Why is the reign of Shah Jahan called the Golden age of the Mughal Empire ?
The original name of Shah Jahan was Khurram. He was born on 1592 A.D. He ascended the throne in 1628 A.D. after facing a series of conflict created by the royal members. He conquered Kandahar, Ahmednagar and Bijapur and extended his empire. But the reign of Shah Jahan is highly famous for his achievements in the field of economy, justice, art, architecture, painting, music, literature, gardening etc.
A great many historians have commented that there was an all round development in the reign of Shah Jahan and so his reign came to be known as the Golden Age of Mughal Empire. The following analysis will help us in knowing the accurate development which took place during the reign of Shah Jahan.
Economic Prosperity : Shah Jahan was an able ruler who maintained law and order throughout his kingdoms and it brought prosperity in the field of economy and trade. The royal treasury was prosperous and it contained diamonds and pearls worth Rs. 5 crores 20 lacs. It is said that the foreign travellers were dazzled by the peacock throne and its diamonds. Bengal and Deccan had achieved remarkable progress in the field of agriculture and trade.
ii) Development of art and architecture : The reign of Shah Jahan achieved remarkable progress in the field of architecture. A large number of artistic and beautiful buildings, mosques, tombs, monuments etc were built at many important places. Shah Jahan used not only red stone but also marble in his architecture. The significant buildings constructed during his reign were Diwan-i-Aam, Machhi Bhawan, Diwan-i-Khas, Moti Masjid of Delhi and Agrā. But the most important building built by Shah Jahan was the Tajmahal which stands as one of the seven wonders of the world.
iii) Development of Painting : In addition to it, there was significant development in the field of painting. Though Shah Jahan did not patronise painters but there were certain personalities in the field of painting. Dara was a painter of high repute. He was the son of Shah Jahan. Other important painters were Muhammad Qadir, Anup, Chitramani, Chitra, Mir Hassan etc.
iv) Development of Music : Shah Jahan was very much interested in field of music and art. He was himself a good singer and took great delight in listening music. He had patronised musicians of great repute and talent. The most important and famous musicians of his time were Jagannath and Janardhan Bhatt. The other important musicians of his court were Kaviraj, Ramdas, Dirong Khan and Lal Khan.
v) Development of Literature: Shah Jahan was a great patron of scholars and literature. He knew that education was the base of all round progress. So he took initiative in setting-up schools on behalf of the state and patronised scholars, writers, poet and historians. There were important literary personality like Abdul Hamid who composed “Padshahnama" and Amin Qazwini who composed "Shahjahannama”. Dara, who was the son of Shah Jahan, was a great scholar of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit. Dara translated famous Sanskrit works into Persian which became very popular among the intellectuals of his time. Besides, there were other reputed persons in the field of literature such as Sunder Das, Chintamani, Kavinder Acharya who composed many important treatises.
vi) The Taj Mahal : According to historians, the Tajmahal is the best creation of the Mughal period. The Tajmahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaj Mahal who passed away in 1631. It is recorded that the Tajmahal was built in 20 years and nearly 20 thousands people worked at a stretch for about 20 years. Dr. B.P. Saxena has remarked, "The buildings constructed in Shahjahan's reign stand as a living monument of unsurpassed engineering skill”.
vii) Administration of justice : Shah Jahan was a just ruler who believed in providing justice to the people irrespective of caste, creed and religion. He himself acted as chief justice in the empire and paid due attention to the appeals of all the cases. But criminals were severely punished and the emperor used to provide judgement on every wednesday. The officials were strictly insructed to observe the rules and regulations in connection with judiciary.
Estimate of Shah Jahan : According to some historians the reign of Shah Jahan was the best of the whole Mughal period. But another group of historians believe that the period of Shah Jahan was the golden age of Indian history. It is a controversial issue but it is certain that Shah Jahan achieved remarkable progress in the field of architecture and paintings.
