UNRAVELLING the ENIGMA

A well researched book brings to light new knowledge about Mughal Emperor Humayun, his travels, imperial life, achievements in administration and governance and his significant role in diverse creative fields related to nature, space and culture and his larger vision. The work plays an important role in redefining the Emperor’s place in the history of Mughals. Rabindra J. Vasavada reviews the scholarly work

- Rabindra J. Vasavada

This is an important work on the history of the Mughal Dynasty and its architecture in India. The book is as monumental in historical writing on the subject as is Humayun’s Tomb to the Mughal architecture. In that sense it is filling a gap in writings on Humayun which exist as he was the second dynasty after Babur but was not fully in command I initially and had faced defeat so not as successful an emperor in his initial stage of Mughal dynasty and so not much attended by historians. However, in his later years and in his succession during Akbar’s regime he found huge importance as a man, the ruler and an important figure who supported art and culture in a manner which further strengthened the Mughal Empire.

The book is extremely well researched. It has an introduction to the work. It is devised in three important parts. The first dealing with The Planetary King; assessment of Humayun and Humayun’s life, the second dealing with Humayun’s Inventions; dealing with his interests and works and his patronage to arts and architecture and his own beliefs in worship and religion and his attitudes to gardens. The third part deals with Humayun’s Tomb discussing inventions and memorials of the Padshah. This is followed by the conclusion. The last obvious sections are Glossary, Abbreviations, Bibliography, sources of Illustrations and Index. All these are really detailed and extensive and most useful for future researchers in the field.