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UPPCS Mains 2010

Evolution of Mughal Court Culture

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

Mughal Emperor who abolished 'Sijda':

Solution & Analysis

Answer: C

Concept Imperial etiquette under Akbar and Jahangir included 'Sijda' (prostration), which was seen by orthodox Muslims as an act reserved only for God. Shah Jahan, seeking to align more with Islamic norms, reformed these practices.

Explanation Shah Jahan abolished Sijda because it was considered un-Islamic. He replaced it with Chahar Taslim (four-fold salutation). He also banned other practices that were seen as elevating the Emperor to a divine status, marking a shift toward greater orthodoxy.

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Sijda was introduced to India by Balban and reached its peak of use under Akbar to reinforce the 'divinity' of the king.
Logic 2: While Aurangzeb (Option D) was the most orthodox, the actual *abolition* of Sijda as a formal court custom happened earlier under Shah Jahan.

Active Recall

Question

What replaced Sijda in Shah Jahan's court?

Answer

It was replaced by 'Chahar Taslim', where the person bows and touches the back of the hand to the ground and then to the forehead four times.

Core Insight

The abolition of Sijda shows that even before Aurangzeb, the Mughal court had started moving away from the 'Universalist' and semi-divine rituals of the Akbari era.

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