First Family of Mughal Nobility II: The life of Mirza Ghiyas Beg
The story of Mirza Ghiyas Beg, titled I'timaduddawla
First Family of Mughal Nobility I: Quest starts in Badaun
Opening Note: This is the first of a multiple-part story. It is about a family of nobles that seems to turn up repeatedly while studying Mughal history, making themselves almost indispensable across several generations of rulers, beginning with Akbar and going on till Aurangzeb’s successors, encompassing a
An art gallery in stone
The Sankhaji ki chhatri in a tiny village of Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh. What makes it special is that is covered by carved panels depicting Hindu mythological stories.
A shade of Bihar & Greece in central India
Hindu Temple pavilion in Bihar village of Madhya Pradesh. Bears a close resemblance to Greek architecture.
BIHAR’S BOROBUDUR
If an average person in Patna were asked about the Kesariya stupa, chances are that the person would be entirely unaware of it or at best would have a vague idea of it being located in the state. Unless they were history buffs. By rights, the gigantic
BOLLYWOOD IN A MUGHAL SARAI
The glitzy world of Indian film-making, especially of the Bollywood variety is far removed from the Mughal empire. No, never mind the peculiar portrayals of emperors and their lives in movies, but the real thing. Where the Mughals set best into movies is in a less active
THE TEMPLES OF MORENA – iii: HIDDEN GEMS
When I first visited the Morena region nearly fifteen years ago, with a focus on the sites of Mitaoli, Padhawali, Bateshwar and Kakanmath, those sites were little-known. Today, while those four see plenty of visitors, not just from nearby Gwalior but also from the national capital, it
THE TEMPLES OF MORENA – ii: PADHAWALI, KAKANMATH
The first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Morena is a picture of heavily armed dacoits galloping through the Chambal badlands. Given the area’s past history of dacoit infestation, that picture is natural. But as seen in Mitaoli, there another face to the district
the temples of morena – I: mitaoli
It was in the monsoon of 2006 that I first made the journey to Mitaoli. Back then, the drive from Gwalior took longer, parts of the road’s last stretch resembled Balakot after an IAF visit, the destination could not be found on GPS and few locals had
Memories of a Forgotten History
Readers may wonder how the heritage of Khandagiri and Udayagiri, a favoured family destination just outside Bhubaneshwar can qualify as ‘hidden’? Sadly, while hundreds of people converge on these stunning sites over a weekend, few recognize their value and importance in being able to trace a most