Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan (1556–1627) was referred to in Mughal records as the ‘noble of nobles’, and was praised in the verses of his contemporaries as a patron of legendary generosity and erudition. An unmatched soldier and statesman, Rahim served Akbar and Jahangir, and commanded Shah Jahan’s imperial army on the battlefield. A poet of rare skill, he wrote poems in Persian, Sanskrit and Hindavi, with metaphors ranging from Giridhar to ...
