Akbar was just 26 years old when he commissioned the construction of Fatehabad, the capital of the Mughul Empire from 1571 to 1585. The Mughul emperor took great interest in the construction of the city, now known as Fatehpur Sikri, influencing its style and aesthetics. “He also hired painters and calligraphers to illustrate books and Persian poets to translate Indian classics such as the Ramayana, Yoga Vasistha, Harivamsa Purana and Ramayana into Persian,” informs professor Smita Dalvi, who will be conducting a five-day course on Islamic Art and Architecture, starting October 27.

Chameleon by Ustaad Mansur in the tasveerkhana of Jehangir