. Chugtai Khan introduced Raja Bharmal to Akbar, and that historic meet took place on 20th January 1562.!. Acc. to Abul Fazl, the marriage of Akbar with the Princess of Amer was due to a divine vision he had at Ajmer Sharif.

{Acc. to Abu'l Fazl, Hamida Bano Begum's great grandfather was a great seer, and Hamida inherited the visionary blood from him, which was later inherited by Akbar.}

Note:
I will be soon posting a separate post about the marriage of Akbar with Harka Bai/MUZ .


2nd - 445 years Back..
The is about the details of Akbar's pilgrimage to Ajmer Sharif, which he started on 20th January 1570.

Akbar had vowed that if he is blessed with a son, he would walk to the shrine of the founder of the Sufi Chishti order, Sheikh Muin-ud-Din Chishti, at Ajmer to offer his prayers. Then, Salim was born on 30th August 1569 to his first Hindu wife, Mariam-Uz-Zamani. In order to fulfill his vow, he left Agra on 20th January 1570, and swiftly covered the 370 kilometers on foot, in 16 phases. He is depicted here in this painting, accompanied by servants carrying emblems of royalty.  


 

Abul Fazl, notes that whenever the emperor went out in a formal context, five standards would be carried next to him, as well as the qur, a collection of flags and other insignia. These were all wrapped in red cloth, the colour of royalty.

The aftabgir, a shade held over the emperor's head and seen here, was also on Abul Fazl's list of royal emblems. While in Ajmer, Akbar distributed alms at the shrine, visited other local sacred places, and ordered the construction of new mosques.

Painted in opaque water colour and gold on paper, Akbar is at the centre of the composition, dressed in white, walking across a landscape during his pilgrimage on foot to Ajmer in thanksgiving for the birth of Prince Salim. Servants follow him, bearing emblems of royalty including a sunshade. 


In the  Ain-i-Akbari, following details are given about the royal symbols:


1. The Aurang, or throne, is made of several forms; some are inlaid with precious stones, and others are made of gold, silver, &c. 

2. The Chatr, or umbrella, is adorned with the most precious jewels, of which there are never less than seven. 

3. The Saiban is of an oval form, a yard in length, and its handle, like that of the umbrella, is covered with brocade, and ornamented with precious stones. One of the attendants holds it, to keep off the rays of the sun. It is also called Aftabgir. {See the picture above}

4. The Kaukabah, of which several are hung up before the assembly hall. {it is a crook from which a steel ball was suspended}

5. The 'Alam. When the king rides out, not less than five of these are carried along with the Qur(collection of flags carried with the king where ever he goes), wrapped up in scarlet cloth bags. On days of festivity, and in battle, they are unfurled. 

6. The Chatrtoq, a kind of 'Alam, but smaller than it, is adorned with the tails of Tibetan yaks. 

7. The Tuman toq is like the Chatrtoq, but longer. Both insignia are flags of the highest dignity, and is bestowed upon great nobles only. 
{
We discussed in an old post that Akbar gave Tuman Toq to Khusrau, son of Salim.
Link: Khusrau - The Unfortunate Mughal Prince - Struggle for Power-I

Alam, Tuman Togh and Chatrtoq are similar(not same) looking standards.
}

8. The Jhanda is an Indian flag. The Qur necessarily contains a flag of each kind; but on great occasions many are displayed.



Note:
Akbar had also vowed to visit the Dargah of Ajmer if he wins Chitor War, and after winning it also he paid a visit there. I will update it in the Chittor War series only, when i post about it.

Till then, the blog has 2 parts on Chittor battle...
Preparation of Rajputs - Battle of Chittor | II -  Click HERE to Read  
Why did Akbar attack Chittor - I  Click HERE to Read


This article has been posted under the Mughals(Akbar) section of this history BLOG.