Patna was established as the provincial capital and a fortified administrative centre by Sher Shah Suri in 1541 AD. Recognizing the strategic location of the ancient city of Pataliputra, standing at the confluence of the Son and Ganges rivers, Sher Shah built a strong fort and declared it the seat of government for the Bihar province. This reconstruction and focus on Patna were part of Sher Shah’s wider, efficient administrative and infrastructure reforms, including the construction of the Grand Trunk Road, which linked Patna to the rest of his vast empire.

The massive manuscript project, ‘Dastan-e-Amir Hamza’ (The Adventures of Amir Hamza), was illustrated under the joint supervision of two founding masters of the Mughal school of painting: Mir Sayyid Ali and later, Abdus Samad. Commissioned by Akbar in the 1560s, this work was a key initiative to develop a new court style by combining Persian and Indian techniques. It comprised over 1,400 large paintings, created on cloth and required a workshop of over one hundred artists working over fifteen years to complete.

Emperor Shah Alam II (Ali Gauhar) was the unfortunate Mughal ruler who, upon the death of his father, was prevented from entering his own capital, Delhi, by the powerful and treacherous Wazir Ghaziuddin Imad-ul-Mulk. The Wazir’s ambition and political control were absolute and he feared Shah Alam II would curtail his power. Consequently, Shah Alam II lived in exile for twelve years, ruling only nominally from places like Allahabad before eventually placing himself under Maratha protection in 1772.