Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh
Topic: The Mughal Empire: Babur to Aurangzeb · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh ("Selection of Histories") is a Persian history written by Abdul Qadir Badauni. Badauni was an orthodox (strictly traditional) Muslim scholar at Akbar's court. Unlike the official histories, his book openly criticises Akbar's religious policies and new ideas. He wrote it in secret, and it became public only after Akbar's death. That is why it gives a rare critical view from inside Akbar's court.
Example
Badauni disliked the religious debates at Fatehpur Sikri and Akbar's turn away from strict orthodoxy. He wrote about them sharply in this book, even though Akbar had also given him the job of translating parts of the Mahabharata.
Don't confuse with
- Akbarnama: Abul Fazl's official history of Akbar's reign. It praises Akbar, while Badauni's book criticises him.
Related concepts
- Fatehpur Sikri
- Buland Darwaza
- Panch Mahal
- Ibadat Khana
- Din-i-Ilahi
- Maktab Khana
- Razmnama
- Hamzanama
- Daswanth and Basawan
- Navaratnas of Akbar