An Introduction to the Majestic Empire of the Mughals

The next travelogue entries refer to the great monuments created by the Mughal emperors in Agra and Jaipur, India. For this reason, it is perhaps timely to provide an introduction to the history of the mighty Mughal Empire.

Although we had visited some of the famous Mughal architectural monuments and gardens during our earlier travels through Pakistan and Indian Kashmir, it was the majestic Mughal legacies of the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal in Agra, and the eclectic blend of Rajasthan and Mughal architecture of Jaipur which left the deepest impressions on us.

In truth Alan and I were somewhat ambivalent about visiting Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. We enjoy, and are used to travelling to "off the beaten track" destinations and we would have to admit that we are not great sightseers. We were concerned that these cities with their famous monuments and forts could be too touristy for us. These sites certainly did have a lot of tourists but in honesty, we found the Mughal architecture simply mind blowing. Since our early childhood, we had seen photographs and read widely about these treasures, but nothing could have prepared us for the majesty and stunning beauty of the Mughal architecture. This was especially the case on our first sighting of the breathtaking splendour of the Taj Mahal at daybreak.

At its peak of control, the massive Mughal empire reigned the Indian subcontinent from AD 1526 to 1757, although officially it survived until 1858 when the British Raj took control. At the height of their power, the Muslim emperors ruled most of the subcontinent from Bengal in the east to Balochistan in the west, Kashmir in the north and the Kaveri Basin in the south - a total of over 3.2 million square kilometers. The emperors were Muslim, and direct descendants of Genghis Khan and the great Tamerlane.

The Mughal empire was founded by Babur who came from present day Ferghana in Uzbekistan. Babur and his army invaded the northern subcontinent, initially superseding the Delhi Sultanate as rulers of northern India and later to rule the vast proportion of India.

Babur was succeeded by his son Humayun, a ruler reported to be kind, intelligent and (for his time) as having a peaceful personality. For fifteen years during the reign of Babur's son Humayun, the empire was overtaken by the Afghan Suri Dynasty led by the very able Sher Shah Suri. The untimely death of Suri and the military incompetence of his successors enabled Humayun to regain power in 1555. However, Humayun died a few months later and was succeeded by his 13 year old son Akbar the Great.

The so called "classic period" of the empire began under Akbar's rule. Under his rule, India enjoyed much cultural and economic progress as well as enhanced religious liberalism. Akbar was not only an accomplished military leader, but was also a just and intelligent ruler and a man of great culture. During this time Mughal expansion was at its greatest and the power and stability of the empire became the dominant force of present day India. For the next further one hundred years, the Mughal rule was maintained by Akbar's successors Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.

Jahangir ascended to the throne following Akbar's death. He was the eldest son of Akbar. During the first year of his rule, a rebellion against him was organised by his eldest son Khusraw. After subduing and executing nearly 2,000 of the rebels, he then blinded his renegade son as punishment. During Jahangir's rule, the empire remained relatively stable with a strong economy and impressive cultural achievements and revival of Mughal painting. Jahangir spent time in his beloved Kashmir where he died en route there in 1627.

The "golden age' of Mughal architecture and arts was during the reign of Jahangir's son, the fifth Emperor Shah Jahan. Wonderful monuments erected by him include the legendary Taj Mahal, the Agra Red Fort, the Delhi Jama Masjid (mosque) and the Lahore Fort in Pakistan. Shah Jahan however did have a nasty side to him. He secured his position as emperor by executing all male relatives who stood in his way. The Mughal emperor met an equally nasty ending by being imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in the Red Fort of Agra, tortured by the fact that he himself had converted the fort into a palace which had splendid views over his beloved Taj Mahal.

Under the rule of Aurangzeb, the Empire began to wane. Decaying court life and dissatisfaction among the Hindu population with inflated taxes and religious intolerance weakened the Mughal grip on power. The "emperors" continued to rule up to the First War of Independence in 1739 but by that time however they were emperors without an empire.

The last emperor Bahardur Shah II was overthrown by the British, and the remaining remnants of the empire were seized by the British Raj in 1858.


CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF THE MUGHAL EMPERORS OF INDIA

Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad Babur
c. 1483-1530
r. 1526-1530

Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad Humayun
c.1508-1556
r. 1530-1540; 1555-1556

Abul-Fath Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar
c.1542-1605
r. 1556-1605

Nur-ud-Din-Muhammad Jahangir
c. 1569-1627
r. 1695-1627

Shahab-ud-Din M15uhammad Shah Jahan
c. 1592-1666
r. 1627-1658

Mohi-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb
c. 1618-1707
r. 1658-1707