Babur, the first Mughal emperor, came to India in 1526. Which of the following statements about him are correct?
(A) He was a keen patron of manuscripts, architecture and gardening.
(B) He was a descendant of Emperor Timur and Chatghtai Turk.
(C) He established a tradition of keeping memoirs, which was followed by his successors in India.
(D) He was dethroned by an Afghan, Sher Khan (Sher Shah).
(E) He established his court in Kabul in 1545 with the help of Shah Tahmasp.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (B) and (C) only
(A) He was a keen patron of manuscripts, architecture and gardening. — Correct. Babur was a man of letters and a keen patron of art, manuscripts, architecture and gardening.
(B) He was a descendant of Emperor Timur and Chatghtai Turk. — Correct. He was a descendant of Emperor Timur and Chatghtai Turk, and blended the cultural background and aesthetic sensibilities of Persia and Central Asia.
(C) He established a tradition of keeping memoirs, which was followed by his successors in India. — Correct. With his fervour for detailed writing, Babur established a tradition of keeping memoirs, which his successors in India followed.
(D) He was dethroned by an Afghan, Sher Khan (Sher Shah). — Incorrect. It was his son Humayun who was dethroned by Sher Khan and took refuge with Shah Tahmasp.
(E) He established his court in Kabul in 1545 with the help of Shah Tahmasp. — Incorrect. This too was Humayun. With Shah Tahmasp’s help, he set up his court in Kabul in 1545.
NCERT (2026-27): “Early Mughal Painting In 1526, Babur, the first Mughal emperor, came from present day Uzbekistan and was a descendent of Emperor Timur and Chatghtai Turk. With this, he blended the cultural background and aesthetic sensibilities of Persia and Central Asia. Babur had a dynamic taste for a variety of arts. He is reputed to be a man of letters and a keen patron of art, manuscripts, architecture, gardening, etc. Babur’s detailed accounts in Baburnama, his autobiography, are narratives of the emperor’s political carrier and artistic passion. Baburnama reflects the love and fondness that Babur had as an outsider for the Indian land and ecology. With his fervour for detailed writing, Babur established a tradition of keeping memoirs, a practice which was followed by his successors in India. …Babur was succeeded by his son Humayun in 1530, who unfortunately fell prey to political unrest, and his life took many unexpected turns. Dethroned by an Afghan, Sher Khan (Sher Shah), Humayun took refuge in the court of the Safavid Persian ruler, Shah Tahmasp. … With the assistance of Shah Tahmasp, Humayun established his court in Kabul in 1545.…” |