Essay: To what extent Shah Jahan’s interest in architecture effect the political and economic aspects of the Mughal Empire under his rule?

Section 1: Identification and evaluation of sources
The focus of this study will be “To what extent Shah Jahan’s interest in architecture effect the political and economic aspects of the Mughal Empire under his rule?”.
Source 1
Extract from-“The New Cambridge History of India- Architecture of Mughal India”- by Catherine B Asher.
This source is valuable to the historians studying the effect of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s interest in architecture and it effects on the other aspects of the empire as it informs the historians about various monuments built by the emperor and provides intricate details regarding the monuments. The source is also credible as it was written by historian Catherine B Asher who specialises the Indian and Islamic Art from the year 1200 till date and published by the Cambridge University Press in the year 1992. The origin of the source makes it more valuable as it has been written by a historian specialising in the field of research and has also been published by a university press.
However the source also has various limitations in the information it contains. The source has information only about one aspect of the research- Architecture. The source does not provide information regarding the effects of the architecture on economic and political aspects of the empire. This limits the knowledge of the historians. The purpose of the book is to inform the audience about the Mughal Architecture during the rule of various Mughal rulers. The book is limited to information about the architecture and its details and not how it had effected the empire in any particular way.
Source 2
Extract from- “The New Cambridge History of India- The Mughal Empire”- by John F. Richards
The source is valuable to the historians studying the effects of Shah Jahan’s interest in architecture and its effects on the other aspects of the Mughal reign. The origin of the source adds value to it as the author of the book is a historian specialising in Mughal history. The publication of the source is Cambridge university press that adds more value to it. The source also contains specific information about the king’s residence and economic and political aspects of the empire during Shah Jahan’s rule. The source also provides specific information regarding the spendings on few monuments and pieces build during the reign of Shah Jahan, giving the historians details about the monuments to evaluate the economic exploitation caused by the construction of the monuments on the empire.
However, the source limits the information about the various monuments as it specifically focuses on the description and the reason behind the construction of the monuments not allowing the historians to study about its impact on the empire. The purpose of the book is to inform the audience about the Mughal empire under certain emperors. The book informs about the expansion and the political changes brought by the emperors not focusing on the negative results of the policies brought in by Shah Jahan.
Section 2: Investigation
The reign of the Mughal Empire took a new path under the rule of Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal Emperor who is known for the beautiful monuments built under his rule. During his reign, the Mughal Empire thrived, making his reign the golden era of the empire. Though Shah Jahan was an able administrator and commander, he is best known for the construction of the Taj Mahal, which he built in the memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Architecture in general saw the best of Mughal construction during his time. He is credited with constructing many beautiful monuments throughout the landscape of North India. Shah Jahan is also the founder of Shahjahanabad in Delhi. Shah Jahan’s interest in architecture was a prominent reason for the downfall of the Mughal Empire as a huge amount of money was invested in the monuments. The downfall led to many actions being taken by the emperor and his cruelty towards the other casts and the people in the empire was another reason that changed the face of the empire. Shah Jahan’s monuments include Taj Mahal, The Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Agra Fort and Moti Masjid.
“Shah Jahan was an avid builder and is responsible for building some of the most beautiful edifices in present day India and Pakistan. It is said that many European travellers would visit his empire just to learn the different techniques used in the construction of buildings. It is also said that some of the world’s most talented engineers and architects resided in his empire.” Shah Jahan was devoted towards art and architecture that is replicated in the various monuments built by him during his 30 years of rule. During the golden era Shah Jahan tried to expand his empire. He had done this with many alliances and fought a lot of battles during the time. His attempt to conquer Kanhad ar had brought his kingdom to bankruptcy. Due to his spendings in building the monuments the emperor had already spent a lot of the royal treasure. He then increased the taxation for the citizens.
“Shireen Moosvi has estimated that Shah Jahan’s expenditure on buildings over his three decade reign totalled at least 28.9 million rupees.” (127- source 2) The expenditure on the monuments is a small part of the spendings on the expansion on the empire although, due to this the taxation was increased and the people of the town were asked to pay in money and not goods or animals. Compared to the expenditure done by the previous rulers of the Mughal Empire, Shah Jahan’s spendings to develop the art and architecture during his 30 year reign were very high. The increase in spending was due to the change in the building style of the monuments. During Shah Jahan’s reign, there were massive changes in the architectural style of the monuments. “The use of white marble, inlaid with stones noted during…” the use of ‘Pietra dura’ a technique where tiles are placed in a mosaic with precious and semi-precious stones and jewels. Shah Jahan also decreased the use of local materials such as red sand stones and started building with expensive and luxurious materials like white marble. “The sums expended on his tombs, palaces, hunting pavilions, gardens and entire planned cities is extraordinary even by modern standards.”-(source 1- 169) Even though Shah Jahan was born in the reign at a very stable time of the Mughal Empire and had the best education by the renowned scholars, and knowing well classified military schemes, Shah Jahan failed to be the successor that his father- Jahangir and his grandfather- Akbar had hoped for. Shah Jahan was crowed as the Mughal Emperor at the most economically and militarily stabilised time of the empire.
“The expenditures resulting from Shah Jahan’s failed attempts at the frontier expansion, as well as insatiable appetite for new and grand architecture, were appreciable factors in the empire’s eventual financial crisis.”(1) Shah Jahan’s forceful tries and attempts to expand his empire, subsequently led to the start of the economic drain of the empire. During the time of expansion of his empire Shah Jahan’s optimum focus was on the building of the various monuments and the cities that he had built during his reign. He failed to go with his armies and due to the lack of modern weaponry. Even though the Mughal empire had upper hand with the gun-powder technology, that remained unchallenged in India, that could be challenged by the outside army with the advanced and improved technology.
During his reign, Shah Jahan’s empire also suffered from famines. “t one side country was suffering from famines and droughts and the King opened a few kitchens of soup and minimised the land revenue of these affected states and on the other side he was spending millions on the architectural projects, stipends of royal family and his personal use.”(2) Shah Jahan’s disinterest in the situation of the empire was another reasons to the economic and political decline and distrust of the citizens. Between 1636-46 Shah Jahan sent Mughal armies to conquer the Deccan and the North-West inspite of the apt demonstration of the army strength, the campaign was draining imperial treasury of the empire. Many campaigns failed and the loss was being recovered by increasing the taxes for the civilians. The artists and the nobility were also facing problems as there was no increase in their payment and luxury due to the economic burden of the empire. The only source of income that the empire was depended on was the land revenue which was increased in prices but was difficult for the civilians to pay as the situation of the empire was unstable and also the civilians were facing harsh climatic conditions.
Shah Jahan spent a lot of money on non-developed sites such as renovation of the forts instead of securing the royal treasury, he spent most of the wealth by developing architectural monuments. “and he had spent 25 million rupees in the construction of grand buildings… and other parts of the empire.”-(source 2- 153) Upon ascending his throne Shah Jahan’s interests took over a lot of his time as he personally approved the designs.
When Shah Jahan was crowned as the ruler of the Mughal Empire, the empire was flourishing with treasury and land. Even though Shah Jahan’s father, Jahangir had spent through his 22 year reign there was a lot left for the emperor to spend. Instead he tried to focus on the military and architecture of the empire. Though, he built the most beautiful and spectacular pieces of art he also lost many battles and a huge amount of money was spent importing the finest quality materials to build these monuments. Not only the materials but also the finest architects and engineers were hired to design and execute the making of the monuments where they had to be paid a good amount of money. During this time, the kingdom went through various famines in which the land revenue was not being filled and that was the only way of income that the empire was relied on. Failing to expand his empire and spending the royal treasury, Shah Jahan’s reign was also the beginning of the decline of the Mughal Empire as it was beginning to be unstable both economically and politically. The relations between Rajputs and Mughals was descending due to Shah Jahan’s orthodox beliefs and mentality leading to less support from the borders of the empire.
Section 3: Reflection
The process of writing this paper has not only helped me explore the various ways of exploration and research but also face some challenges face by the historians. The primary sources used by me both have information about the two different aspects of the question. I had to evaluate both the sources intricately and analyse the time period and check it to match the events. Though both the sources were credible and reliable, as they didn’t contain information about both the aspects of the topic it was hard to analyse the sources. This helped me realise the one challenge that the historians face, writing a research paper.
The amount of research done has made me more knowledgable about the reign of Shah Jahan. This includes, his lifestyle, political tactics, economical difficulties, and the golden era of architecture. The various resources that I found through this study also helped me learn more about the kingdom not only during Shah Jahan’s reign but also the reign of Akbar, Jahangir and Aurangzeb. The various research papers and the historiographies that I encountered during the course did not only focus on the specific situations but also had a lot of information regarding the ruler’s personal life, lifestyle and other interests.
Sitations
1-https://islamicart.com/library/empires/india/shahjahan.html 2
2- Historical Fallacies: Shah Jahan’s Reign: period of Golden Age- Rukhsana Iftikhar