RAS question
Abul Fazl wrote which famous account of Akbar's reign?
Correct answer: (D) Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari.
Abul Fazl wrote the Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari, the famous account of Akbar's reign and imperial administration.
Explanation
Abul Fazl is linked with Akbar's reign through the Akbarnama and its administrative companion, the Ain-i-Akbari. The Akbarnama is a three-volume history of Akbar's reign, and the Ain-i-Akbari is a detailed account of Akbar's administration, geography and cultural life. NCERT, Themes in Indian History - Part II describes the Ain-i Akbari as a major project undertaken by Abu'l Fazl at Akbar's order, completed as part of the larger Akbar Nama history. The first two books gave the historical narrative, while the Ain-i Akbari, the third book, was organised as a compendium of imperial regulations and a gazetteer of the empire.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri is wrong because Akbar's commissioned history was the Akbar Nama, with the Ain-i Akbari as its third book, not this text.
- (B) Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi is wrong because the question asks for Abul Fazl's famous account of Akbar's reign, and the correct pair is Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari.
- (C) Padshahnamah is wrong because the account associated with Abul Fazl and Akbar is the Akbar Nama project, including the Ain-i Akbari.
Concept
This tests Mughal historiography and court chronicles, especially how administrative records were used to describe imperial power. It recurs in RAS because medieval Indian history questions often ask candidates to match authors, rulers and texts.