Mughal Miniature Painting And Its Sublimity The word miniature evolved from the beautifully illuminated manuscripts

such as the Celtic Book of Kells created by the Monks in the Middle Ages. Miniature Painting is a form of art which is traditional and very detailed. Miniature painting is often referred to as painting in miniature. Evidences of miniature painting can be found in various cultures throughout the world. Its a form of art which is full of richness and adapted by todays artists too. Mughal miniature painting depicts the culture of Medieval India. The Mughal period in the history of India witnessed widespread cultural development. The miniature painting mostly describes the heroic deeds of the kings- their lifestyles and bravery. The art of living of the Rajputs also enclosed within their favorites. Flowers and animals were also vastly depicted in these artform. The Mughal art in India can be divided into four phases. First of which started during the reign of the first Mughal emperor Babur. The Mughal were the descendants of Timur and Genghiz Khan who brought the Persian elements into the world of Mughal arts as they were strongly influenced by the Persian form of art. Baburnama can be considered as a binocular to look into the depth of the Mughal miniature arts. The second phase was during the rule of the most well known Emperor of the Mughals, Akbar. The third phase was during the rule of Emperor Jehangir and the fourth phase can be called as parallel phase as it ran simultaneously with the reign of these three Emperors. This was the period when the artforms of the Rajputs or the Rajput miniatures came into existence. Mughal miniature paintings in medieval India were the artform of the elites and can be marked by rich style. Mughal Court paintings provide us with innumerable information about their time. The style used in these miniatures illustrate the technical advancement in the fineness of the brush stokes. One can mark in the paintings of this era that these are less crowded the colour used in these compositions are more subtle and toned down. Mughal miniature painting with all its grandeur, glamour, charisma and beauty always will continue to fascinate people and thus deserves exclusive mention in the pages of history.