Mughal rulers had a deep, almost unshakeable belief in astrology. And it stemmed largely from culture, says MJ Akbar. His new book ‘After Me, Chaos: Astrology in the Mughal Empire’ dwells on how the ancient science shaped many decisions of each of the Mughal emperors.
Babar had limited belief in astrology but it was still there. Humayun, during whose time the empire was just 14 years old and on the verge of collapse, too was a believer in it. The real Mughal period began with Akbar and lasted over 150 years. “It was because principally one of the most important foundational value systems was that they did not confuse religion with culture,” MJ Akbar told StratNews Global Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale. Religion can be dated to a certain time but culture is eternal, as old as humankind, he added.
The book is replete with interesting facts, sourced from autobiographies or authorised biographies of Mughal rulers and official chronicles. One of them pertains to the birth of Humayun’s son, Akbar.
Humayun was away closer to Akbar’s birth and had left behind his astrologer Maulana Chand to record the exact time of birth. The idea was to ensure there was no confusion when the child’s horoscope was prepared. Soon after, the labour pangs began. The astrologer was worried that the child may be delivered before the auspicious moment (that presumably comes once in 1000 years). He then got hold of a woman with ‘hideous’ looks and thrust her face closer to that of the empress. That proved shocking enough for the expectant mother. Her labour pain subsided and the child was finally born when the stars were in the ‘desired’ places. And the child went on to become the greatest ruler the Mughal empire had.
The book also has nuggets about Aurangzeb who too was an ardent believer in astrology but was reluctant to acknowledge it in public. He was crowned twice, and astrologers decided the timings.
Tune in to this fascinating conversation with MJ Akbar for more.
