An illustrated chronicle depicting the first 10 years of Shah Jahan's reign, 1628-1638, is to be put on public display at Queen Elizabeth II's official residence in Edinburgh from October 24.
This is only the second time ever that The Padshahnama -- chronicle of the King of The World -- has been made available for exhibition.
Described as among the greatest treasures of Britain's royal collection and ranked as one of the finest examples of Mughal art, it was unbound for conservation in 1977 before being taken on a tour of world museums, including the National Museum in New delhi and the Smithsonian in Washington DC.
During the 18th century, the manuscript entered the collection of the Nawabs of Oudh, who handed it over to Lord Teignmouth, the then governor general of India, for presentation in 1799 to King George III.
The text, compiled from meticulous records of major events, was written in Persian, the formal language of the Mughal court, and the manuscript was transcribed by the calligrapher Muhammad-Amin of Mashhad, Iran, in 1657-8.
It is the only known version of the chronicle to include illustrations of the period.
The 44 illustrations and two illuminations were executed by local Mughal court artists, including Balchand and his brother Payag, Ramdas Murar and Bhola.
A spokesman for the royal collection explained how on a number of occasions these artists have included their own portraits in the scenes, along with those of the principal members of the imperial circle and visitors to the court.
Sumptuous ceremonies and weddings, scenes of dancing and music, hunts and battles, offer a glimpse of a world of opulent splendour, magnificence and power.
The original sketches for the illustrations in the Padshahnama would have been taken from contemporary life and incorporated with additional evidence of eyewitness accounts.
Subsequently, the drawings were transferred on to a sheet of paper and the vibrant watercolour paints applied over a white translucent ground with tiny brushes. The whole painting was then polished to create a smooth enamel-like surface.
