ShikÄrgÄh, Forest, Cultivated Land: Attitudes, Territorial Delineation

Shaha Parpia

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Chapter 8 ShikÄrgÄh, Forest, Cultivated Land

Attitudes, Territorial Delineation

In: Taming Wilderness: The Mughal Hunt and Cultural Landscapes of the ShikÄrgÄh

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Shaha Parpia

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 170â198

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004749054_009

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Abstract

Mughals viewed the shikÄrgÄh as an intermediary zone between the cultivated land and the forest as it established a continuity between hunting and agricultural practices. Symbolic notions of harmony that were said to exist between the two spaces, and proximity of wildlife and shikÄrgÄhs to agriculture, formed the basis of this continuity. While the cultivated land and shikÄrgÄh were often seen as conflictual spaces owing to the detrimental effect of hunting practices on agricultural growth, they were also considered mutually beneficial because of the contributions the sophisticated hunting practices made to agriculture. Prevailing attitudes towards forests as hostile and lawless places may have exacerbated the process of deforestation, but there was a royal obligation to protect wild elephant populations and their ânaturalâ habitats. Agrarian policies such as irrigation also made valuable contributions to the royal hunt. The chapter also discusses the methods through which the Mughal emperor dealt with the dichotomy of imperial hunting practices and its impact on agriculture and forestry.

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Taming Wilderness: The Mughal Hunt and Cultural Landscapes of the ShikÄrgÄh

Series:Â Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1 The Near and Middle East, Volume: 193

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004749054

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 03 Dec 2025

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Chapter 8 ShikÄrgÄh, Forest, Cultivated Land

Attitudes, Territorial Delineation

Abstract

Citation Info

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Taming Wilderness: The Mughal Hunt and Cultural Landscapes of the ShikÄrgÄh

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Chapter 8 ShikÄrgÄh, Forest, Cultivated Land

Taming Wilderness: The Mughal Hunt and Cultural Landscapes of the ShikÄrgÄh