Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
The author of the Akbar Nama, Abul Fazl grew up in the Mughal capital of Agra. He was widely read in Arabic, Persian, Greek philosophy and Sufism. Moreover, he was a forceful debater and independent thinker who consistently opposed the views of the conservative ulama. These qualities impressed Akbar who found Abu'l Fazl ideally suited as an adviser and a spokesperson for his policies. One major objective of the emperor was to free the state from the control of religious orthodoxy. In his role as court historian, Abu'l Fazl both shaped and articulated the ideas associated with the reign of Akbar.
Beginning in 1589, Abul Fazl worked on the Akbar Nama for thirteen years, repeatedly revising the draft. The chronicle is based on a range of sources, including actual records of events (waqai), official documents, and oral testimonies of a knowledgeable person.
The Akbar Nama is divided into three books of which the first two are chronicles. The third book is the Ain-i-Akbari. The first volume contains the history of mankind from Adam to one celestial cycle of Akbar's life (30 years). The second volume closes in the forty-sixth regnal year (1601) of Akbar. The very next year Abu'l Fazl fell victim to a conspiracy hatched by Prince Salim and was murdered by his accomplice Bir Singh Bundela.
Point out the difference between Ain-i-Akbari and Akbar Nama.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → The first two portions are known as Akbar Nama and the last as Ain-i-Akbari
Option (1) One is a biography while another is an autobiography — Incorrect. Neither text is an autobiography. Both were written by Akbar’s court historian: the first two books are chronicles of Akbar’s reign, and the Ain-i Akbari is a compendium of imperial regulations and a gazetteer of the empire.
Option (2) Both the treatises were written by two different writers — Incorrect. Both were written by Abu’l Fazl. He compiled the Ain-i Akbari at the order of Emperor Akbar as part of the same project of history writing as the Akbar Nama.
Option (3) The first two portions are known as Akbar Nama and the last as Ain-i-Akbari — Correct. The Akbar Nama is divided into three books. The first two are chronicles that give the historical narrative of the reign, and the third book is the Ain-i Akbari.
Option (4) One text belongs to Akbar while another during the Jahangir period — Incorrect. Both belong to Akbar’s reign. The Ain-i Akbari was completed in 1598, the forty-second regnal year of Akbar, and the second volume of the chronicle closes in his forty-sixth regnal year (1601).
Note: The passage of this question is taken from the chapter ‘Kings and Chronicles’, which was there in the pre-rationalised NCERT and has been deleted from subsequent editions of NCERT, including the NCERT book (2026-27).
NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “4. The Akbar Nama and the Badshah Nama … The Akbar Nama is divided into three books of which the first two are chronicles. The third book is the Ain-i Akbari. The first volume contains the history of mankind from Adam to one celestial cycle of Akbar’s life (30 years). The second volume closes in the forty-sixth regnal year (1601) of Akbar. The very next year Abu’l Fazl fell victim to a conspiracy hatched by Prince Salim, and was murdered by his accomplice, Bir Singh Bundela.…” |