In the given question, a statement of Assertion is followed by a statement of Reason. Mark the correct answer.

Assertion: Babur believed that jungles provided a good defence behind which the people of the pargana became stubbornly rebellious and paid no taxes.

Reason: In the Mughal political ideology, the hunt symbolised the overwhelming concern of the state to relate to all its subjects, rich and poor.

Both the Assertion and the Reason are correct but the Reason is not the correct explanation of the Assertion.

The correct answer is Option 2 - Both the Assertion and the Reason are correct but the Reason is not the correct explanation of the Assertion.

Assertion: Babur believed that jungles provided a good defence behind which the people of the pargana became stubbornly rebellious and paid no taxes.

Reason: In the Mughal political ideology, the hunt symbolised the overwhelming concern of the state to relate to all its subjects, rich and poor.

Explanation:

The assertion about Babur's views on jungles and rebellious populations is historically correct, as Babur did encounter such challenges in his conquests and governance. However, the reason provided about the royal hunt in Mughal ideology doesn't directly support this assertion even though it is true.

For the state, the forest was a subversive place – a place of refuge (mawas) for troublemakers. Once again, we turn to Babur who says that jungles provided a good defence “behind which the people of the pargana become stubbornly rebellious and pay no taxes”. External forces entered the forest in different ways. For instance, the state required elephants for the army. So the peshkash levied from forest people often included a supply of elephants. In the Mughal political ideology, the hunt symbolised the overwhelming concern of the state to relate to all its subjects, rich and poor. Regular hunting expeditions, so court historians tell us, enabled the emperor to travel across the extensive territories of his empire and personally attend to the grievances of its inhabitants. The hunt was a subject frequently painted by court artists. The painter resorted to the device of inserting a small scene somewhere in the picture that functioned as a symbol of a harmonious reign.