MUGHAL INDIA, CIRCA 1700

Similar Mahi-maratib are proudly displayed in the royal treasuries in the palaces in Bikaner, Jodhpur, Kota and Jaisalmer as part of the heirlooms of the royal family in each case. It is noted as being the chief insignia awarded by the Mughal Emperor to give recognition to important allied rulers, those who could bring 6000 mounted soldiers with them when they joined the emperor on campaign. The first in Bikaner to have been awarded this honour was Maharaja Rao Anup Singh (r.1669-1698); that in Jodhpur was awarded in 1719 to maharaja Ajit Singh, the example in Kota is recorded as having been awarded in 1720; while that in Jaisalmer (acc.no.2001-A-24-6) is dated to the 14th century which this seems highly improbable. One from Gwalior was in the Maharaja exhibition at the V (cat.no.76), and a further example from the Furusiyya Foundation was included in the Deccan exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Sultans of Deccan India, 1500–1700: Opulence and Fantasy, exhibition catalogue, New York, April 20, 2015–July 26, 2015, cat. no 180, p.303).
It was carried in procession ahead of the ruler, flanked by two discs or spheres with which it was associated. The fish body behind the head is now invariably made of red cloth, streaming out behind. A painting in Jodhpur however shows a more naturalistic silver fish body behind the golden head as it is being carried in procession on an elephant, and this may well be a better indication of the original presentation (Peacock in the Desert: The Royal Arts of Jodhpur, India, exhibition catalogue, Houston, 2018). An earlier depiction, in the Procession of `Abdallah Qutb Shah which dates from the mid-17th century shows the whole emblem as red (CSMVS, Mumbai, Sir Akbar Haydari Collection, 43.50). The fact that it is being used this early in the Deccan indicates that the reputed origin of the Mughal mahi-maratib, going back at least to the Tuhgluq Sultans of Delhi, is correct.