Maasir-I-Alamgiri

Chronicles of Mughal Emperors are part biography and part official history. Here in the present work the Emperor is presented as a super human being and wholesome adulation hides the human side of his personality. The official history was compiled in a chronological order from the court circulars and secret correspondence between the court and the news-writer, posted at all important places in the empire. The writing of the present Maasir-i-‘Alamgiri was started by Mirza Muhammad Kazim, under the title of ‘Alamgir-namah. But after the author had completed the history of the first decade, he was forbidden to continue it further by the Emperor himself. The reason for this prohibition as given by Saqi Must’ad Khan, was the financial crisis. Then after the death of the Emperor (in 1707), I’nayetullah Khan Kashmiri, Emperor’s last secretary and favourite disciple, initiated Saqi Must’ad Khan to complete the history of the Emperor. The work was completed in 1710, under the title of Maasir-i-Alamgiri. In the present translation, the translator, Jadunath Sarkar, an eminent historian, has slightly condensed the matter. As the original work was written under the king and the country patrons, much of the matter goes to flattery and praise. But albeit no important detail is left out. Historians and students of the Mughal period and Indian History will find it highly fascinating and readable. Here they will witness how the emperor toiled hard day and night with the following couplet constantly echoing in his mind: In a twinkle, in a minute, in a breath, The condition of the world changes.