The Salihotra (Salhutar), a Manual of Horses and Horsemanship (Farasnamah)

The Salihotra was the work of Durgarasi son of Surgarasi, who was belived to have composed it for Mahmud of Ghazni. It was translated from the Sanskrit in the reign of Shah Jahan. The manuscript contains 125 drawings of thoroughbred horses, many of them bearing brands of ownership (wasm, tamgha), together with observations on their salient traits, the illnesses to which they are prone and prescriptions for their treatment. Their execution is an interesting illustration of the iconoclastic tendencies characterising painting under the later Mughal emperors, especially Awrangzeb (r 1657– 1707).