The Missiological Implications in the Christian Subjects's Arts Produced In the period of Mughal Akbar Emperor

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This paper is a missiological study on the religious, political, and artistic aspects of the paintings with christian themes in Akbar, Mughal Period. Akbar’s interest in this paintings is different from those which most of the western scholars used to have: superior westerners influenced the inferior the Mughal Emperor. Rather, Akbar took the initiative with his professional connoiseurship and serious study on the christianity and its doctrines. Akbar was an unorthodox muslim and established a Dini-Ilahi as a world-religion seeking universal truth in diverse religion through reason. Therefore, his interests in the paintings with christian themes were not for his faith on the christianity but for his interests in the christian iconography itself. Since conservative Islam prohibited God’s representation as a figural images, Akbar used christian iconography such as Jesus, Mary and saints for his expression of Islams’ narratives and doctrines. And as a muslim who was minor ruling class at that time, Akbar had to control and harmonize with Hinduists who was major subordinated class. And he focused on the christian painting’s devotional function and sanctification of the person with icons. And he also accepted western art’s themes and styles for his interests in the new style just like he accepted and assimilated the other styles such as Persian, Indian traditional Rajput style and Jain etc. In conclusion, Akbar’s period’s christian paintings made in the Mughal palaces did not come from his religious and conversional interests but rather were used for unifying & controling Mughal people who had various religious and political positions and eventually fortifying his kingship associated with divinely bestowed power.

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