Aided by cheetahs and huntsmen, Akbar gallops through an enclosure of animals, firing arrows at the trapped beasts, in a hunting technique known as qamargah. During such a hunt, near Bhera, when he was thirty-six in 1578, Akbar was disgusted by the slaughter and ordered his men to cease. The carnage had so disturbed him that it sparked a religious experience. In the words of Abu’l Fazl, ‘‘Asublime joy overtook his bodily frame. The attraction of cognition of God cast its ray.” Afterwards, “active men made every endeavor that no one should touch the feather of a finch and that they should allow all the animals to depart according to their habits.” Later, Akbar gave much gold to the holy men and poor of the region, and when he returned to Fatehpur Sikri, he filled a large tank in the palace with money for charity (Akbarnama, vol. II, pp. 245-254). Hunting was an ancient royal activity, perhaps traceable to the need of villagers for protection against lions and tigers. In time, it became ritualized and took on symbolic meaning. In such combats, kings, representing good ness, slew evil beasts, as part of life’s cosmic pattern. Conceivably, Miskin was aware of both the symbolic and worldly significance of his miniature, which ranks artistically with 'Alamgir Hunting Nilgai, to which it offers many comparisons. While the mood of the earlier hunt is informal, noisy, and wildly energetic, the later one is orderly, courtly, and hushed. To Read More Visit This Book Link https://www.mughallibrary.com/ebooks2020/Imperial-Mughal-Painting Mughal Library