New Interpretation Of Alan-Gho’a In Akbar-Name
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Keywords:
Alan-gho’a, Akbar Shah, Baburid (Mughal) Empire, Timurids, Mongols, Charismatic leadershipAbstract
Alan-gho’a was the legendary ancestress of the Chinggis Khan’s Golden Lineage (Altan Urug) that retained the privilege of ruling in Central Asia through centuries. Akbar Shah, third ruler of Baburid (Mughal) Empire in India, claimed Alan-gho’a being as his ancestress. This did not depend upon his blood kinship with the Chinggisids; instead, it was claimed that the main reason for the existence of Alan-gho’a was Akbar’s divine entrance into the world; the reigns of Chinggisids and others were transitory until Akbar was born. Akbar Shah constructed his “splendid charisma” on this claim through a re-interpretation of the narrative of Alan-gho’a in a sufi mystical way making his subject people who possessed divergent religious and cultural values believe in his power and authority and uniting them around his dynasty. In this way, Akbar Shah also placed his Timurid ancestors and his lineage in a position that was superior to the Chinggisids and all the other dynasties in the World. Alan-gho’a’s new interpretation was made according to the new cultural values and social structure of his Empire which consisted of almost the whole Indian subcontinent. In this article, how and why the narrative of Alan-gho’a was re-shaped in the Akbar’s court is examined through a comparison with the Chinggisid and Timurid traditions.
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