Description
Manohar Akbar and the Jesuits An Account of the Jesuit Missions to the Court of Akbar by Pierre Du Jarric
The Mughal emperor Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad, famously known as Akbar (r.1556-1605), took a lot of initiatives to discuss the issue of religion. The Ibadat Khana, built at the newly built capital of Fatehpur Sikri, invited a lot of religious clerics from almost all of the religions prevalent during the time of Akbar. Jesuit missionaries from Europe came to the Mughal court to discuss and debate the doctrines of Christianity. This volume is an English translation by C.H. Payne in 1926, based on Jarric’s account of the expedition to the Mughal court. This book covers the Mughal period under Akbar’s rule. He gives a shorter description of Akbar’s administration, judicial system, persona, and genealogy stretching from the House of Timur and early Mughal emperors. Discussions and debates about the Christian faith between the Mughal emperor and courtiers and Jesuit missionaries are largely covered in the book. Intricate details concerning the celebration of sacred festivals such as Christmas at Lahore, the Feast of Passover, Akbar's reaction towards the Christian tenets, etc. are also covered. However, a large part of this book covers the Jesuit activities and their missions in Mughal India and other parts of Portuguese India. Persecution of Jesuit fathers, conversion to Christianity of various notable people and common folk. This book covers the last phase of Akbar’s reign. This includes the rebellion of Prince Salim, later the Mughal emperor Jahangir (r.1605-27), Jahangir’s interest in Christianity, including donation of land for building a church in Agra, Deccan campaigns, the assassination of Mughal chronicler Abul Fazl, and the death of Akbar is also covered. This work is highly recommended for reading the latter part of Akbar’s reign from a non-official perspective. About the Author Pierre du Jarric (1566-1617) was a French Jesuit order missionary cum writer from Toulouse. He was a teacher of philosophy and theology. He took keen interest in topography, history, and ethnography also. His works include Histoire des choses plus memorables advenues tant ez Indes orientales, que autres païs de la descouverte des Portugois. This work was frequently reprinted and widely circulated, particularly after it was translated into by Martino Martinez III around 1615. C.H. Payne was a translator and a former educational adviser to the erstwhile Nawab of Bhopal. He authored books such as, A Short History of the Sikhs; Gohur-i-Ikbal (transl. into English as An account of My Life), Scenes & Characters from Indian History as Described in the Works of Some Old Masters; Tod’s Annals of Rajasthan: The Annals of Mewar, etc.