Treasure Seekers: Empires of India Page #4

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of father and brother,

every fault and virtue of

relative and stranger.

May the reader excuse me.

And everywhere Babur built the square,

symmetrical gardens called 'charbagh'

which were the perfect expression

of Mughal beauty.

The radiance of nature bound by the

rigid geometrical order of Islam.

And it was in his gardens

that he reflected on his turbulent

life and his successes in battles,

both with enemies and himself.

The temptations of alcohol

had been almost overwhelming.

Two years ago my craving

for a wine party

was such to bring me to

the verge of tears.

This year, praise God, that desire

has completely left my mind.

The one thing that never left

his mind was his homeland, Fergana.

One day as he ate a melon he found

himself crying

as its flavor brought back memories

of the fresh uplands

of his childhood.

He confessed to his youngest daughter

that he wanted to retire

and turn the reins of power

over to Humayun.

But In 1530, four years after

the conquest of Hindustan,

Humayun fell sick.

His doctors gave him up for dead.

It was a catastrophe

the death not only of a beloved son

but the heir to Babur's dynasty

and empire.

Babur had learned the wisdom of

sacrifice.

But what on earth could he offer God

to persuade him to spare his son?

Priests and advisors came with

suggestions:

He could sacrifice the Kohinoor.

But Babur knew it was a worthless

bauble compared to the life of his son.

He decided only one sacrifice

could possibly compare.

For days, he prayed fervently

to Allah

to take his own life

in exchange for Humayun's.

Soon after, Humayun recovered and

sure enough, Babur fell sick.

He stayed true to his oath and

refused all offers of treatment.

He'd made a deal with Allah

a life for a life.

Who was he to renege?

He turned his face to the wall.

Three months later he died, aged 47.

Babur had ruled India

for only four years,

but the dynasty he founded

would rule it for almost 300.

Akbar, Babur's grandson,

would for the first time

unite the subcontinent.

Shah Jahan, Babur's great great

grandson, would build the Taj Mahal.

The Mughals laid the foundations of

the India we know today.

They were able to create

a large empire within India;

they were able to establish the

great institutions of empire

through their army, their especially

important domestic

and other alliance policies

with the Rajputs.

It was a very creative fusion.

Over the generations,

Mughal India would become

synonymous with opulence,

refinement, and wealth.

Before long it attracted the hungry

gaze of yet other treasure seekers.

This time they would come from

further west.

Just over three hundred years

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