H-M synthesis: Akbar, Father of modern Diwali celebrations

by Guest Wed Mar 22, 2017 9:53 am

But Rangila wasn’t the first to understand how this Hindu festival could become a celebration of religious harmony. Centuries before Rangila, Muhammad bin Tughlaq, who ruled Delhi from 1324 to 1351, became the first emperor to celebrate a Hindu festival inside his court. Then, Diwali meant revelry inside the harem, organised by Tughlaq’s Hindu wives, slaves and concubines. It was a modest evening of gossip and good food. And that’s how it continued – for more than a century – till the time of Babur.

But it was Babur’s grandson Akbar who insisted that Diwali become a grand festival in the Mughal court. This would, he realised, not just increase his popularity but also help the two biggest religions in India to co-exist. “He wanted to understand the religion so he could rule better. And festivals were a joyous way to know that,” wrote Abul Fazl, Akbar’s courtier, in the Ain-e-Akbari.

Akbar also began the tradition of giving sweets as Diwali greetings. Chefs from across kingdoms cooked delicacies in the Mughal court for the occasion. The ghevar, petha, kheer, peda, jalebi, phirni and shahi tukda became part of the celebratory thali that welcomed guests to the palace....

Another ritual that marked Diwali was the traditional relighting of the Surajkrant, the empire’s permanent source of fire and light.

According to historian R Nath, the process began at noon. When the sun entered the 19th degree of Aries, the royal servants exposed a round shining stone called the Surajkant to the sun’s rays. A piece of cotton was held near the stone, which caught fire from the heat. This celestial fire was preserved in a vessel called Agingir (fire-pot). And this fire was the source of flame for the imposing Akash Diya every Diwali. Shah Jahan apparently began the Akash Diya tradition as an ode to religious harmony when he set up the city of Shahjahanabad.

Fireworks during Diwali were also a gift of the royal court. A crowd would assemble on the banks of the Yamuna to enjoy the elaborate show. Garden parties were hosted at Chandni Chowk – the market designed by Jahanara, Shah Jahan’s daughter – and traders from as far as China displayed their wares. Inside the palace, six courtyards were cordoned off from men so that the women of the harem could also enjoy the day without restrictions.

Visiting guests were treated with fruit from Kashmir, sherbets and kheel (a special sweet porridge made with gram flour and Ganga water – the Mughal court believed that those who drank the water of the Ganga would live a long, prosperous life).

During Jahangir’s reign, a dozen different varieties of sherbert, paan and falooda became part of the feast. The masala for the paan came from Golconda and Mewar, it included pellets made of pure gold and silver, and the fragrant gulkand was made inhouse. Cherries were brought from Srinagar’s Shalimar Bagh for Jehangir’s favourite falooda.

Classical Urdu poets such as Nazir Akbarabadi, Insha, Faiz, Hatim, Amanat Lakhnavi and others were specially commissioned to write on the Diwali celebrations.

Akbar even had the Ramayana translated into Persian, the official court language, by Mullah Abdul Qader Badayuni. It was illustrated with 176 paintings depicting the epic, with the palace of Fatehpur Sikri as the backdrop.

On Diwali in Akbar’s court, the Ramayana was read, followed by a play showing Ram’s return to Ayodhya. This strengthened Akbar’s empire, his biographer Abdul Fazl noted, as it helped the king bond better with his Hindu subjects, and encouraged many Muslim merchants to take part in the festivities.

The merriment extended to the common people as well. The palace sent cauldrons of sherbets garnished with almonds and pistachios, which were distributed in earthen pots. Since this was also a Dussehra ritual, the Diwali sherbet was differentiated by colour: it was white, and was possibly the drink that eventually developed into thandai.

The real festivity began in the evening: the royal gates were opened to guests. The palace would be lit up with diyas, chiraghdaans (lamp stands), jhaads (hanging chandeliers) and faanooses (pedestal chandeliers, ordered from Muradabad). Old guides at Fatehpur Sikri talk about a special faanoos ordered by Jodha bai for Diwali that imitated cycles of the sun and the moon, and was placed on the top of her sun temple.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/diwali-a-festival-for-delhi-sultans/story-hhCyHKujD3o9onYN278okL.html