Padshah-nama of Abd al-Hamid Lahori

Milo Cleveland Beach contrasts the Jahangir-nama, a thoughtful, intensely personal memoir, with the Padshah-nama (or Shah Jahan-nama), an official state biography limited to the events and decisions of Shah Jahan's life as prince and emperor. ¹

There are several contemporary histories of the reign. The earliest was commissioned in 1634 (the eighth regnal year) from Muhammad Amin Qazwini and finished in 1646; titled Padshah-nama, it covered the first ten years. Abd al-Hamid Lahori, author of the most famous Padshah-nama, used Qazwini as the basis of his first part. ¹ Beach notes that these versions were written by imperial commission, not personally, so they are official texts; they do not discuss painting, and so lack the anecdotes that make Jahangir's memoirs so useful. ^{2 3}

Its most famous illustrated copy is the Windsor manuscript. ¹ Beach quotes its description of Shah Jahan's throne for the eighth regnal year — a canopy enamelled outside with gems, set inside with rubies, on twelve emerald columns each topped by two peacocks — and sets it against the accounts of the travellers Bernier and Tavernier. ⁴