The Mughal emperor Akbar had a Sanskrit book called the
Dvādas Bhāv translated to Farsi. Dismembered pages or painted folios from this manuscript were dispersed in auctions. This is the first time this book has been put back together and translated into English. The study reveals how the thirtheen paintings that interspersed this text were intrinsic to communicating its meaning.
This was not the first or last Sanskrit work to be translated to Farsi or be illustrated for a Muslim monarch in Hindustan. The Mughals (and some of the Sultans before them) recognized the significance of Indian knowledge traditions. This book however, provides insight into what went into such translations. Who decided which text should be translated and what governed the decisions?
Dr Anjali Duhan-Gulia, Ph.D. (2017), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, is Assistant Professor of Art History in the Maharshi Dayanand University, Haryana. She was a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla.
Scholars and students of South Asia, Mughal Studies, History, Islamic Studies, Sanskrit, and Islamic and Asian Art History.