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 period of over 130 years. While the stories […]
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 way – when the monuments they built serve […]
The Bundela Baolis of Datia
Medieval baolis – or stepwells – are so much a part of daily life in Datia that most people don’t think of them as heritage sites. For people like Bhanu, who lives on the outskirts of the town, the day begins each morning with him pumping water from his 17th century well to nurture his […]