Mughal Emperor Akbar (1542–1605) encouraged artists to create miniature paintings portraying scenes from history, rural and urban life, animals and religious themes that were inspired by Persian art, yet rooted in the local environment. Even literary works produced during his reign, such as the Akbar Nama and the Razm Nama, were heavily illustrated at his behest. Other schools of miniature paintings include the Rajput and the Deccan styles.
Rajput miniature paintings, practised in the states of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan from the 16th to the 19th centuries, were related to Mughal painting and other early styles. Vegetable dyes were used to create distinctive paintings dominated by motifs from nature and graceful human figures depicting Buddhist and Jain themes, as well as scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. This art form exists even today and is a popular tourist attraction.