0:00:07 > 0:00:11The Indus river is where I started a journey that is taking me
0:00:11 > 0:00:15thousands of miles, deep into the Indian subcontinent
0:00:15 > 0:00:17to which the river gave its name.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22A journey that will help me discover some of its most hidden treasures
0:00:22 > 0:00:24and reveal secrets from its distant past.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31In the last programme, I travelled back five millennia in time to
0:00:31 > 0:00:35the ancient civilisation that first grew up on the shores of the Indus,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39and explored the lost Buddhist culture of northern Pakistan.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Now, I want to see what happened
0:00:42 > 0:00:45when the Muslim invaders who had occupied modern-day Pakistan
0:00:45 > 0:00:50moved further south, and produced an extraordinary flowering of art
0:00:50 > 0:00:53and architecture, and some of the world's greatest treasures.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59As an art historian and museum curator,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02I've looked after these treasures for most of my life.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05In this series, I want to explore their stories
0:01:05 > 0:01:07and the people who created them.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21For hundreds of years, India was ruled by a foreign empire.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24These invaders came from the north and spread their influence
0:01:24 > 0:01:28right across this vast land, from the peaks of the Himalayas,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32to the plains of the Punjab, to the jungles of central India.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34They were the Mughals.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41The Mughals were a race of Islamic warrior kings
0:01:41 > 0:01:46from Central Asia who were also poets, scholars and traders.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49In matters of religion and philosophy, they were
0:01:49 > 0:01:52more progressive and liberal than most European rulers of the time.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58They made some of the world's most beautiful art.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01They presided over advances in science and technology.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04They brought war, but also great prosperity,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08freedom at first, but later, intolerance.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14In modern India, the Mughals remain controversial.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16The question is, did their impact
0:02:16 > 0:02:19change India for the better or the worse?
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Where do you come from?
0:02:33 > 0:02:38Well, my parents are from Kolkata but I was born in England,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42so India is one of my homes.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Very nice.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Yes. My ancestral home. Being in India always feels like coming home.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- Very nice.- Yeah.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53'To tell the story of the Mughals will take me
0:02:53 > 0:02:56'not just to India, where they created an empire,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59'but also to Pakistan, where that empire began.'
0:03:04 > 0:03:07The Mughals originally came from the mountains of Central Asia,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11what is now Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Then, at the beginning of the 16th century,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18they moved south towards the riches that lay beyond the River Indus.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31In 1526, just as King Henry VIII began to woo Anne Boleyn in England,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33the Mughal king Babur
0:03:33 > 0:03:36arrived at the outskirts of the great city of Lahore.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Babur had been a king since he was 12 years old.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50He was descended from Genghis Khan and Tamerlane.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54By 17 he had conquered Samarkand and by 22 he had Kabul.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59He was 43 by the time he got to Lahore,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02and deeply unimpressed with what he found.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04In his diary, Babur wrote,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07"Hindustan is a country of few charms.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11"Its people are ugly, rude and have no artistic talent.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15"There are no good horses, no good dogs, no grapes, musk-melons
0:04:15 > 0:04:20"or first-rate fruits, no ice or cold water, no good bread
0:04:20 > 0:04:22"or cooked food in the bazaars,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25"no hot baths, and not even any candlesticks."
0:04:27 > 0:04:29It seems that the only thing that impressed him about India was
0:04:29 > 0:04:33that it was a large country and that there was masses of gold and silver.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46Homesick for the ordered beauty they knew in Central Asia,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49the Mughals transformed Lahore into a garden city.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55These Mughal gardens were nothing like India had seen before.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56They were grand in scale,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59and their emphasis on symmetry and balance was completely new.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Flowing water was as important as greenery.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06It helped to cool the gardens on hot days,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09and showed off the wealth and ingenuity of the new rulers.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15In Islam, like Judaism and Christianity,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Paradise is often represented as a garden.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22The creation of beauty and order in these gardens
0:05:22 > 0:05:25was about more than just making pleasant spaces.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28It was symbolic of the arrival of the Mughals.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33By the end of their rule, these gardens had been constructed
0:05:33 > 0:05:36in all major cities and towns throughout India.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40These warriors turned gardens into a symbol of their power.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48But they also brought gardens and flowers into their buildings,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51together with a sensuous love for the pleasures of life
0:05:51 > 0:05:54that they had left behind in the valleys of Central Asia.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Although one pleasure, they had brought with them.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01The Mughals created exquisite drinking vessels,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04but they had a very complex relationship with alcohol.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06They consumed it publicly,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10and yet it always remained an illicit pleasure.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13For Babur, on the one hand, he was descended from
0:06:13 > 0:06:15the very public drinking culture of Genghis Khan,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18and, on the other, he wanted to be a good Muslim.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Babur knew his drinking was controversial
0:06:26 > 0:06:30amongst his orthodox Muslim army, and if he was to continue
0:06:30 > 0:06:32his invasion further into India,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36he would need to inspire his tired troops.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Particularly if he was to capture the fort here in Agra,
0:06:39 > 0:06:45the second capital of Hindustan, whose sultan was fabulously wealthy.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50A year after he had conquered Lahore, Babur arrived in Agra,
0:06:50 > 0:06:51600km to the south.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55He now took a vow in front of his men never to drink wine again,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and also not to trim his beard.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00And he told them that the war they were engaged with,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04with the Hindu kings of India, was a holy struggle.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12"If we fall in the field, we die the death of martyrs. If we survive,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16"we rise victorious, the avengers of Allah's sacred cause."
0:07:18 > 0:07:20He then had his jewel-encrusted
0:07:20 > 0:07:23gold and silver drinking goblets destroyed
0:07:23 > 0:07:25and distributed amongst the poor.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33According to legend, Babur's men were deeply moved by his vow
0:07:33 > 0:07:36and the following day, they won a stunning victory
0:07:36 > 0:07:37over the Hindu king.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43We know an unusual amount about Babur
0:07:43 > 0:07:46because he detailed both his struggles with alcohol
0:07:46 > 0:07:49and his conquests in a remarkably frank autobiography.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54In it, he described how once he had crossed the Indus,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56he had found himself in another world,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59of fakirs, magicians and exotic animals.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03LAUGHTER
0:08:04 > 0:08:09And how India was ruled by a whole set of Hindu Rajput princes,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11consumed by petty infighting.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Babur's army swept these princes aside
0:08:18 > 0:08:21to lay the foundations of the Mughal Empire in Northern India.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24But he didn't only bring war.
0:08:24 > 0:08:29He and his successors brought elements of culture
0:08:29 > 0:08:31and architecture from Central Asia.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35And this magnificent monument is the earliest example
0:08:35 > 0:08:40of Indo-Persianate architecture in Mughal India.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45It takes the shapes and forms of Central Asia and Persia,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47in the cusped arches and the domes,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50and marries them with the red sandstone of India.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54And then you have these small flourishes on top of the chatris,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58which is a Sanskrit word meaning umbrella, or pavilion.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02You see this glistening tile work which is, of course, reminiscent
0:09:02 > 0:09:06of the architecture of Samarkand and other places in Central Asia.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10So they brought to bear all these different influences.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14And for the first time you see a new kind of architecture in India.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Babur would only briefly enjoy the new kingdom
0:09:22 > 0:09:26he had conquered. Four years after arriving in India, he died,
0:09:26 > 0:09:31aged just 47, still homesick for the gardens of Central Asia.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34And some say the greatest of all the Mughal emperors
0:09:34 > 0:09:37who followed him was his grandson, Akbar.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Akbar came to the throne early, at just 13,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54and inherited his grandfather's driving ambition and focus.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02During Akbar's rule, India became one of the most powerful
0:10:02 > 0:10:05and richest empires on the face of the earth.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09He expanded it beyond even the vast lands of his grandfather Babur.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16One reason for the Mughals' startling military success
0:10:16 > 0:10:19was that they brought their Central Asian skills
0:10:19 > 0:10:22as fast-wheeling horsemen down to the plains of India.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28These descendants of Genghis Khan often had five times as many cavalry
0:10:28 > 0:10:31as they did foot soldiers in their army,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34so they could run rings around the slow-moving Hindu forces.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Traditionally, and given their nomadic roots,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Mughal emperors had lived most of their lives under canvas
0:10:43 > 0:10:47and were constantly on the move, but as his military campaign
0:10:47 > 0:10:52went from strength to strength, Akbar could indulge in the luxury
0:10:52 > 0:10:55of a new, more permanent city to rule from.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Here, at Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar built a fabulous pop-up capital
0:11:03 > 0:11:07out of red sandstone in the middle of nowhere.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09It remains one of the most tantalising
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and bizarre architectural sites in the whole of India.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19English traders first arrived in the 1580s, when Elizabeth I
0:11:19 > 0:11:23was on the throne back in London, lured by tales of its grandeur.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27They had never seen a city so large or magnificent
0:11:27 > 0:11:29as Fatehpur Sikri in their lives.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31There was nothing in the world like it,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35and certainly not in their own relatively poor nation.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Here courtiers wore the finest fabrics,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40dripping in gold and jewels.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42The palaces were cooled by continuous motion
0:11:42 > 0:11:46of the punkahwallahs, waving peacock-feather fans.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Akbar created his own perfumes
0:11:49 > 0:11:52and had the air scented with precious ambergris
0:11:52 > 0:11:53and aloeswood.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Servants burned incense in gold and silver censers.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03So the sun is setting in this beautiful open courtyard
0:12:03 > 0:12:08with this central pool, with four paths leading to it
0:12:08 > 0:12:13and a platform for musicians, who would have performed,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17usually as the sun was going down and the heat of the day was passing.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19And just up there,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22a viewing gallery for the emperor to get the best view.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26And this whole courtyard would have been filled with
0:12:26 > 0:12:28the sound of music and dance.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33All across this palace complex,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Babur's roving entourage of encampments and tents
0:12:37 > 0:12:39has now been translated to stone,
0:12:39 > 0:12:44and you have this series of spaced-out, beautiful pavilions.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50One tradition that the Mughals had brought with them
0:12:50 > 0:12:53from the steppes of Central Asia was a passion for the hunt.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58As a young man, Akbar kept a thousand cheetahs,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00trained for the chase like dogs were in Europe.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06North India was rich in wildlife and the Mughal emperors
0:13:06 > 0:13:09built hunting pavilions like this across their domains.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13But it was during one of these hunts that something happened
0:13:13 > 0:13:16that changed the entire course of Akbar's reign.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Hunting was a great sport during the Mughal emperors' time.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25And Akbar, in a hunting lodge much like this one,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28gathered his courtiers, who for ten days
0:13:28 > 0:13:33drove animals from a circumference of 80km surrounding this lodge.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37But just at the moment when the hunt was ready,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40all the animals were gathered, he stopped.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Because he'd had an epiphany.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46His biographers described it as an epileptic seizure
0:13:46 > 0:13:48or some kind of delusion, but whatever it was,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52it was the moment of complete change for Akbar and he cancelled the hunt.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58One witness described how, "Suddenly all at once a strange state
0:13:58 > 0:14:03"and strong frenzy came upon the Emperor, and an extraordinary
0:14:03 > 0:14:07"change was manifested in his manner and everyone attributed it
0:14:07 > 0:14:12"to some cause or other. But God alone knows such secrets."
0:14:12 > 0:14:16He set the animals free and he declared that none of them
0:14:16 > 0:14:18were going to be hurt henceforth.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23This strange experience seems to have been the turning point
0:14:23 > 0:14:24in Akbar's reign.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Because after this, nothing was the same again.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38After the hunting incident, Akbar became a much more spiritual man.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42He stopped eating meat, shaved his head
0:14:42 > 0:14:46and started to ask questions of himself and of others.
0:14:47 > 0:14:53In the middle of this whole complex, of this magnificent pop-up city
0:14:53 > 0:14:57called Fatehpur Sikri, there is this real conundrum.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04A hall of public audience, but architecturally it suggests...
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Well, it remains enigmatic.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12Why? Because in the middle you've got this central column which is
0:15:12 > 0:15:16really reminiscent on the one hand of the pillar that you see
0:15:16 > 0:15:19outside every Hindu temple, which represents
0:15:19 > 0:15:23the axis of the universe, the cosmic axis, if you like.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32But then it doesn't, the space doesn't lend itself to conversation,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35because the seating area is up above.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43There's a theme in Persian painting of the treehouse,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47which is a space that's elevated, it's actually not public,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51it's private, and really there is greater licence
0:15:51 > 0:15:56when you're above the realm of the everyday
0:15:56 > 0:16:00to engage in the kind of discussions or activities
0:16:00 > 0:16:02that might not otherwise be allowed.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09As soon as you step up here you get a real sense, of course,
0:16:09 > 0:16:14that you're elevated in a rather unusual fashion, above the ground.
0:16:14 > 0:16:24There are these very low balconies and wonderful ventilation
0:16:24 > 0:16:29all around, which would have made this a fantastic little hideaway,
0:16:29 > 0:16:34in a sense, from the world, for Akbar to come up with whomever
0:16:34 > 0:16:38he pleased, to sit and discuss affairs of the heart or state.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43I can imagine Akbar sitting here,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46inviting certain people from all four corners,
0:16:46 > 0:16:51to come and join him in the centre for intimate conversation.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53It doesn't really give a sense of public audience,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55it's a much more private space.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59It's elevated above the ground and you really get a sense here
0:16:59 > 0:17:04that you need to be invited up to the emperor's treehouse
0:17:04 > 0:17:07in order to converse with him in the most intimate fashion.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13For the rest of his 50-year-long reign,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Akbar now dedicated himself to the exploration of other religions.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26OK, I'll take one from each.
0:17:28 > 0:17:29One, 25.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31'When the Mughals had first arrived in India,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35'they found a country of many other religions.'
0:17:35 > 0:17:36Mm, they smell beautiful.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39'Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism all flourished.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43'Akbar decided he would not try to suppress any of these
0:17:43 > 0:17:45'but rather embrace and encourage them.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50'It is this open-mindedness that above all distinguishes Akbar
0:17:50 > 0:17:52'from his successors.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59'I'm on my way to the Sufi shrine of Nizamuddin in Delhi,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01'one of the most important in India.'
0:18:05 > 0:18:08It lies at the heart of a labyrinth of narrow alleyways
0:18:08 > 0:18:12and stalls selling rose petals to scatter on the grave of the saint.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16RHYTHMIC CLAPPING AND MUSIC
0:18:18 > 0:18:20SINGING
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Sufism is a mystical form of Islam
0:18:25 > 0:18:29that believes there are many different pathways to God.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Some stricter interpretations of Islam
0:18:31 > 0:18:34forbid music and dancing entirely,
0:18:34 > 0:18:38but for Sufis, music is the expression of religious ecstasy.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Akbar came to just such a Sufi shrine
0:18:52 > 0:18:56to pray for the birth of a son and heir to the throne.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59It worked - he got three - and after the hunting incident,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03he became intensely drawn to Sufism and its openness to all people
0:19:03 > 0:19:04and all faiths.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12The traditional music still played at Sufi shrines like this
0:19:12 > 0:19:17is called qawwali, and fuses Indian musical styles with Arabic poetry,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19which is why the Mughals loved it.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24As they sought to integrate themselves into their new
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Indian domains, Akbar looked for other ways to combine Islam
0:19:28 > 0:19:33with elements of Hinduism, in song, in imagery and in architecture.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Sages, gurus and spiritual leaders of all sorts were now
0:19:44 > 0:19:49welcomed at Fatehpur Sikri, although they did not always agree.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Giles Tillotson has written about how the peculiar architecture
0:19:54 > 0:19:59of Akbar's palace both facilitated and reflected his new tolerance
0:19:59 > 0:20:01to religions other than Islam.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06According to Akbar's court historian, Abul Fazl,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09these discussions had, as it were, their own institution.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13He describes the discussions taking place in a palace
0:20:13 > 0:20:15that contained four interlocking rooms
0:20:15 > 0:20:18with concurrent discussions going on in each.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21And that the emperor used to move from one room to the other.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- To the other.- ..to participate in the discussions as they were...
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Taking place.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Taking place. Exactly.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30So, how exactly did the discussions go?
0:20:30 > 0:20:32I mean, what sort of format did they take?
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Well, I think, actually,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37there's a hint in Abul Fazl that they didn't always go terribly well.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41I think Akbar's hope was that by getting the most learned people
0:20:41 > 0:20:43from different religions together,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46that he would solve some of the central, eternal questions...
0:20:46 > 0:20:47Of the universe!
0:20:47 > 0:20:48..of the universe, as it were!
0:20:48 > 0:20:51But to his frustration, though perhaps not to our surprise,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54the priests often took entrenched positions
0:20:54 > 0:20:58and refused to really... to exchange ideas at all.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03So, how unusual was it for Akbar to have such an expansive vision
0:21:03 > 0:21:05of all these different religions?
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I think this was probably the first time that a Muslim court
0:21:08 > 0:21:12had been so open to the investigation of religious matters
0:21:12 > 0:21:16from the perspective of other religions around them,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19rather than simply pursuing different schools within Islam itself.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Akbar's new openness to different religions can be seen
0:21:26 > 0:21:29also in his playful approach to architecture.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33When you encounter some of these buildings,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36as you approach them, there is a sort of Christmas cake effect,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39where different elements are sort of plonked on top of the other.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Yes, it's clearly a design school, if you like...
0:21:42 > 0:21:43Slightly unresolved.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Yes, it's a design school
0:21:45 > 0:21:47that's used to working with certain traditions.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52But very different traditions have come in to the same space
0:21:52 > 0:21:53and the designers have thought,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57"Well, how can we play with the new material that's available to us
0:21:57 > 0:21:59"in the hope of creating something different?"
0:21:59 > 0:22:02The experimental nature of the design is very clear here,
0:22:02 > 0:22:07for example, where you have above a line of ornamental niches,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09and then below them,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12this line of dado panels with the decorated border.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14But these are features that you would normally
0:22:14 > 0:22:17- expect to find on the interior of a room.- Right.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Here, they're expressed on the exterior of the building.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22It would be rather like, in modern terms,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24putting wallpaper on the outside of your house.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Clearly, this is meant to be experimental. It's playful.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30It's not to be taken entirely seriously.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35They're trying new things out and, as with the mixture of motifs from
0:22:35 > 0:22:40different sources, it's like, again, to put it in modern-day terms, like
0:22:40 > 0:22:44producing a design in Photoshop, to see whether it works or not.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51But after only 14 years,
0:22:51 > 0:22:56this fantasy city of Akbar's was abandoned as impractical,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59some say because there was a shortage of water.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01The ever-restless Akbar moved on,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05leaving Fatehpur Sikri like an abandoned Las Vegas in the desert.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Despite his many other achievements,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19modern Indians often think of Akbar as a romantic hero,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21as in this Bollywood box office smash,
0:23:21 > 0:23:26Jodhaa Akbar, about the emperor and Jodhaa, a Hindu princess.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31'It was huge.'
0:23:31 > 0:23:35I think it was a big hit mainly because Hrithik Roshan is so cute
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and Aishwarya Rai is very beautiful
0:23:37 > 0:23:39and both of them really light up the screen.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47There's a scene in which he's waggling a sword and he's got
0:23:47 > 0:23:51a belt also, and Aishwarya's looking at him from behind.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55She's totally giving him the eye and there is, you know,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58you can actually feel, you can feel the frisson.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01So, I think the film did very well, essentially because it was,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05it had great music, it had these two very lovely-looking leads
0:24:05 > 0:24:07and the fact that they got together really well.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15What has always given the story of Akbar and his Hindu wife Jodhaa
0:24:15 > 0:24:16such box-office appeal
0:24:16 > 0:24:21is that this is a West Side Story of Montagues and Capulets -
0:24:21 > 0:24:25Akbar, the Muslim emperor, marrying a Hindu princess, a subject
0:24:25 > 0:24:29that still has controversial resonance in India today
0:24:29 > 0:24:34and has helped make Akbar a talismanic figure in history.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Do you think that Akbar, the historical figure,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40makes a good hero?
0:24:40 > 0:24:43I think he makes a wonderful hero because of the fact of what he did.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48Because he had Jodhaa as his wife, who was a Hindu.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53Nobody else before that had actually made one of his prime ranis a Hindu.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55And he was steadfast.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58He stuck to that position despite the kind of,
0:24:58 > 0:25:03the conflict that happened as a consequence of his act.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08He stuck firm to his guns and I think it was Akbar who gave India
0:25:08 > 0:25:13of the medieval era its first taste of what it was like
0:25:13 > 0:25:16to be a unified country, despite the fact that it had all these
0:25:16 > 0:25:20little, you know, principalities and kingdoms fighting on the side.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- But he really brought it together. - He really unified and...
0:25:23 > 0:25:24- And celebrated.- And the unity.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Yes, because Akbar did what he did,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30it became, it became a country that it wasn't before.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39Akbar also married Hindu and Islamic styles in art, to great effect.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44He initiated an immense expansion of the imperial studio and recruited
0:25:44 > 0:25:47artists from all the conquered kingdoms of northern India.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53These brothers can trace their lineage directly down from
0:25:53 > 0:25:57one of the greatest of the Mughal artists, who achieved an intense
0:25:57 > 0:26:01saffron yellow in his paintings with the urine of mango-fed cows.
0:26:03 > 0:26:04His descendants still use
0:26:04 > 0:26:07the same painstaking technique,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10using tiny squirrel-hair brushes,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13which can take many months just to finish a single picture.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Nitin Bhayana is a leading art critic and collector
0:26:24 > 0:26:27who is an expert on how native Rajput painting
0:26:27 > 0:26:30changed with the arrival of the Mughals.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32A sequence of Mughal emperors
0:26:32 > 0:26:35brought artists from the courts of Persia,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38and then later developed a school of painting in India
0:26:38 > 0:26:42by enrolling various artists, and made karkhanas, or factories,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46where they would produce huge numbers of paintings.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53And you see, slowly but surely in a span of 50 or 100 years,
0:26:53 > 0:26:58paintings moving from styles like this, cruder styles like this,
0:26:58 > 0:27:03to something like that. You still see Rajput elements.
0:27:03 > 0:27:04- Yeah.- And then you see them
0:27:04 > 0:27:09really melting away into a painting like that from the state of Bikaner,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11which was closely aligned to the Mughals.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- Yeah. - And this could be a Mughal painting.
0:27:14 > 0:27:15Couldn't it!
0:27:15 > 0:27:19I mean, look at the hills, look at the distance,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22look at the perspective on the buildings and look at the faces.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25If you look at the difference in the faces you could almost,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27you know, you can tell who these people are.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28Absolutely.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32So, as we went along, I think it became more and more,
0:27:32 > 0:27:33more and more Mughal.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Yeah.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Akbar commissioned his artists to do increasingly ambitious scenes
0:27:40 > 0:27:43of the spectacle of court life, as here, where the Emperor
0:27:43 > 0:27:47is seen riding an elephant, one of his great passions.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52And here Akbar is now heroically trying to tame an escaped elephant,
0:27:52 > 0:27:56and this picture exemplifies how the Mughals brought a new sense of
0:27:56 > 0:28:01verve and dynamism to Indian art in their use of space and perspective.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07One of the things that really first drew me towards Indian art
0:28:07 > 0:28:10was its completely different conception of space.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11Ever since the Renaissance,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15in European art there's been this ambition to recreate reality
0:28:15 > 0:28:18on the canvas, to effectively punch a hole through it.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20For Indian artists, you've got reality in spades,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22so what did they do?
0:28:22 > 0:28:26They made space and they would use as many different viewpoints within
0:28:26 > 0:28:30a single painting as they needed to tell the story they wanted to tell.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34And those multiple viewpoints
0:28:34 > 0:28:37were necessary for the stories Akbar commissioned,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40large-scale illustrations of court life and history,
0:28:40 > 0:28:44often with scenes of violence or boisterous energy,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46like hunts, battles or sieges.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52But under his successors, the painting style became more intimate.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04You can start to see individual portraits emerge,
0:29:04 > 0:29:07as in this picture of the most famous Mughal emperor of them all,
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Akbar's grandson, who when he came to the throne
0:29:11 > 0:29:14took the name Shah Jahan, "Glory of the World".
0:29:21 > 0:29:23Patronage of the arts continued under Shah Jahan.
0:29:23 > 0:29:28And you see the Emperor here on his imperial elephant
0:29:28 > 0:29:32clomping through a very elegant landscape.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34The devil is really in the detail.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38You can see each of these individually painted flowers here.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42And behind him there are geese flying through the sky
0:29:42 > 0:29:44and the billowing clouds.
0:29:44 > 0:29:50What's interesting about Mughal painting is that you have
0:29:50 > 0:29:54the flatness and the palette of the indigenous Rajput courts
0:29:54 > 0:29:58married with attention to detail in everyday life.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02I mean, look at the way the Emperor's features are portrayed,
0:30:02 > 0:30:04they're highly naturalistic.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07And then, the halo around his head, of course,
0:30:07 > 0:30:09comes from the European tradition.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13So, the many different influences converging in a single painting.
0:30:18 > 0:30:19When Shah Jahan came to the throne,
0:30:19 > 0:30:23Mughal architecture changed dramatically.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27All his predecessors had used red sandstone for their buildings,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30as here at the aptly-named Red Fort in Agra,
0:30:30 > 0:30:32where generations of Mughal emperors had lived,
0:30:32 > 0:30:36so it's a good place to see the spectacular difference
0:30:36 > 0:30:41when Shah Jahan decided to build in a new area of the palace.
0:30:46 > 0:30:51He started to cover everything in dazzling white marble.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01Unlike the roving entourage of Babur
0:31:01 > 0:31:05and the outward-looking symposium of Akbar's court, the rituals
0:31:05 > 0:31:09of Mughal India were literally set in stone under Shah Jahan.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Like the architecture, they elevated and framed
0:31:22 > 0:31:26the impossible grandeur of the great Mughals.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36The Mughals were really interested in gardens
0:31:36 > 0:31:40but they weren't only concerned in their formal beauty
0:31:40 > 0:31:46and in them as spaces for relaxation and enjoyment, but also in flora.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50They were great botanists and they famously collected
0:31:50 > 0:31:54specimens of different flowers, and had them painted,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56but what you see here,
0:31:56 > 0:31:59in Shah Jahan's magnificent private quarters,
0:31:59 > 0:32:04is the transposing of that interest in flora into stone.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08And they used this technique called pietra dura which was then
0:32:08 > 0:32:13current in Renaissance Italy, so it was absolutely a la mode,
0:32:13 > 0:32:17but made it a very Indian experience.
0:32:17 > 0:32:24And using semi-precious stones like lapis, carnelian, jasper, jade,
0:32:24 > 0:32:29and setting them into the marble to create these incredible designs.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33So it wasn't about botanical representation any more,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35it was about taking that interest
0:32:35 > 0:32:39and creating something completely new and unique.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43This technique was, of course, derived from Italy
0:32:43 > 0:32:45but we see it here
0:32:45 > 0:32:50transposed to a whole new context under the patronage of Shah Jahan.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56In the nearby city of Agra,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59there are still traces of the craftsmanship that was
0:32:59 > 0:33:03brought to a peak under Shah Jahan's rule - although you have to
0:33:03 > 0:33:06look hard to find it in the busy sprawling streets.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24The thing about India that, even with the massive boom
0:33:24 > 0:33:29that's driving its economy today, and throwing up skyscrapers
0:33:29 > 0:33:33in Mumbai and Delhi, you just need to step back from that for a moment
0:33:33 > 0:33:36and wander down some of the back streets and find life
0:33:36 > 0:33:41pretty much unchanged for a large majority of the population,
0:33:41 > 0:33:44and hidden away there you'll find practices,
0:33:44 > 0:33:48crafts and techniques that are still cherished.
0:33:48 > 0:33:49TAPPING
0:33:49 > 0:33:51GRINDING
0:33:54 > 0:33:58Just off the maze of back streets is a stonecutters' workshop.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02It's a family business that seems to have been going for more generations
0:34:02 > 0:34:03than anyone is able to remember,
0:34:03 > 0:34:06and they specialise in decorative marble inlay.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12Designs are traced out and like some kind of beautiful jigsaw,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15individual elements are crafted to fit the master pattern.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20It's very reminiscent of the emperor's quarters
0:34:20 > 0:34:22up on the nearby hillside
0:34:24 > 0:34:26You really get a sense of when the water is applied
0:34:26 > 0:34:30and the dust is cleaned away, that these incredible range
0:34:30 > 0:34:33of colours emerge, and how they stand out against the white marble.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38They may not be big on health and safety,
0:34:38 > 0:34:42but it's shown me how incredibly painstaking this work is
0:34:42 > 0:34:45as they chisel away at these intricate forms and then inlay them
0:34:45 > 0:34:49with precious stones - and how many thousands of man-hours
0:34:49 > 0:34:52it must have taken to create these fantasy buildings
0:34:52 > 0:34:54of white marble for Shah Jahan.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06I first came here when I was about eight years old
0:35:06 > 0:35:09and remember how amazed I was then at the sheer amount
0:35:09 > 0:35:13of white marble, a fairytale wedding cake of a palace.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19And of course I already knew the story of how its builder,
0:35:19 > 0:35:22Shah Jahan, the grandson of Akbar and Jodhabi,
0:35:22 > 0:35:27had his own passionate love affair - a marriage which had its final
0:35:27 > 0:35:30consummation in one of the most famous buildings in the world.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35Like all Mughal rulers, Shah Jahan
0:35:35 > 0:35:39was married to several women at once.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Yet the love of his life was unquestionably Mumtaz Mahal,
0:35:42 > 0:35:44here portrayed with the spring flowers
0:35:44 > 0:35:48and cherry blossom of Kashmir that Shah Jahan loved so well.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54Sadly in 1631, she died giving birth to their 14th child.
0:35:54 > 0:35:59And Shah Jahan was so distraught his beard turned white overnight
0:35:59 > 0:36:03and he kept the court in mourning for over two years.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07He also vowed to build her the greatest monument to love
0:36:07 > 0:36:08the world has ever seen.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36Anywhere else, this incredible gateway would be a destination
0:36:36 > 0:36:40in its own right, but here it serves as a magnificent reveal.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22Every time I come here, it absolutely takes my breath away.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26Rising like a mirage out of the early morning sunshine.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33The Taj Mahal was built by the finest artisans
0:37:33 > 0:37:38from across the Islamic world, stonecutters from Baluchistan,
0:37:38 > 0:37:42architects from the Ottoman Empire and calligraphers from Persia.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46Native Indian craftsmen also brought their own cultural influences
0:37:46 > 0:37:48to bear on the design and detail
0:37:48 > 0:37:53and in so doing honoured the Hindus of India as well as the Muslims.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58A British poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, described it as,
0:37:58 > 0:38:00"not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are,
0:38:00 > 0:38:03"but the proud passion of an emperor's love
0:38:03 > 0:38:05"wrought in living stone,"
0:38:05 > 0:38:09and it is still largely thought of as a monument to love.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Whenever I come to this place, I feel love.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16So if I sit somewhere by myself, I just,
0:38:16 > 0:38:19I can't express my feeling for the Taj Mahal.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23The Taj, it symbolises only affection and love.
0:38:25 > 0:38:31So that is the main motto of our life, so the Taj symbolises that.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34I mean, India is generally known for the Taj.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36People from outside come, so we thought we must.
0:38:36 > 0:38:43My first visit was invited by Mrs Gandhi. Indira Gandhi, yeah, 1979.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45This was the building of love.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48A husband built this beautiful building for his beloved wife.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50So we can all live in hope.
0:38:50 > 0:38:51Exactly!
0:38:51 > 0:38:54It's known as one of the seven wonders of the world
0:38:54 > 0:38:56and is the only reason I've come and, yes, we are very close to it
0:38:56 > 0:38:59so we should have seen one of them.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01As Indians, what do you feel it represents
0:39:01 > 0:39:04and symbolises for you as Indians?
0:39:04 > 0:39:06I guess it symbolises love.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11But in thinking of the Taj Mahal as mainly a monument to love,
0:39:11 > 0:39:15have we completely misunderstood what the Mughals were trying to do?
0:39:16 > 0:39:19- Giles! Hi.- Hi, Sona. I hope you've had your photograph taken,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22there are certain important rituals in this place.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Absolutely, as you can see.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29So there are a number of mythologies that one grows up with.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34When I first came here when I was eight, I was told by a guide
0:39:34 > 0:39:37that the architect's hands were cut off so that he couldn't
0:39:37 > 0:39:42reproduce a monument such as this again, and I grew up believing that.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44I think of all the myths about the Taj
0:39:44 > 0:39:46that is perhaps the most objectionable.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49I mean, one can't debunk all of them, people will have their myths.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52But that one does seem particularly inappropriate.
0:39:52 > 0:39:53In fact, the architect was busy,
0:39:53 > 0:39:55by the time the building was completed,
0:39:55 > 0:39:58was busy designing the Red Fort in Delhi,
0:39:58 > 0:40:02so he didn't do another Taj but he did another great Mughal masterpiece.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04I think it's impossible for us today
0:40:04 > 0:40:08to approach the monument from any perspective other than
0:40:08 > 0:40:13that of the legend or famous love story between Shah Jahan and Mumtaz.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17We're all told so emphatically that it's a symbol of love
0:40:17 > 0:40:20that it's impossible to see it in any other light.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22But there's a sense in which I think we have to try
0:40:22 > 0:40:25to get beyond that, to see it more as the Mughals saw it,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29not as a symbol of love but as a symbol of Paradise.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31- Recreated on earth. - Sort of thing, yes.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33I mean, the tomb itself is actually the mansion of the departed soul
0:40:33 > 0:40:35- in Paradise.- Right.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39And that Paradise imagery extends not just to the building,
0:40:39 > 0:40:42but to the whole of the garden, the layout of the garden.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45So, have the gardens changed since Mughal times?
0:40:45 > 0:40:47Oh, I think very considerably, yes.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50A lot of the mature planting that we see now
0:40:50 > 0:40:52is of much more recent times.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55From contemporary accounts, it's clear that the garden
0:40:55 > 0:40:59originally was mostly occupied by flowering trees and by fruit trees.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02- Ah.- And indeed the produce was marketed.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04It was collected and sold in the market
0:41:04 > 0:41:07in order to raise money to pay the salaries of the tomb attendants.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10So really quite pragmatic and sensible.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13Yes, you had, as it were, a form of market gardening, if you will.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21Tourists often make the mistake of thinking that
0:41:21 > 0:41:24the gardens around the Taj are just a municipal park
0:41:24 > 0:41:27to frame the jewel at their centre.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30But Shah Jahan, like all his ancestors,
0:41:30 > 0:41:34thought of the Mughals as children of the high mountain valleys,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37of his beloved Kashmir which he visited every year,
0:41:37 > 0:41:39and these gardens were
0:41:39 > 0:41:42an attempt to recreate such a paradise on earth
0:41:42 > 0:41:43for the tomb of his wife.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07The Taj Mahal is often said to be one of the greatest monuments
0:42:07 > 0:42:08to love.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12And it is without doubt one of the greatest achievements
0:42:12 > 0:42:13of Mughal architecture.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19But while it signals the climax of the Mughal Empire,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23in some ways it was also the start of its decline and fall.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33You only have to travel a short distance from the Taj
0:42:33 > 0:42:35to find yourself in another world,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38with ruined Mughal buildings abandoned in the countryside.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43These are the old palaces and gardens of Mughal nobles.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Stretching for miles up the river bank, they are not
0:42:56 > 0:43:00protected by the Indian government and are simply rotting away.
0:43:03 > 0:43:04BUZZING
0:43:04 > 0:43:09This eerie, dilapidated building, which today seems only to be
0:43:09 > 0:43:14home to a swarm of bees, was once the home of Mumtaz's eunuch,
0:43:14 > 0:43:18and has this magnificent view of the Taj just across the water there.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23And there's actually some graffiti here on the wall, which says,
0:43:23 > 0:43:30"Hindu-musalman ekta jindabad" - "Hail to Hindu-Muslim Unity."
0:43:30 > 0:43:32Quite appropriate for an old Mughal monument.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37The Taj Mahal is the height of Mughal achievement,
0:43:37 > 0:43:41the crowning glory of a great, if controversial, empire.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46But the Taj also marked the beginning of a terrible end.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50Shah Jahan and Mumtaz had many sons.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55However, unlike in Europe,
0:43:55 > 0:44:00the eldest son wasn't necessarily the heir and if the strongest son
0:44:00 > 0:44:05could seize power he too could rule legitimately as any of his brothers.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15Shah Jahan named his eldest son, Dara Shikoh, as his heir.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18There were high hopes for him.
0:44:18 > 0:44:19Like his great ancestor, Akbar,
0:44:19 > 0:44:23Dara Shikoh was a progressive, tolerant and intellectual man,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26with interests in all the world's religions.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30Dara Shikoh, as you can see, is a pretty dressy kind of guy.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32He's got a little string of pearls across his face.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36- Yes.- He's dressed up in the finest Mughal kit.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39All his jama and he's on horseback.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41He's absolutely dripping in jewels.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45- Yes.- And the contrast between this man settled at court, getting on
0:44:45 > 0:44:50with his dad, living a family life, revelling in everything the capital
0:44:50 > 0:44:55had to offer, is in stark contrast to Aurangzeb, the younger brother.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58Aurangzeb is hated by his father and this sort of twists him.
0:44:58 > 0:45:03- Er, he becomes this very... a child who is rejected.- Right.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05Becomes crabbed in some way,
0:45:05 > 0:45:12and Aurangzeb is determined to destroy the existing rulers.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16- Mm.- His father and his obvious heir, Dara.- Mm.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19And Aurangzeb has the advantage, of course,
0:45:19 > 0:45:21because he's been in the field.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25He's been a general, he's a puritan, he is ruthless, he's Machiavellian.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28The whole thing is very like in King Lear,
0:45:28 > 0:45:30where you have the two sons, Edgar and Edmund.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32- And Edgar's the beloved son of Gloucester.- Sure.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34- And grows up weak and hopeless. - Yeah.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36While Edmund is the illegitimate one,
0:45:36 > 0:45:38who is never given any love, but is ruthless.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40But has to fight for his position, yeah.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43And there's a great Shakespearean quality, I think,
0:45:43 > 0:45:45in the way that these two sons battle it out.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47Dara, for all that he represents,
0:45:47 > 0:45:50he represents everything that we find most attractive in the Mughals.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52Not only does he have exquisite taste,
0:45:52 > 0:45:55does he commission beautiful art, is he responsible
0:45:55 > 0:45:58for extraordinary architecture, he also has this wonderfully
0:45:58 > 0:46:02tolerant attitude he inherits from the tradition of Akbar.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06And Aurangzeb is this tough guy who's had to make his own way,
0:46:06 > 0:46:09who's been ignored by the court, ignored by his father and...
0:46:09 > 0:46:11- Who's frankly fed up. - He's frankly fed up.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14And the more that his father and his brother indulge in jewels
0:46:14 > 0:46:17and manuscript illumination, the more he rejects that whole world.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20And yet, when it comes to the final battle, when Aurangzeb advances from
0:46:20 > 0:46:23the Deccan with his battle-hardened troops, although they are
0:46:23 > 0:46:25a fraction of the size of the Imperial Army,
0:46:25 > 0:46:27which Dara Shikoh leads into battle,
0:46:27 > 0:46:31the spoilt, silly young prince doesn't know how to fight a battle,
0:46:31 > 0:46:34and Aurangzeb, with his small crack force, makes mincemeat of them.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46Aurangzeb's war of succession was short and brutal.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49He took his father and brother prisoner,
0:46:49 > 0:46:52killing most of their generals and men.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55He then began planning his coronation, to be held here,
0:46:55 > 0:46:56in Delhi.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01Dara Shikoh was brought back to Delhi
0:47:01 > 0:47:05and paraded through the streets in rags and chains.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09He was sat mockingly on top of an old, broken-down elephant.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11Francois Bernier,
0:47:11 > 0:47:15who worked as a doctor at the court of Shah Jahan, witnessed the event.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23"I could not divest myself of the idea
0:47:23 > 0:47:27"that some dreadful execution was about to take place.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30"The crowd assembled upon this disgraceful occasion was immense,
0:47:30 > 0:47:34"and everywhere I observed the people weeping,
0:47:34 > 0:47:39"and lamenting the fate of Dara in the most touching language.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42"For the Indian people have a very tender heart.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45"Men, women and children wailing as if some mighty calamity
0:47:45 > 0:47:48"had happened to themselves."
0:47:53 > 0:47:57Aurangzeb was shocked that the people had wept for Dara,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00and decided that his brother must be put to death.
0:48:01 > 0:48:06On the 30th August 1659, he was attacked by four assassins
0:48:06 > 0:48:09who held him down and hacked off his head.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12Dara's head was brought to Aurangzeb, who had to
0:48:12 > 0:48:16wash the blood away in order to recognise his brother's features.
0:48:16 > 0:48:21Then he wept and exclaimed, "Let this shocking sight
0:48:21 > 0:48:24no longer offend my eyes, but take away this head
0:48:24 > 0:48:27"and let it be buried in Humayun's Tomb."
0:48:38 > 0:48:41So Dara Shikoh was buried here, in an unmarked grave
0:48:41 > 0:48:43amongst his ancestors,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47and with him was buried the liberal era of Mughal rule.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was imprisoned
0:49:01 > 0:49:04here at the Red Fort by his own son, Aurangzeb,
0:49:04 > 0:49:10and you can imagine how he would have felt looking out at the Taj.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13The very monument he built to his beloved Mumtaz,
0:49:13 > 0:49:17that was later described as a teardrop on the cheek of time.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37Aurangzeb changed the face of Mughal rule in India.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40With fire and sword, he conquered even more territory
0:49:40 > 0:49:44for the Mughal Empire, which had nearly doubled in size by the 1700s.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49The generous treatment of non-Muslims,
0:49:49 > 0:49:53which had begun under Akbar, came to an end.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56It is said that Aurangzeb forced Hindus to convert to Islam,
0:49:56 > 0:49:59and demolished some Hindu temples.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04To symbolise the importance and dominance of Islam, Aurangzeb
0:50:04 > 0:50:08built the huge Badshahi mosque in Lahore, positioned opposite
0:50:08 > 0:50:11the fort to emphasise the unity of Islam and power.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19Here in Delhi, too, Islamic prayer was now a very public
0:50:19 > 0:50:21and political statement of faith.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25But even though Aurangzeb now forbade the use of music
0:50:25 > 0:50:28and discouraged the arts at his court,
0:50:28 > 0:50:31the Mughal influence continued to live on elsewhere in India.
0:50:33 > 0:50:39We've been given privileged access to this exquisite and rare
0:50:39 > 0:50:4218th-century manuscript from Bikaner...
0:50:44 > 0:50:47..where all the script is in Sanskrit.
0:50:47 > 0:50:53It's been handwritten and it's got this beautiful illustration.
0:50:53 > 0:50:58So, it's a real treasure to be able to view this at such close quarters.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03Aurangzeb, as a more traditional Muslim,
0:51:03 > 0:51:07did not patronise the arts in the way that his ancestors had done,
0:51:07 > 0:51:10and the court atelier dispersed.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14And artists moved away from the royal court
0:51:14 > 0:51:20to the regional Hindu and Deccani courts, where they began practising,
0:51:20 > 0:51:25but bringing the skills they had learnt in the Mughal courts
0:51:25 > 0:51:26to the regions, such as at Bikaner,
0:51:26 > 0:51:29which is where this manuscript is from.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31And I've just found a snakeskin inside,
0:51:31 > 0:51:33which is a traditional conservation technique
0:51:33 > 0:51:38for deterring termites from eating one's paintings.
0:51:38 > 0:51:43And what's wonderful about this manuscript is that you really
0:51:43 > 0:51:46see the coming together, the joining of the great,
0:51:46 > 0:51:51two great Indian traditions of Hindu and Mughal art.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55Such as Shiva here, sitting on top of Mount Kailash.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57And the mountains are painted in exactly
0:51:57 > 0:51:59the tradition of Mughal painting.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08And this painting in particular,
0:52:08 > 0:52:12you have a very naturalistic landscape which would sit very
0:52:12 > 0:52:17comfortably in a Mughal painting as much as it would in a Gainsborough,
0:52:17 > 0:52:21with this elegant marble pavilion on the left-hand side.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24Painted in full perspective,
0:52:24 > 0:52:27and then two Shaiva yogis sitting, one of them
0:52:27 > 0:52:33with a halo around his head, which again comes from European painting.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36And they're holding audience with one of the princes of Bikaner,
0:52:36 > 0:52:41who has arrived, dressed very simply apart from the crown upon his head.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47It's a great sadness that artistic endeavours like these would not
0:52:47 > 0:52:51have survived at Aurangzeb's court under his new austerity regime.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57Music, painting and poetry held no interest for the Emperor.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01Instead, he was a man whose fervent wish was to leave the legacy
0:53:01 > 0:53:03of a well-ordered Islamic state.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08Yet his heavy-handed rule led to resentment
0:53:08 > 0:53:13and ultimately rebellion, and unlike his forbears it was a regime
0:53:13 > 0:53:15that had no room for consensus.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20After almost 50 years on the throne, he died, and the Mughal Empire
0:53:20 > 0:53:26weakened, leaving the way clear for India's new conquerors, the British.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32During the British empire, a far more short-lived one than
0:53:32 > 0:53:35the Mughals, the rulers of the Raj tried to emulate
0:53:35 > 0:53:37the grandeur of Mughal ambition.
0:53:37 > 0:53:42However, the British, unlike the Muslims, never became Indian.
0:53:42 > 0:53:47They capitalised on existing tensions between Hindus and Muslims,
0:53:47 > 0:53:50befriending some communities, and fighting others.
0:53:50 > 0:53:55This imperial strategy worked for a while, but by dividing
0:53:55 > 0:53:59and ruling, by pursuing a strategy so different from Akbar's,
0:53:59 > 0:54:04the British essentially created division in India and applied
0:54:04 > 0:54:08so much pressure that eventually the country was ripped in two.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18The prologue to agitation for Indian independence
0:54:18 > 0:54:22caused great tensions between Hindus and Muslims
0:54:22 > 0:54:26which resulted in communal riots across India.
0:54:26 > 0:54:31By the time of Indian independence in 1947, the liberation
0:54:31 > 0:54:35from British rule was short-lived, as India was brutally split.
0:54:37 > 0:54:42And millions of lives were lost, brutalised, families were severed
0:54:42 > 0:54:47as Hindus rushed over the border into India
0:54:47 > 0:54:49and many Indian Muslims
0:54:49 > 0:54:53moved north into what was to become the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
0:54:54 > 0:55:00And the tragedy today, is that there hasn't been any public,
0:55:00 > 0:55:03national acknowledgement, on either side of the border,
0:55:03 > 0:55:08of the great loss that happened at Partition.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Families were torn apart.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16In my own family,
0:55:16 > 0:55:22on the one hand people had to give up their lands overnight
0:55:22 > 0:55:26and rush across the border into what's now West Bengal and Kolkata.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29And the people who were living in Kolkata had to give up
0:55:29 > 0:55:32their lands overnight for the millions of refugees
0:55:32 > 0:55:34who were coming over the border.
0:55:34 > 0:55:35Which they did.
0:55:35 > 0:55:42It's one of the reasons why today Indians don't really know
0:55:42 > 0:55:46what's happening over the border in Pakistan, and vice versa.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48And the real tragedy of that
0:55:48 > 0:55:52is that they have an incredible shared history.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55And you can't really understand one country
0:55:55 > 0:55:57without looking at the other.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05So I've left India and come back to Lahore in Pakistan,
0:56:05 > 0:56:09where the Mughal Empire began, to talk to leading journalist
0:56:09 > 0:56:15Ahmed Rashid about the lasting divide left by the Mughal emperors.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18So, I was interested in what the imprint,
0:56:18 > 0:56:23or historical memory of Akbar and Aurangzeb is in Lahore.
0:56:25 > 0:56:26Well, it's very, very sharp.
0:56:26 > 0:56:31I mean, if you read the school textbooks,
0:56:31 > 0:56:36which were really rejigged by Zia-ul-Haq,
0:56:36 > 0:56:40the military ruler of Pakistan in the '80s,
0:56:40 > 0:56:45who was an Islamist, he was a great admirer of Aurangzeb
0:56:45 > 0:56:49and he saw himself as a kind of Aurangzeb-type figure.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51Remember, under him
0:56:51 > 0:56:55Pakistan helped the Mujahideen in Afghanistan fight the Soviets.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59And under him, we had this whole revival of the war in Kashmir,
0:56:59 > 0:57:02and the use of extremists in Kashmir
0:57:02 > 0:57:06and a great belief in Islamic fundamentalism
0:57:06 > 0:57:09and going back to the precepts of law, and all the rest of it.
0:57:09 > 0:57:12So, in fact, I mean, the real lesson of Akbar,
0:57:12 > 0:57:17which we desperately need now, in Pakistan, the message of tolerance,
0:57:17 > 0:57:21of, you know, accepting other religions, accepting minorities,
0:57:21 > 0:57:24you know, letting them pray as they wish which was, of course,
0:57:24 > 0:57:28also the message of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31- Of course.- In all his famous speeches he said, you know,
0:57:31 > 0:57:34"Now you can go to your mosques and your temples and your churches
0:57:34 > 0:57:39"and your synagogues, and you are free to pray as you like," you know.
0:57:39 > 0:57:41All that is, unfortunately, forgotten.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44And the originator of that was really Akbar.
0:57:48 > 0:57:53For over 300 years, the Mughals united India, and then divided it.
0:57:53 > 0:57:57They gave the country some of its greatest monuments,
0:57:57 > 0:58:00but also cut some of its deepest scars.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03They were often liberal and tolerant, but also laid
0:58:03 > 0:58:07the foundation for a much stricter interpretation of Islam.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10Even today, their legacy is extraordinarily controversial
0:58:10 > 0:58:14as Mughal history has become the battleground for a new India,
0:58:14 > 0:58:18as it struggles once again with its religious and cultural identity.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27In the next episode, I will be travelling
0:58:27 > 0:58:31even further down into India to explore the temples of Tamil Nadu
0:58:31 > 0:58:34and the exuberant art of the Hindu heartland.