Contents: Select Glossary. Preface. I. Introduction : Sources of the History of Shah Jehan's Reign (1628-1658 A.D.): 1. Official record (letters). 2. Official histories and Lahauri's Badshah-Namah. 3. Other Persian Histories and, 'Amal-i-Salih. 4. Biographies and memoires: Chahar-Chaman. 5. Administrative manuals. 6. Accounts of foreign travellers (European) and Bernier. 7. Sanskrit, Persian and Hindi works. 8. Contemporary painting: Windsor Badshah-Namah. 9. Contemporary buildings. 10. Architectural inscriptions (Persian). References. II. Shah Jehan and his times: the land, the people and the culture: 1. Early life and accession to the throne. 2. The making of Mughal civilization. 3. Mughal Patronage to literature and art. References. III. Administrative buildings of Shah Jehan (Durbar-Halls): 1. The institution of 'Durbar' (court). 2. The Jharokha. 3. The Diwan-i-'Am. 4. Etiquette of the court. 5. Akbar's Diwan-i-'Am at Fatehpur Sikri (c. 1572-85). 6. The Ghusl-Khanah. 7. Akbar's Diwan-i-Khas at Fatehpur Sikri (c. 1572-85). 8. Jehangir's Jharokha and Diwan-i-'Am (c. 1605). 9. Shahjehanian paintings of Jehangir's Durbar. 10. Jehangir's Diwan-i-'Am of Allahabad Fort (c. 1599 - 1604). 11. Wood-and-cloth Diwan-i-'Am of Shah Jehan. 12. The Diwan-i-'Am of Agra Fort (1628-35). 13. Paintings of Shah Jehan's Diwan-i-'Am, Agra Fort. 14. Diwan-i-'Am and Shah-Burj of Lahore Fort (1628-31). 15. Shah Jehan's River-side Jharokha: the Shah-Burj (Muthamman Burj) of Agra Fort (1631-40). 16. The Diwan-i-Khas of Agra Fort (1628-35). 17. The Diwan-i-'Am of Red Fort Delhi (1639-48). 18. The Shah-Burj of Red Fort Delhi (1639-48). 19. The Diwan-i-Khas of Red Fort Delhi (1639-48). IV. Residential buildings of Shah Jehan (Palatial Mansions): 1. Palaces of Agra Fort (1631-40). 2. Palaces of the Lahore Fort (c. 1631; 1633-44). 3. Palaces of the Red Fort Delhi (1639-48). 4. Miscellaneous Palaces. References. V. Ana-Sagar 'Barahdaris' at Ajmer (c. 1637): References. VI. Royal complex of Shah Jehan At Bari (Dholpur) (1628-35): 1. The Bari site. 2. The buildings of the Royal Complex of Bari. 3. The 'Gummats' and 'Gumatis' of Bari and their meaning. References. VII. Mosques of the age of Shah Jehan: 1. Private Royal Harem Mosques. 2. Jami (Friday) Mosques. 3. Miscellaneous public mosques. References. Index.
"This is part I of Vol. IV of the multi-volume series : History of Mughal Architecture, three volumes of which have already been published. This volume deals with Shah Jehan's age of 'Architectural Aestheticism' (1628-1658 A.D.) and its representative monuments, some of which mark the Zenith of the style. This part has seven chapters. Sources of the history of this period have been enumerated in Chapter I. The second chapter deals with 'Shah Jehan and His Times: the Land, the People and the Culture' and studies the literatures, arts and crafts which went into the making of the Mughal Civilization. Administrative buildings have been studied in Chapter 3, with such institutions as 'durbar' and 'jharokha', with which they were associated. The fourth chapter deals with residential buildings and also the regal life, which they ensured. The Ana-Sagar Baradaris of Ajmer and Palatial Complex of Bari have been studied in Chapters 5 and 6, with plans and photos, and in all necessary details, for the first time, Chapter 7 deals with mosques which have been stylistically classified to make a proper distinction between 'Margiya' (classical) and 'Desiya' (popular or folk) forms. It is, thus, a cultural history of his age too. Contemporary Persian histories and accounts of foreign travellers have been utilized, and quoted wherever necessary for authentication." (jacket)
