Akbar presiding over religious discussions in the Ibadat-khana, 1603–1605

This illustration shows Akbar the Great (15421605) in a circle of several scholars, including two Jesuits at the upper left edge of the picture, and members of his court. In the northern Mughal Empire, Akbar first invited Jesuits from Goa to the court for religious talks. Until the 18th century, the Jesuits were present at the court of the Muslim Great Mughals, residing in Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Agra, and Delhi. The image is part of the biography of the Great Mogul written by his minister Abu'l-Fazl.

Akbar presiding over religious discussions in the Ibadat-khana, from the History of Akbar (Akbarnama), by Abu'l-Fazl, ink on paper, 1603–1605, unknown artist; source: Chester Beatty Digital Collection, https://cbl01.intranda.com/viewer/object/In_03_263/1/LOG_0000/, Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en.