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Aaftaabi

Aaftabi was a 16th-century court poet in the Nizam Shahi dynasty (1490–1636), serving under Sultan Husain Nizam Shah of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. He is best known for his mathnavi titled Kitab-i Tarif-i Husain Shah Padshah-i Dakan (The Chronicle of Husain Shah, King of the Deccan), also referred to as Tarif-i Husain Shahi or Tarif-i Husain Shah.

Hussain Nizam Shah I (riding a horse) orders the decapitation of Ramaraya (reigned 1542-65), the defeated ruler of Vijaianagara.
Folio 46b from the manuscript of Ta’rif-i Husain Shahi (Chronicle of Husain Shah)

Date: Circa 1565-1569
Collection: Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, Pune.

According to Naseeruddin Hashmi, this mathnavi is composed in the metre and style of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh (977–1010 CE), and comprises of 370 couplets narrating the battles of Sultan Husain Nizam Shah while extolling the king’s virtues and those of his queen consort, Khunza Humayun.

Aaftabi’s mathnavi prominently features the Sultan’s victory at the Battle of Talikota (1565), an event that significantly shaped the history of the Deccan. The text, accompanied by vivid illustrations, provides the only contemporary poetic description of this decisive battle. Aaftabi’s portrayal of the Vijayanagara ruler Rama Raya, an adversary of Husain Nizam Shah, oscillates between condemnation—labeling him a “useless infidel” (kafir-i nabakar)—and admiration, employing poetic conventions that highlight the grandeur and might of a worthy opponent.

Hussain Nizam Shah I and the coalition of Deccan Sultanates decisively defeat and execute Aliya Rama Raya. Folios 46a and 46b from manuscript Ta’rif-i Husain Shahi (Chronicle of Husain Shah). In folio 46a Battle of Talikota. In folio 46b Husain Shah (riding a horse) orders the decapitation of Ramaraya (reigned 1542-65), the defeated ruler of Vijaianagara.

Date: Circa 1565-1569
Collection: Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Manda, Pune.
Tarif i-Husayn Shahi a manuscript epic poem containing 12 Deccani Paintings of which 6 are of Khunza Humayun Begum. The miniature illustrates the Dohada theme, in which a tree is made to blossom by a woman’s embrace or touch. Only a woman at once lovely and chaste could successfully make this sensuous approach. This charming conceit is as old in Indian art as the sculptures of Barhut and Sanchi: it is used here as a delicate compliment to the queen. The main charm of the picture lies in the palette, here introduced for the first time, the blue ground and gold sky and gold edging to the leaves contrasting vividly with the orange, yellow and mauve-pink of the figures. The whites are cleverly handled to give movement to the composition and sparkle to the women. The striped scarf with which the attendant fans the queen – a ubiquitous feature in Deccan painting – appears in the Malwa Nimat Namah. Published in 1565 AD, this work is a collection of a manuscript “Tarif i-Husayn Shahi”. From Douglas E. Barrett, Painting of the Deccan, XVI-XVII Century, London, Faber & Faber, 1958

Date: 31 December 1565
Source: https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/188148
Husain Nizam Shah I on the Throne, Folio from manuscript Ta’rif-i Husain Shahi, Ahmadnagar.

Date: ca. 1565-69,
Collection: Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, Pune.

Further Reading:
1. Tarif-i-Husain Shah, Badshah Dakhan: original text, translation and critical introduction. India, Bharata Itihasa Samshodhaka Mandala, 1987.
2. Eaton, Richard M.. A social history of the Deccan, 1300-1761: eight Indian lives. United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 2005.
3. Hashmi, Naseer-Uddin. Dakan MeiN Urdu. 1st ed., Taraqqi Urdu Bureau, 1985

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