Abdul Hamid Lahori

Abdul Hamid Lahori was a distinguished seventeenth-century Persian-language historian and chronicler at the Mughal court of Emperor Shah Jahan. He is best known as the author of the Badshahnama, the official court history of Shah Jahan’s reign, which provides one of the most detailed and authoritative accounts of Mughal politics, administration, architecture, and culture during the zenith of the Mughal Empire. His writings remain among the principal sources for historians studying the Mughal period, particularly the architectural achievements such as the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Background and Early Life

Abdul Hamid Lahori was born in Lahore, a major cultural and intellectual centre of the Mughal Empire. While little is known about his early life, education, or family background, his name indicates his origin from Lahore. His erudition, mastery of Persian prose, and familiarity with courtly customs suggest a classical education in literature, history, and Islamic scholarship, which were essential qualifications for service in the imperial bureaucracy.
Before entering imperial service, Lahori is believed to have been associated with literary and scholarly circles. His linguistic refinement and historical sensibility reflected the Persianate tradition that dominated Mughal intellectual life. Persian was not only the language of administration but also of historiography, poetry, and courtly culture, and Lahori’s command of it earned him a prominent place among Shah Jahan’s chroniclers.

Appointment at the Mughal Court

Abdul Hamid Lahori’s prominence arose during the reign of Shah Jahan (1628–1658), one of the most artistically inclined and administratively astute rulers of the Mughal dynasty. Lahori was appointed as court historian to document the emperor’s reign, continuing the imperial historiographical tradition established under earlier rulers such as Akbar and Jahangir.
His appointment as official chronicler was a prestigious and demanding role. Historians at the Mughal court were expected not only to record political and military events but also to extol the ruler’s virtues, celebrate imperial achievements, and legitimise royal authority through elaborate prose. Lahori fulfilled these duties with remarkable diligence and literary sophistication.

The Badshahnama

The Badshahnama (literally, Book of the Emperor) is Abdul Hamid Lahori’s most celebrated work. Written in Persian, it was intended as the official chronicle of Shah Jahan’s reign, much in the same spirit as the Akbarnama written by Abu’l-Fazl for Emperor Akbar. Lahori’s chronicle covered the early years of Shah Jahan’s rule and was completed in two volumes, known respectively as the First Badshahnama and the Second Badshahnama.
The work provides a richly detailed account of court ceremonies, administrative reforms, military campaigns, diplomatic relations, and architectural projects. Lahori’s meticulous attention to the emperor’s undertakings offers invaluable insight into the grandeur and complexity of Mughal governance.
One of the most celebrated sections of the Badshahnama is Lahori’s description of the construction of the Taj Mahal, commissioned by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. His narrative describes the site selection, design, and artisans involved, offering historians one of the earliest and most authentic contemporary accounts of this architectural masterpiece.

Style and Historiographical Method

Abdul Hamid Lahori’s historiographical style combined factual precision with rhetorical elegance. His Persian prose was ornate and highly formal, reflecting the literary conventions of the Mughal court. The Badshahnama was not merely a historical record but also a work of political ideology, celebrating the emperor’s divine mandate and imperial magnificence.
Lahori employed a chronological structure and emphasised the ceremonial aspects of the court, thereby illustrating the hierarchical and ritualistic nature of Mughal governance. His work balanced descriptive detail with moral and religious commentary, portraying Shah Jahan as a just, pious, and cultured monarch.
While his tone was deeply reverential toward the emperor, Lahori also showed a historian’s commitment to accuracy, often specifying dates, locations, and participants in events. This combination of factual detail and literary embellishment made his work both a documentary record and a literary masterpiece.

Other Works and Later Years

In his later years, Lahori reportedly trained and collaborated with other historians and scribes in the preparation of the Badshahnama. Due to his advancing age, he was eventually assisted by Muhammad Waris, who continued and completed the chronicle after Lahori’s death. The combined version is often referred to as the Illustrated Badshahnama, with richly decorated manuscripts preserved in major collections such as the British Library and the Royal Asiatic Society.
Lahori’s career symbolised the peak of Mughal historiography, where court chroniclers functioned as both historians and propagandists. His writing reflected not only political events but also the sophisticated cultural environment of Shah Jahan’s court, which encouraged art, architecture, poetry, and scholarship.

Historical Importance and Legacy

Abdul Hamid Lahori’s contribution to South Asian historiography is immense. His Badshahnama remains a critical source for understanding the administrative and cultural framework of the Mughal Empire during its classical phase. It offers scholars valuable data on:

• Mughal military campaigns and territorial expansion.
• Courtly ceremonies, etiquette, and hierarchy.
• Urban and architectural development under Shah Jahan.
• Trade and diplomatic relations with Central Asia, Persia, and Europe.
• Socio-cultural life within the imperial court.

His descriptions of imperial architecture, particularly the Taj Mahal, have guided modern historians and art historians in reconstructing Mughal architectural history. Moreover, the illuminated manuscript versions of the Badshahnama are prized for their exquisite miniatures, which combine textual and visual narratives of imperial splendour.
Abdul Hamid Lahori’s historiographical method influenced subsequent chroniclers, including Muhammad Waris and Inayat Khan, who continued documenting later phases of Shah Jahan’s reign. His meticulous and courtly prose style became a model for later Mughal historians and bureaucratic writers.