RAS question
Which Mughal Emperor wrote his autobiography Tuzuk-i-Baburi (Baburnama)?
Correct answer: (A) Babur.
Babur wrote his autobiography, Tuzuk-i-Baburi or Baburnama, in Turkish.
Explanation
Babur is the Mughal emperor linked with Tuzuk-i-Baburi, also known as the Baburnama. IGNOU eGyanKosh, Unit 10: Medieval Historiography: Indo-Persian describes Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur as a prolific writer who wrote in Turkish and Persian, and identifies his autobiography, Tuzuk-i-Baburi, as a Turkish literary masterpiece. It records the decline of Timurid power in Central Asia, Babur's own life, campaigns, and observations on India. The work was in Chagatai Turkish, praised as one of the finest autobiographies in world literature, and later translated into Persian by Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan. The key exam point is therefore authorship: Babur himself wrote the Baburnama.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Humayun is not the author of Tuzuk-i-Baburi; Humayun's story was written by his sister.
- (C) Jahangir wrote Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, a separate Mughal memoir, so he cannot be credited with Babur's Baburnama.
- (D) Akbar is not associated with writing Tuzuk-i-Baburi; he is also identified as illiterate.
Concept
This tests Mughal historiography, especially autobiographical writing by emperors. It recurs in RAS because source-based medieval history questions often ask candidates to match rulers with major chronicles and memoirs.