An episode at Kara
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Mixed Media |
| Current Location: | Victoria and Albert Museum,South Kensington |
| Location History: | The V&A purchased the manuscript in 1896 from Frances Clarke, the widow of Major General John Clarke, who bought it in India while serving as Commissioner of Oudh between 1858 and 1862. Purchased from Mrs. Clarke, The Dingle, Sydenham Hill, S. E |
This painting called An Episode at Kara from Akbarnama depicts a single scene of military conflict between an ordered Mughal army and raging rebels. Painted in strong colors and vivid strokes, the painting shows chaotic huddles of combatants and the disciplined rows of the Mughal army drawn up behind each other in tight formations.The composition of the painting is divided by the River Ganges, which acts as a dividing line between the two opposing camps. On the upper part of the picture, the artist puts a group of officers and soldiers lined along the battlements of city gates. Their rows make a jagged pattern that extends upwards to the right in the general direction of the upper right corner of the painting. Their arms, all pointed vertically, make a single massive row of spears. In contrast, the lower part of the picture shows the anarchy of the battlefield. Here, people, horses, and hangars form the muddled knot of combatants around the encampment of Akbar. The author of the picture has put a dynamic into the painting with the help of color, movement, and density of the composition, directing the attention of the viewer to the events of the Mughal camp. Thus, he could fulfill the painting’s idea of conveying the grandeur of the Mughal court and the power of Akbar himself.