Read the passage and answer the five questions that follow.
Mughal chronicles, especially the Akbar Nama, written by Abu’l Fazl, have bequeathed a vision of empire in which agency rests almost solely with the emperor, while the rest of the kingdom has been portrayed as following his orders. Yet if we look more closely at the rich information, these histories provide information about the apparatus of the Mughal State from which we may be able to understand the ways in which the imperial organization was dependent on several different institutions to be able to function effectively. One important pillar of the Mughal State was the nobility.
Who is the author of Akbar Nama?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Abu’l Fazl
The Akbar Nama, the history commissioned by Akbar, was written by his court historian Abu’l Fazl, whose Ain-i Akbari forms its third book.
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. NTA added the words ‘written by Abu’l Fazl’ and shortened the last sentence, which in the book reads ‘One important pillar of the Mughal state was its corps of officers, also referred to by historians collectively as the nobility.’ The Akbar Nama and Abu’l Fazl are still there in the chapter ‘Peasants, Zamindars and the State’. Plot twist: Kings and Chronicles left the NCERT book, yet its passage walked into the 2024 paper. Luckily, every answer of this passage sits in the passage itself.
NCERT (2025-26): “8. The Ain-i Akbari of Abu’l Fazl Allami … The Ain-i Akbari was the culmination of a large historical, administrative project of classification undertaken by Abu’l Fazl at the order of Emperor Akbar. It was completed in 1598, the forty-second regnal year of the emperor, after having gone through five revisions. The Ain was part of a larger project of history writing commissioned by Akbar. This history, known as the Akbar Nama, comprised three books.…” NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “4. The Akbar Nama and the Badshah Nama … The author of the Akbar Nama, Abu’l 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.… 8.1 Recruitment and rank … Mughal chronicles, especially the Akbar Nama, have bequeathed a vision of empire in which agency rests almost solely with the emperor, while the rest of the kingdom has been portrayed as following his orders. Yet if we look more closely at the rich information these histories provide about the apparatus of the Mughal state, we may be able to understand the ways in which the imperial organisation was dependent on several different institutions to be able to function effectively. One important pillar of the Mughal state was its corps of officers, also referred to by historians collectively as the nobility.…” |