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400 Years Ago in India

The battle of Panipat was fought north of Delhi in 1526. On one side was the army of the Timur empire, under Babur (1494-1530) a descendent of Timur, and on the other, the army of the sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi. Using artillery, Babur was successful and took Delhi. The same year he defeated the Rajput princes and established what is called the Moghul Empire in north India. The empire would last more than 300 years until 1857. The greatest of all Moghul emperors was Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar "the Great". By his death in 1605, the Moghul Empire, in addition to the core territory, included most of modern Pakistan, Bangladesh and central India.

Art and architecture of the Moghul period saw a fusion of Hindu and Persian styles. European craftsmen were also hired to work for the Moghuls and added their influences as well. The most famous of the many palaces and mosques built at this time was the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum built for Mumtaz, the favourite wife of the Emperor Shah Jahan. It was mostly due to the patronage and financial support of royalty that some of the most splendid examples of art and architecture in India were created. Bidar in the Deccan was famous for its bidri (metal with silver inlay) industry while the Kotah region in Rajasthan was well known for its dyed fabrics.

Akbar, himself an illiterate, was fond of literature, history and learned men.He reorganized the school system and established libraries and universities. The poets Urfi (1555-1591) and Abul Fazal, and the historian Badauni worked at the Moghul court. He was an enlightened monarch who worked hard to fight religious intolerance and promote Hindu-Muslim unity. He took great interest in philosophy and religion and was a benevolent patron of the arts.

Rana ratap, the maharaja (king) of Mewar is remembered in the poem about his trusted horse "Chetak". A brave hero to many north Indians (in Rajasthan particularly), he was the only Hindu noble in northern India to successfully resist conquest by Akbar.

Chattrapati Shivaji was the leader of Hindu resistance against the Moghuls during the time of the Emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1707). Aurangzeb was a fanatical Muslim and persecuted his Hindu subjects. Shivaji founded the great Maratha Kingdom which came to include all of central India. His military achievements in resisting conquest by Aurangazeb and a daring escape from arrest in Agra made him a legend in what is now the state of Maharashtra.

European powers establish colonies. In 1609, the Dutch take Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from the Portuguese. England establishes trading colonies at Madras (1639), Bombay (1661) and Calcutta (1696). The French, meanwhile, set up a core territory on the southeast coast of India.

Moghul Court

Kingship in India since ancient times involved many ceremonies. The Moghuls took these court ceremonies a step further, and kingship became more absolute and tied into the Islamic religion. Religious prostration, which entailed kissing the ground before the sultan or kissing his feet, was customary. The Moghul emperor Akbar (1556-1605) later introduced other forms of salutations such as placing the right hand upon the forehead and bending the head downwards. Court ceremonies were formal and pompous affairs. The officials and ministers were given fixed places to stand and a master of ceremonies maintained order and precedence in court. Amidst the imperial insignia of a gold mace and gold tiara adorned with peacock feathers, the chief usher proclaimed the presence of the sultan. Such elaborate ceremonies were intended not only for the glorification of the rulers, but were also meant to impress the local nobility and foreign dignitaries who regularly visted the imperial court at Delhi to pay tribute and present gifts to the king.

Like the Hindu rulers before them, the Muslim sultans were expected to fulfil important public duties. In the hall of general audience, the sultans heard petitions, dispensed justice, conducted state affairs, and received foreign guests as well as defeated enemies. Here, reports of ministers and officials were presented. Here too, musicians, poets and learned men showed off their talent and intellectual discussions were conducted. Proving himself to be less detached and aloof than previous monarchs, Akbar appeared every morning before the assembled crowd either at the window or the balcony. A typical court had not only its usual entourage of courtiers and literary mell, but also an assemblage of highly skilled artisans.

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