The grandest spectacle of Mughal emperors’ grandeur was the splendour of their court with all its festivals and celebrations. The other pageants of their glory were their processions.

When the emperor went out from his palace, he was accompanied by all the royal paraphernalia: standards, weapons, music, well-equipped elephants, horses and camels, dignified nobility and uniformed soldiers. These processions displayed the power and wealth of the emperor and were used as a means to impress the people and strengthen loyalty towards the royal dynasty. The personality of the emperor emerged as invincible and majestic, and gave his subjects a sense of pride in having such a mighty and glorious ruler.

These processions were organised on the festivals of Eidul Fitr and Eidul Azha, on every Friday when the emperor went to the mosque for prayer and on his return to the capital.

Mace-bearers (yassawuls) and other officers made thorough arrangements before every procession: the roads were cleared, all shops, doorways and walls along the route of the procession were decorated and small tents and canopies were set up as places to offer beverages and sweets to the spectators.

The emperor was mounted on a throne atop an elephant. This was covered by an umbrella or the aftabgir (awning), and behind him stood two or three nobles bearing chauris (fly-whisks) in their hands. The emperor distributed a great amount of money which was scattered from his seat among the waiting poor as he went along the route.

The royal conveyance was followed by the royal Qur, consisting of royal weapons: daggers, bows and arrows, quivers, swords, shields, spears, and matchlocks. It was carried by the sons of the nobles.

The procession was attended by notable nobles, yassawuls, court officials and devoted servants (chelas). Chelas were the emperor’s personal slaves and wore rings in their ears as a symbol of love and loyalty. They were followed by elephants with golden hangings and embroidered cloth on their backs; some of these bore symbols of royalty and imperial standards, like the sun, stars and figures of a lion or dragon

The procession was followed by a royal conveyance like the takht-i-rawan (moving throne), different types of thrones, palanquins and bullock chariots, which were supervised by the Mir Tuzuk (master of ceremonies). Then came servants carrying trays of precious stones on their heads and ornamented staffs in their hands. They were followed by yassawuls, supervising the organisation of the procession. Soldiers stood along both sides of the road, right from the palace to the destination.

It was a tradition that when the emperor rode on an elephant, nobles followed him on horseback; when he was on horseback or in a palanquin, nobles would follow on foot, except those who had received special exemption from the emperor.

The emperor’s bodyguard, consisting of 500 to 600 armed men and around 300 to 400 matchlock men, also accompanied every procession.

There is a miniature painted by Manohar, beautifully depicting one of Jahangir’s processions; musicians sitting on elephants playing trumpets, turhi (clarion), nafiri (brazen trumpet) and beating drums. In front of them are royal standards depicting motifs such as the sun, dragons, etc., and other banners. Gunmen with guns in their hands are shown, followed by more elephants carrying men and women, apparently singing songs in praise of the emperor. There is also a small group of buffoons entertaining people with their antics and tricks.

Peter Mundy observed the procession in which Shahjahan returned from Burhanpur to his capital in 1632. First, there were 20 royal conveyances including the takht-i-rawan and palanquin among others; then there were a thousand horsemen riding in close rank. They were followed by 19 or 20 elephants, richly decorated and covered with velvet and carrying the royal insignia.

One of the elephants carried an Amari (housing) for royal use; it was covered with an awning of rich cloth and was supported by golden pillars. It was followed by ushers carrying golden staffs in their hands, controlling the procession and clearing the way. Then came the emperor riding on a dark grey horse. He was accompanied by Mahabat Khan; Dara Shikuh rode at some distance from the emperor.

All the nobles were walking on foot on both sides. At a fixed distance were armed soldiers with spears in their hands. They were followed by a great number of elephants belonging to the nobles. The procession created a most majestic and delightful sight. This was the usual order of the procession, although there were sometimes a few alternations.

When the emperor went on a long journey, the procession marched in the following order. At a short distance in front of the emperor were drummers and trumpeters mounted on elephants. Then came the cavalry followed by the elephants. Royal ladies travelled in howdas placed atop the elephants while lady-servants rode on camels.

They were followed by elephants carrying royal insignia and different flags, and finally, by nine well-equipped horses. The emperor was surrounded by his servants, who kept the common people away and sprinkled water on the road in front of him to settle the dust.