Erskine in his book “A History of India Under the Two First Sovereigns of the House of Taimur, Bāber and Humāyun” has strongly defended the element of humanity present in Babur’s character in the following words:
“No part of his character is more admirable than his uniform humanity and kindness of deposition. If, in the course of his memoirs, some cruel executions appear, they belong to the age, not to the man. The historians of his reign remark that whenever any, either of his nobles or brothers, had revolted or entered into cabels against him, no sooner did they acknowledge their offence and return to their duty than, to use the words of Khafi Khan, “contrary to the customs of Princes of Persia, Arabia, or India, he not only forgave them, but never retained towards them any feeling of resentment.”
(I, pp. 524-25)
Besides, Babur’s cousin brother Mirza Haidar praises highly of Babur in his book “Tharikh-i-Rashidi” by stating that Babur was ‘ adorned with various virtues and clad with numberless excellences, above all which towered bravery and humanity’. (quoted in S.R. Sharma’s Mughal Empire in India, p. 28)
R. Nath rightly writes in his book ‘History of Mughal Architecture’,
“We know him as a general and the founder of the great Mughal Empire in India. In spite of his thirty-six years’ ventures in war, he was essentially a man of peace: honest and graphic author, poet ardent lover of nature and maker of gardens, artist and above all, a humanist.” (chapter 2, p. 1)
(9) Babur’s literary achievements
Babur, the great warrior, who spent most of his life in army camps, is credited to have written many books. His Baburnama is a masterpiece, known throughout the world for its simplicity of style and honesty in writing memoirs. Besides, his following works, which are extant, have been briefly presented by Eui Mano of Kyoto University in well-researched article “On the Persian Original Vālidiyya of Khvaja Ahrar” published in “History and Historiography of Post-Mongol Central Asia and the Middle East, Studies in Honor of John E. Woods”, edited by Harrassowitz Verlag in following words:
(1) Mubayyin (The Commentary): A commentary in rhymed verse on the six tenets of the faith to be obeyed and the five religious obligations to be followed by adherents of the Sunni branch of Islam.
(2) Arùz Risãlasi (Treatise on Prosody): A work on prosody dealing with the rhymes to be used in poetry.
(3) Dìvãn (Collection of Poetry): A collection of the verses of Baur.
(4) The Five Hundred and Four Rhythms (The 504 meters): A work analyzing (taqti) the 504 rhythms based on the bayt (one line of a verse composed of two couplets) of Babur’s own poetry. This author has recently reported his discovery of this work in a manuscript, which has been tentatively called The collected Works of Babur, that was preserved in the Kitãbkhãnã- yi Saltanati in Iran.
(5) Vãlidiyya Risãlasi (A treatise of my Father): This is the work under consideration here. The circumstances of its production are as follows....” (p. 251)
It is astonishing that Babur, a man with sword, was able to write with pen and bequeath to the posterity the six literary jewels amidst frequent warfare and movements from Kabul to Karmanasa. It could be achieved only by a leader of great vision.
(10) ‘Mubayyin’, a commentary written by Babur on Islamic fiqh
Babur, a versatile genius as he was, wrote commentary on Islamic fiqh in his book ‘Mubayyin’. I tried to trace it in India but did not succeed. Then I learnt that Khamidbek Khasanov of Tashkent Islamic University has done some research on this book and written several articles. In addition, he has published his thesis ‘Scientific analysis of the treatise by Zakhiriddin Muhammad Babur on Islamic fiqh Mubayyin’. When I contacted him, he obliged me by sending the book. But it was not in the English language, so it could not be of any use for me. However, Prof. Khamidbek Khasanov Saidbekobich replied to my certain queries and that way I got slightly acquainted with the content of the book. Accordingly, Babur was a liberal ruler who interpreted the Islamic law with broad views.
From the Baburnama a lot of information on Babur’s work ‘Mubayyin’ is received. In 928 A.H., i.e. 1521 A.D. he composed this book, a Turki poem of 2253 lines to which Abul Fazl and Badauni give the name ‘Mubin’ (The Exposition), but of which the true title is said by the Nafa’isu’l-ma’asir to be ‘Dar fiqa mubaiyan’ (The Law expounded). Sprenger found that it was called also ‘Fiqa-i-baburi’ (Babur’s law). It is a versified treatise on Islamic Law written for the benefit of Kamran. Prof. Khamidbek Khasanov informs that Babur gave comprehensive instruction to his son on statecraft. Babur has quoted twice from the Mubin; once in connection with linear measures and the second time in connection with following a vow in both letter and spirit. He writes, “A pity it will be if the tongue which has treasure of utterances so lofty as these are, waste itself again on low words; sad will it be if again vile imaginings find way into the mind that has made exposition of these sublime realities.” Thereafter, Babur refrained from satirical and jesting verses. Babur informs that once he violated this vow and he had to suffer a lot.
For the author of ‘Mubayyin’ the demolition of temples is an alien concept. Therefore, one must appreciate that the intrepid warrior handled the sword and the pen with equal skill. Recently, an Encyclopaedia of Babur has been published and is available at State Museum of Literature named after Alisher Navoi, AS RUz. It contains Babur’s works including the Mubayyin.
(11) Babur’s Wasiyat-nama
Babur’s Wasiyat-nama is another document which reflects Babur’s eclectic personality.
The following is the Persian text of his Will.
Fig. 3.4: A portion from Babur’s Wasiyat-nama (printed).
The following English rendering by historian Radhe Shyam in his book ‘Babar’ is produced below:
1. O Son! The realm of Hindustan is peopled by various creeds. Almighty God be praised that he confers its sovereignty on thee.
2. Thou must cleanse the tablet of thy heart from sectarian bigotries and do justice according to the custom of each creed.
3. Above all, abstain from sacrificing cows, thus will the hearts of Hindustanis be won and the peasants be made loyal by the royal bounty
4. Destroy not the temples or worshipping places of any tribe under the royal rule: thus shall be satisfied the Padshah, the peasant with the Padshah
5. Islam is better advanced by the sword of kindness than the sword of oppression.
6. Close thy eyes to the disagreements of Sunni and Shia, otherwise the rift in Islam is made manifest.
7. Control thy many-minded subjects like the Four elements; thus will the body of the Sultanate be freed from various distempers.
8. Let (him) keep before his eyes His Highness Amir Timur Sahib Qirani’s Karnama so that he may become expert in government affairs.
(Appendix IV, Radhey Shyam’s book ‘Babar’, pp. 477-78)
There are eight sermons to Humayun by Babur in this Wasiyat. A.S. Beveridge and many historians have called it a fake and spurious document. She prepared a detailed argument on its spurious nature and published it in the Journal of Royal Asiatic Society of Britain and Ireland in January 1923 (pp. 78-82). Dr. Radhe Shyam in his book ‘Babar’ refuted the arguments of Mrs. Beveridge with equal force and termed the wasiyatnama as “a rare and roughly drafted document with special feature and content.”
Babur’s will appears to be a genuine document. But even if it is assumed that it is a fake will prepared subsequently, the credit goes to Babur that he was perceived as a genuine liberal monarch, who advised his son to treat the Hindus in a fashion which was subsequently followed by his grandson Akbar who became one of the greatest monarchs the world has ever produced.
(12) Babur’s sermon to Humayun in Sarva-deśa-vrittānta sanagraha
The fact that Babur’s Will was a genuine document is further supported by the following text of the Sanskrit book Sarva-deśa-vr+ittānta sanagraha of Maheśa Thākura in which Babur’s sermon to his son Humayun
on the eve of his death has been recorded in the following words:
(i) न्यायः कर्त्तव्यः – justice is to be done always.
(ii) दानं कर्त्तव्यम् – charity is a part of duty.
(iii) लोकेषु सामीचीन्येन व्यवहर्त्तव्यम् – people should be properly treated.
(iv) परमेश्वरो येन समीचीनं मन्यते तथा यतनीयम् – what is right in the eyes of God should be followed.
(v) प्रजापालनं कर्त्तव्यम् – sustenance of subjects must be ensured.
(vi) अपराधिनामप्यपराधाः क्षन्तव्याः– misdeeds of even criminals may be forgiven.
(vii) कुत्रापि कार्ये कस्यापि विश्वासो न कर्त्तव्यः – one should not trust everyone in every work.
(viii) अनम्राणां च समूलघातमुत्खननं कर्त्तव्यम् – insubordinates should be thoroughly uprooted.
(ix) दुर्वृत्ता अपि दूरीकर्त्तव्याः – persons with bad conduct should be kept at distance.
Many such sermons were given by a dying father to his darling son. The last one was "पीडनीया अपि भातरः सर्वथा न पीडनीयाः" i.e. Brothers, even if they create troubles, should not be harassed.
It is corroborated by the testimony of Abul Fazl in Akbarnama which reads as follows: “Advice was given about munificence and justice, about acquiring the favour of God, cherishing subjects, protecting mankind, the accepting of apologies of those who had failed in duty and the pardoning of transgressors; about the honouring of those who did good service and the casting down of the rebellious and the oppressors”.
(13) Babur’s patronage to Hindu officers
Babur took good care of his subjects irrespective of caste or creed. Here it is important to note that although Babur had high regard for Abdul Quddus Gangohi, he ignored the clergy’s advice to subject Hindus to several disabilities in accordance with the sharia. He gave the Hindus freedom to perform their religious ceremonies and appointed some of them in his service. He sent Ramusi, the son of Diwa, an old servant from Bhira as an envoy to negotiate with Vikramāditya, the son of Rana Sanga on the surrender of Ranthambhor. He was so magnanimous that Bir Singh Deo, who had helped Rana Sanga with a troop of 4000 men, was kept in his service and enjoyed his confidence. Bir Singh became Babur’s so close confidant that Mādhava, the author of Vīrabhānūdaya epic, writes that Babur considered him as his brother and Humayun had also sent presents to Bir Singh’s son Vīrabhānu on the occasion of the birth of the latter’s grandson Vīrabhadra. Mādhava further informs that the relation between Humayun and Vīrabhānu was like brothers.
Another Hindu Birim Deo Malinhas mentioned in Babur-nama was probably an officer in his army who accompanied Tardika and others to capture Ghazi Khan. In addition, there were a number of Hindu officers in the Revenue Department. But Dr. S. Gopal’s view in the ‘Introduction’ of the book “Anatomy of Confrontation” that “Babur himself patronized Hindu temples and individuals, and in Ayodhyā itself he gave a revenue-free grant of a large piece of land to a Hindu ascetic” is not supported by any original document but is based on a hearsay that the land to the Danta-dhāvana mutt, which still exists and belongs to the Rāmānuja sect, was granted by him.
(14) Dr. Radhe Shyam’s unsubstansiated account of the demolition of Rāma temple at Ayodhyā
Despite all these incontrovertible historical facts, an accomplished historian like Dr. Radhe Shyam in his famous book ‘Babar’ could produce an erroneous graphic picture of the demolition of Rāma-janma-bhūmi temple without any concrete evidence. He examined this controversy in the following words:
“Let us examine the whole matter regarding the destruction of the famous Janamsthan temple at Ayodhya and the construction of the mosque by Mir Baqi on its ruins. Immediately after the completion of the Chanderi expedition Babar marched towards the eastern region to deal with the Afghan insurgents. Moving via Kalpi and Kanoor, he crossed the Ganges and passing through Lucknow he entered Oudh on Saturday 7th Rajab 934 H./28th 1528 and encamped on the confluence of the Ghagra and Sarju rivers. From 2nd April 1528 to 17th September 1528 there is a gap in his Memoirs. It appears that during this period and until the beginning of the rainy season he remained busy in dealing with the Afghans. Before returning to Agra he appointed Mir Baqi to hold charge of Ayodhya. Shortly after Babar’s departure Mir Baqi, on his own account, attacked the Hindu temple with a large army. It is related that for seventeen days the Hindus offered resistance. At last failing to stand the onslaught they bowed before the inevitable. Mir Baqi, somehow managed to enter the temple and thereafter he tried to reach the sanctuary. Here the Brahmin priest of the temple, Shyamanand and the members of his family offered resistance to him and did not allow him to approach the sanctuary. Mir Baqi seized and killed the priest and the members of his family. He entered the sanctuary, but to his utter surprise he could not find a single idol there. Whether the temple was razed to the ground or not is still controversial issue. But it appears that he built the mosque over a part of the ruins or converted the temple into a mosque. The well known Babari Masjid, which still stands there, is claimed by the Hindus and Muslims both. The entire structure raises grave doubts. It may be observed that it would be quite injudicious to hold in any way Babar responsible for the destruction of the famous Janamsthan temple. Destruction of temples was neither in consequence with his policy nor attitude, especially at a time when he needed the support of the non Muslim population.”
(14) Dr. Radhe Shyam was probably not sure of this unsubstantiated story; so he dropped it in the Hindi version.
Peter Van der Veer went one step further in drawing upon local belief in his book “Gods on the Earth”:
“Mir Baqi destroyed the temple, but his efforts to build a mosque failed because each night everything that had been built during the day fell down again. This continued until Mir Baqi grew desperate and proposed to give up. Then the Faqir Khwaja dreamt that the mosque should not be built right over the garbha (sanctum) of the temple, but somewhat behind it. Thus the mosque was built in such a way that the garbha of the temple remained open to the Hindus for centuries in the form of a pit into which they could throw flowers.” (quoted in Anatomy of a Confrontation, Sarvepalli Gopal, p.30)
It is based on gossip and myth and has got no historical substance at all.
(15) Maheśa Thākura’s homage to Babur on his demise
On the demise of the emperor Babur, Maheśa Thākura, the author of “Sarva-deśa-vr+ittānta sanagraha” pays this glowing homage to his great personality:
तेषां स्वरूपस्यासाधारणधर्माणां च पूर्णताः विस्तारतः कथयितुमशक्याः। विश्वपरिपालनस्याष्टौ निदानानि तेषु पूर्णानि स्थितानि। तानि च-महाभाग्यम् अन्यत्र दुर्लभ उत्साहः परराष्ट्रग्रहणशक्तिः स्वराष्ट्रंरक्षणम् प्रभूततरावस्थानस्य यत्नः विश्वसुखितासंकल्पः सैनिकानां सन्तोषणं सैनिकानां तथावस्थापनं यथा ते परेषां दुखं दातुं न शक्नुवन्ति इत्येतानि।।
It is very difficult to describe the features and extraordinary attributes of Babur in full details. The eight attributes required for the maintenance of the world existed in him in toto. They are great fortune, enthusiasm which is rare
elsewhere, the ability to conquer foreign territories, protection of one’s own territory, efforts to strive for better conditions, resolution for the welfare of all, satisfaction of the armed forces and their deployment in such a manner that they cannot harass subjects of their own kingdom.
This concern for all expressed on the part of the emperor Babur kept him faraway from religious bigotry.
(16) Abul Fazl’s eloquent tribute to Babur
Similarly, Abul Fazl has paid a very eloquent tribute to Babur in the Akbarnama:
King of the four quarters, and of the seven heavens; celestial sovereign; diadem of the sublime throne; great of genius and great-ness-conferring; fortune-increaser; of excellent horoscope; heaven in comprehensiveness; earth in stability; lion-hearted; clime-capturer; lofty in splendour; of active brain; searcher after knowledge; rank-breaking lion rampant; exalter of dominion; ocean-hearted; of illustrious origin; a saintly sovereign; enthroned in the kingdom of reality and spirituality, Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babar Padshah Ghazi. His pearl-like nature was a station for the marks of greatness and sublimity; freedom and detachment together with lofty restraint and majestic power flashed forth in his nature; in asceticism and absorption (faqr u fana) a Junid and Bãyazìd; while the magnificence and genius of an Alexander and of a Faridun shone from his brow.
(Akbarnama, vol. 1 chapter XVII)
(17) Tributes in his epitaph
Ayodhya Revisited Page 21