Consider the following statements about ‘Ain-i-Akbari’ and choose the correct statements.
(A) The Ain is made up of five books.
(B) Ain was officially sponsored to record detailed information.
(C) The data in the Ain has not been carefully collected.
(D) Historians have detected numerous errors in totalling which are generally minor.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (B), (D) only
(A) The Ain is made up of five books. Correct. The Ain is made up of five books (daftars), of which the first three describe the administration.
(B) Ain was officially sponsored to record detailed information. Correct. It was officially sponsored to record detailed information to help Emperor Akbar govern his empire, though it was much more than a copy of official papers.
(C) The data in the Ain has not been carefully collected. Incorrect. The data was collected with great care. Abu’l Fazl revised the manuscript five times, oral testimonies were cross-checked before being recorded as facts, and numeric data were written out in words to avoid copying errors.
(D) Historians have detected numerous errors in totalling which are generally minor. Correct. Numerous errors in totalling have been detected, put down to slips of arithmetic or transcription by Abu’l Fazl’s assistants; they are generally minor and do not take away from the accuracy of the figures as a whole.
NCERT (2026-27): “8. The Ain-i Akbari of Abu’l Fazl Allami … The Ain is made up of five books (daftars), of which the first three books describe the administration. The first book, called manzil-abadi, concerns the imperial household and its maintenance.… 8. The Ain-i Akbari of Abu’l Fazl Allami … Although the Ain was officially sponsored to record detailed information to facilitate Emperor Akbar govern his empire, it was much more than a reproduction of official papers. That the manuscript was revised five times by the author would suggest a high degree of caution on the part of Abu’l Fazl and a search for authenticity. For instance, oral testimonies were cross-checked and verified before being incorporated as ‘facts’ in the chronicle. In the quantitative sections, all numeric data were reproduced in words so as to minimise the chances of subsequent transcriptional errors. Historians who have carefully studied the Ain point out that it is not without its problems. Numerous errors in totalling have been detected. These are ascribed to simple slips of arithmetic or of transcription by Abu’l Fazl’s assistants. These are generally minor and do not detract from the overall quantitative veracity of the manuals.…” |