The Legacy of Empire 

    Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb. They are the six most important emperors of the Mughal Empire of India. The Mughal emperors ushered in a new era to India, both good and bad, that transformed Indian culture. The first of these emperors, Babur, was descended from the great Mongol conquerors Timur and Ghengis Khan. By the time Babur was born, the Mongols no longer confined themselves to the nomadic life that they had led previously. They had long since become comfortable living in the city. When he was twelve years old, Babur ascended to the throne of Farghana, a small state in Frans-Oxiana, Afghanistan. In ten years he had conquered his way to the throne of Kabul. However, the rivaling Ottoman Empire was making claims further and further inside Babur's territory, and he was forced to look elsewhere for a future home for his empire.
    Babur, with the prospect of vast kingdoms in Afghanistan dashed by the Ottomans, looked with envy at the fabulous wealth of neighboring "Hindustan." India would provide Babur and his armies an ideal base of operations for actions against the Ottomans, who were reaching the climax of their 700-year empire. Babur could not have timed his entry into India better: the ruling clan's efforts to centralize the Indian empire had created conflict amongst those living in India. In 1518, Babur conquered the powerful fort of Bhira, but the Indians would not cede him any more territory. The battle for the city of Khanwa in Southern Afghanistan in 1527 was the decisive battle in which Babur defeated those forces arrayed against him and conquered himself an empire in India. He died in 1530, too soon to enjoy the fruits that were born from decades of war.
    However, the significance of Babur's entry into India was profound. By dominating Kabul and Qantdhar, two cities on the outskirts of India, in modern day Afghanistan, that had been staging areas for attacks on India for centuries, Babur guaranteed external security for India for the next 200 years. Also, control of those two cities strengthened India's foreign trade. Militarily, Babur's skilled use of artillery and cavalry changed the face of warfare and empire; only those who could afford the expensive artillery and horses could dominate. The era of large empires had begun (Medieval India 260).
    Modern literature reflects the Mughal Emperors' effect on modern Indians. In E.M. Forster's novel A Passage To India, the main character Aziz invites two Englishwomen, Mrs. Moore and Miss Quested, on an excursion to the Marabar Caves, a local point of fascination. When the two guests are impressed with Aziz's hospitality, he explains to his guests why Indians in general are so kind to their guests. Babur, Aziz tells the women, would 'never let go of hospitality and pleasure, and if there was only a little food, he would have it arranged nicely, and if only one musical instrument, he would compel it to play a beautiful tune." Hospitality is a foundation of Indian society, and in this scene we learn why the Indians value hospitality so much: their greatest Emperors were also their greatest hosts.
    Babur's son Humayun succeeded him in 1530 following Babur's death when Humayun was only twenty three. Babur's administration had not yet been consolidated, and finances were precarious. In the face of such pressure, Humayun took to drink and drugs. His nobles, and even one of his brothers, rebelled against him. In 1542 Humayun fled to Persia, leaving his son, Akbar, behind. He would not be reunited with Akbar again for three years, and it would be thirteen more years until he was able to re-conquer Delhi. However, six months later, Humayun was dead of disease and Akbar was emperor.
   Within days of the thirteen year old's ascension to the throne, some of his nobles abandoned the capital at Delhi and attacked the young emperor. They were eager to seize the throne from the young boy. Instead of turning tail and running, Akbar decided to stay and fight. In a desperate struggle, the resistance leader was shot in the eye with an arrow. Leaderless, his troops abandoned the field, leaving the young Akbar in control of the Mogul Empire. In spite of this decisive victory, there was still some dissent. When a general murdered Akbar's chief minister within his own palace, Akbar had the man, his own brother, thrown from the battlements until his neck was broken. Akbar's unbending sense of authority and iron will continue to impress the Indians of our generation (India, Then and Now 25).
    Akbar, to keep his nobles busy, turned his attention to the city of Chitor, whose Hindu warriors had caused much trouble to Babur. Ingeniously maneuvering his artillery closer and closer to the city, Akbar at last wore down the defenders. When the Hindu commander was killed by a musket ball his warriors burned their wives to save them from dishonor and made one last opium-induced charge to kill and die. In 1576, Akbar violently crushed a rebellion that had flared up in Gujarat. He had ridden with over three thousand horsemen more than 450 miles in nine days to suppress the rebellion. A question that formed in my mind while researching the Mughal Emperors was why the emperors had to fight so many internal wars. Professor Spodek, a professor at Penn University and an expert on ancient India, told me that "The cause -- and the effect -- could be excessive taxation, a desire to be independent, internal cultural pride." At this time in Akbar's rule, the Mogul Empire was the size of Europe. Akbar and the other five Mogul emperors implemented a ruling system similar to those of the ruling families of Europe. Taxes were collected in return for protection. Huge profits poured into the treasury; much was used for building projects. The Mughal emperors constantly had to deal with the diversity of the Indian people. It was impossible for Indians to be united under one foreign government without conflict. 

    Akbar believed that the ruler was the guardian of his people and that it was the ruler's duty to protect his subjects regardless of creed or sect. For that reason he created the concept of a religion that contained the basic truths of all religions. E.M. Forster makes mention of this new religion, called Din-I-llah, in his book, A Passage To India. Aziz is still with Miss Quested at the Marabar caves, and she is still probing him to help further her quest, to find the 'real' India, its 'real' people. She asks him about the six Mughal Emperors. He tells her that Akbar had made a mistake when he tried to bring together all religions: India, Aziz says, was united in its diversity, not in its uniformity. Aziz tells the woman that he does not favor Akbar because Akbar was half Hindu. Aziz's comments shed light on his inner thoughts. While acknowledging that Akbar was a wonderful ruler, Akbar does not agree that he is the greatest emperor simply because Akbar was not a Muslim. His comments show how prejudiced he is against the Hindus in addition to showing how diverse Indian society was, and is. Arguably the greatest Indian Emperor ever, Akbar was as close to the true India as Miss Quested could expect to find; he was half Hindu, half Muslim.
    Akbar died in 1605. His son, named Salim, succeeded him using a new name: Jahangir. As Jahangir continued his father's legacy of conquest and the empire's borders expanded, India became more difficult to defend. Jahangir is known in present times for his sense of justice. Even a common man even could approach the emperor for justice. It was at this time that the British East India Company was established. Another important facet to Jahangir's reign was the fact that his wife, Nur Jahan, took an active role in affairs of state: she even ruled the kingdom for an extended period when her husband was ill.

The Red Fort: A huge compound built by Shah Jahan as a palace away from the former capital, Delhi

    When Shah Jahan succeeded to the throne, his first priority was putting down revolts in Bhundelkhand and the Deccan; in each case the people of those regions had declared independence from the Mughal Empire. The Bhundelkhand rebellion was put down easily, whereas the revolt in the Deccan came under Shah Jahan's control only after much difficulty. During his rule, Shah Jahan moved the capital of the Empire from Agra to Delhi, where he built the now famous palace, the Red Fort. The name comes from the massive red walls that guard the structure, some of them 110 feet high. The Red Fort was to remain the epicenter of the Mughal Empire for 200 years. Another architectural masterpiece credited to Shah Jahan was the Taj Mahal, which was built in honor of Shah Jahan's dead wife, Mumtaz Mahal. As Shah Jahan's health began to fail, a power struggle erupted between his four sons.

The Taj Mahal: An architectural masterpiece created by Shah Jahan, the Taj Mahal is a memorial to the Mughal Emperor's dead wife.

    Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan's third son, emerged victorious. He imprisoned his father, Shah Jahan, in Agra Fort until his death. Aurangzeb ruled for almost fifty years, seeing the Mughal Empire through its climax and inevitable decline. He abandoned Akbar's idea of a single Indian religion and began destroying temples, cutting the heads off some statues. Most of Aurangzeb's time was spent putting down rebellions in the far reaches of his empire. Aurangzeb had the luxury, and the responsibility, of ruling more Indian territory than anyone else up that point. After his death, the Mughal Empire splintered. Various provinces declared their independence, and the empire was confined to a small region around Delhi. When the British entered India in the early 17th century, the Mughals drastically lost power. The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was imprisoned by the British in 1857.

    Folktales often guage an individual's or a group's impact on later generations. And judging from the sheer number of folktales about the six greatest emperors of the Mughal Empire, their impact was profound. One particular folktale, entitled "A Palace in the Sky," displays both Akbar's intelligence and his ambition. In a fit, he once told one of his architects to build him a palace in the sky. Even though the task was impossible, Akbar wanted it done. Soon, however, Akbar realized that he had made a mistake, so he removed the burden from his architect's shoulders. Victor George, an expert on Indian culture and managing director of an international company, IndiaWorld, told me that the Mughal Emperors "...hold an important position within India's culture, so we cannot forget them"(George 1). Many books have been written about the victories as well as the defeats of the Mughal Emperors. They introduced a new era into India, that of the large empire. The Mughal Emperors were real men who transcended time and the diversity of India to become some of the most admired men in Indian history.

Bibliography

        Adelphi, James. India, Then and Now. Danbury: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1984

        George, Victor, Managing Director of IndiaWorld, an international company

        Mattingly, Mary. Medieval India. Delhi: MasterWorks Press, 1976

        Professor Spodek, University of Pennsylvania, Page 1