A Comparative Study of Illustrated Manuscripts by Bhagavata Purana and Hamzeh Nameh with an Approach to Court Art and Indian Mass Art

Problem statement: 

The book Bhagavata Purana (Sanskrit:  ; later: Bhāgavata Purāṇa)[1] was complied in the 9th century by the efforts of the Indian people and illustrated during the Gurkani period in the 17th century. The version of this book presenting ancient Iranian stories was illustrated in the 16th century by the Gurkani kings of India during the Akbar Shah period. The painting of Hamzeh Nameh was done under the supervision of the Gurkani court and received the support of famous artists. This way it turned into a unique masterpiece. To accurately identify the two types, the ways of painting in the desired versions and their distinction with the names "court art" and "mass art" were adapted.

The purpose of this research is to identify the factors influencing the art of mass painting in India and analyze the role of financial and spiritual support in the formation of Indian court art. The main question of this research is: what was the role of the court patrons in the adaptation of the illustrated versions of Hamzeh Nameh and Bhagavata Purana, and what kind of representation does it show?

The research method is descriptive-analytical and "adaptive-comparative," and it is the method of collecting library and documentary information.

The results of the studies indicate that Bhagavata Purana’s paintings, which are drawn by inferior and untrained artists and are devoid of government advertisements and support, seem to be more effective among the masses. Although some similarities can be seen in the scenes of feasts and battles in Hamzeh Nameh and Bhagavata Purana, the depiction of the epic scenes in the paintings of the Indians in Bhagavata Purana, despite their crude appearance, has a native authenticity, shows a more concrete reality, and is closer to the existing beliefs. The comparison of the two versions is, in fact, a comparison of the government's India and the people's India.