The Popularity of Nāṣir al-Dīn Shāh’s European Travelogues in United India

Nāṣir al-Dīn Shāh (1247–1313 A.H./1831–1896 C.E.), the fourth monarch of the Qajar dynasty, enjoyed notable popularity in United India (prior to 1947). He was perceived as a reform-minded ruler seeking the modernization of his country—welcomed with great ceremony by European monarchs and Queen Victoria during his travels, and upon returning home, he established telegraph and railway lines in Iran. When news of his assassination spread, the people of India held mourning ceremonies for the “Shāh-e Shahīd” (the Martyred King). Indian pilgrims who traveled to Iran to visit the shrine of ‛Abdul-‛Aẓīm also visited Nāṣir al-Dīn Shāh’s tomb to recite the Fātiḥa for him. When the three Safar-nāmi-ye Farang (European travelogues) of Nāṣir al-Dīn Shāh were published, they quickly became widely read in India and achieved multifaceted popularity: the Persian texts were repeatedly printed there in illustrated editions; they were taught as samples of contemporary standard Persian in Indian secondary schools and universities; Persian–Urdu glossaries were compiled to assist students; and parts of the first travelogue were translated into Urdu. This article first discusses Nāṣir al-Dīn Shāh’s popularity in India of that period, then provides full bibliographical details of some of the earliest Indian printings of the three Safar-nāmis. It next examines selections from these travelogues included in Persian textbooks for Indian schools and universities. Finally, it considers an Urdu-language book about Muẓaffar al-Dīn Shāh—portrayed as a reformist king and the son of Nāṣir al-Dīn Shāh.