Question

The mughal artistic tastes in paintings influenced the courts of __________.
a. Deccan Kingdoms
b. Rajputs
c. Both A and B
d. None of these

Answer 1

Hint: After the victory of Babur in the war of Panipat in 1526, the Mughal dynasty was established. The rule of Mughal Dynasty from the 16th to 18th century extensively displays art forms, architectural styles that developed vigorously around that time. All kinds of art were heavily patronised by the Mughal emperors depending on their interests. Architecture especially flourished in Akbar’s and Shahjahan’s reign while Jahangir is famous for paintings.

Complete answer: (i) Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan patronized highly skilled painters who primarily illustrated manuscripts containing historical records and poetry, with the decline of the Mughal empire, these artists had to leave the courts but they influenced the courts of Deccan Kingdoms and Rajputs.
(ii) Mughals were pioneers of portraits, courthouse paintings etc. and these were adapted by the other courts as well, themes from mythology and poetry were depicted at centres such as Mewar, Jodhpur, Bundi, Kota and Kishangarh.
(iii) The artistic traditions of one region were definitely adopted by another.
Some examples would be:-
In Vrindavan Near Mathura, temples were constructed in architectural styles very similar to that of Fatehpur Sikri.
In Bengal, some local architects designed a roof that resembled a thatched hut, the Mughals were so fascinated by this “Bangla dome” that they incorporated it in their architecture.
Fatehpur Sikri’s architecture has been to a large extent inspired by the architecture of Gujarat, Iran and Malwa, for instance, the decorated pillars in the Jodh Bai palace at Fatehpur Sikri.
Thus, the correct option is (c).

Note: Jahangir had set up his own workshop at Allahabad and had solid creative tastes, inclining toward a solitary painter to paint a picture as opposed to the commercial technique from Akbar's time, where multiple painters could be working on the same painting.