Loyalty, Kinship and Honour

This essay examines the tales (kathās) of the Kyāmkhānī poet, Jān Kavi (fl. 1614–1664) in order to explore the historical process through which a Rajput great tradition took shape in Mughal times. Firmly situated within the genre conventions of earlier Sufi love tales that emerged from the Avadh region, the Mughal-era Braj Bhasha kathās present an archetype of the emperor-minister ideal in imaginary narratives, juxtaposing it with historical accounts rooted in Islamicate and Mughal-Rajput models. The tales illustrate how, during the centralization of power under the Mughal emperor and the allied Rajput kings, the fraught Rajput world is idealized, and infused with a heightened sense of self and honour. By situating the Kyāmkhānīs within the Mughal state and the kathās within their genre conventions, Jān Kavi articulates the ethics of loyalty, service, and kinship in an upwardly mobile ruling family.