Fauna, Flora and Jahangir as Depicted in Tuzuk-I-Jahangiri

The Emperor Jahangir had a genuine interest in serious subjects like Botany, Zoology and Medicine. His autobiography is a testimony to his exemplary knowledge of various subjects and also his great keenness, curiosity and thirst for knowledge. He was fond of the beauties of nature, flowers, foliage, brooks, rivers, valleys and mountains. He was too keen to describe the flowers, vegetables and fruits which came across in his tours and journeys. The emperor’s affection for animals is validated in the initial portion of the work itself. The elephants and horses played an important role in his empire. Elephants occupied an important place in the Mughal Indian army and were also used to carry guns on their backs. Jahangir, a lover of beauty and nature, has been described as the prince of artists and also most fastidious critic of art. He admired the beauty, softness and delicacy of both the fruits and paintings.  It was said that if there were similar portraits completed by several artists, he could point out the painter of each. His vivid accounts of birds and animals are as accurate as that of a specialist in Zoology. Hence the above study lent us to conclude that the emperor Jahangir was a man of great literary taste with love of poetry, architecture, music, dance, painting and other fine arts.