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Marble Inlay

Handcrafted Home Decor For You

LHI Story Image

Would you like to take home a piece of the Taj Mahal? You can’t do exactly that, of course, but you can come close. The legacy of marble inlay work lives on in Agra, in products that replicate the art of the Taj

Parchin Kari: A Legacy Carved in Stone, Studded with Gems

Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s tomb in Lahore, considered a gem of Mughal architecture, is famous for its exquisite marble inlay work or ‘Parchin Kari’. And yet it is dwarfed by its more famous counterparts like the Taj Mahal and Humayun’s tomb. Catch the story here.

Jahangir’s Tomb: Mughal Gem in Lahore

#DidYouKnow that in Old Delhi, there are #temples topped by ‘Mughal style’ domes and a #Mughal samadhi built for a #Hindu saint? Writers Rana Safvi and Sam Dalrymple name their top 10 temples in Shahjahanabad. Read and be wowed!

Mughal-Era Temples of Delhi

In Mughal times, hunting was so much more than just sport or even a declaration of valour. Read about the Imperial Hunt, a clever cheetah who was ‘promoted’, and an Empress who revelled in this heady addiction


Mughal Emperors and the Imperial Hunt

Once an opulent city of high culture under the Mughals, Sirhind in Punjab fell to ruin due to an act of horrific brutality. Catch the story of a grand town that the Sikhs will forever consider cursed

Sirhind: Mughal Town with a Tragic Past

The story of a grand town that the Sikhs will forever consider cursed

A picturesque Himalayan hamlet today, Basgo in the Leh district of Ladakh was once a battlefield that saw  powerful forces pitted against each other. Echoes of this clash 450 yrs ago,  are still heard in modern-day politics between India and China.

When Mughals fought the Mongols

Basgo was once a battlefield that saw many powerful forces pitted against each other around 450 years ago

Intersections

Did you know that the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt was a big collector of Mughal curios. He even did a series of portraits of Mughal rulers like Jehangir and Shah Jahan who were his contemporaries!

Rembrandt’s Mughal Connection

His paintings are amongst the most prized in the world, but did you know that the Dutch master Rembrandt was a big collector of Mughal curios. So inspired was he by them, that he did a whole series of etchings and portraits of Mughal rulers like Jehangir and Shah Jahan who were his contemporaries!

In the 17th century, the Dutch were among the biggest traders who sailed the seas weaving their way across the ports of India. Frequent travel brought with it constant cultural exchanges – while the Europeans brought the idea of perspective or depth in paintings from the masters back home, they took back exotic pieces of art and miniatures. In Holland, these paintings were known as ‘Suratse teeckeningen’ or ‘drawings from Surat’, as Surat was the main trading port of the Mughal empire.

Did you know that Dutch painter Rembrandt did several portraits of Mughal rulers like Jehangir and Shah Jahan?

Rembrandt’s Mughal Collection

Legendary poets of Brajbhasha were nurtured at Mughal Courts

Brajbhasha’s Mughal Patrons

The Romance of Mughal Jade

Treasures

A story of why the most powerful men in the Mughal empire proudly displayed the insignia of the Rohu fish - the honor of Mahi Maratib. 

The Rohu Fish & the Mughals

The Labeo Rohita, popularly known as the Rohu or Rui fish, is a delicacy in the Gangetic plain and Bengal. A recipe for fried Rohu, even finds mention in Manasollasa, a Sanskrit encyclopedia and book of recipes complied in the 13th century. But did you know that beyond being just food, the Rohu fish enjoyed a particularly exalted status in the Mughal court. It symbolized the highest authority that flowed from kingship – the honor of the Mahi Maratib.

The Mahi Maratib was the highest honour in the Mughal Empire, something similar to India’s ‘Bharat Ratna’, the French ‘Legion of Honour’ or the British Knighthood. It symbolized honour, bravery and strength and the Mughal emperors only conferred it upon their highest dignitaries. It comprised of the giant face of Rohu fish, with scales and iron teeth mounted on a large pole. Beyond it, was attached a long fabric, symbolizing the fish’s body which inflated when air passed through the fish’s mouth. It was always carried in processions, accompanied by golden spheres on poles on its either side. Together, they were known as ‘Mahi-o-Maratib’ or ‘Fish & the (two) dignities’.

A story of why the most powerful men in the Mughal empire proudly displayed the insignia of the Rohu fish

Trails

Did you know that  Mughal Emperor Akbar commissioned one of the earliest churches in North India? 

Akbar’s Church

Did you know that the Mughal Emperor Akbar, commissioned one of the earliest churches to be built in North India? Built in 1598 CE, this church in Agra, which is still called ‘Akbar’s Church’ formed the core around which a thriving Armenian Christian community flourished. It also played witness to some tumultuous events in Indian history!

A man who loved to open his mind to new influences, Akbar could have been introduced to Christianity through the Jesuit missionaries he invited to his court from Goa. Around the same time, there was also a large thriving community of Armenian Christian merchants, jewelers and bankers living in the Mughal capital of Agra and when the Jesuits expressed a wish to build a church here, Akbar obliged and donated generously for the small chapel.

Did you know that the Mughal Emperor Akbar, commissioned one of the earliest churches to be built in North India?

Bihar Museum Exhibition: Women and Deities

The Making of Jaipur

Lost Cities

Pune before the Peshwas 

Tales of Shahjahanabad

Shola Durga

Lippan White Wall Mirror

Handmade Harappan Dancing Girl Replica in Dhokra Metal

Bastar Handmade Wrought Iron Spiral Tealight Holder

Art historian Dr Yael Rice turned into a detective when she encountered a fascinating portrait of the emperor Aurangzeb visiting a Sufi shrine. 

We zoom into details, and go on a journey to Mughal courts, the Deccan and to Europe, unpacking several stories ensconced in this mysterious painting in our next LHI Circle film premiere on the treasures of India.

Yael Rice holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, and specializes in the art and architecture of South Asia and Greater Iran. She has a special focus on manuscripts and other portable arts from the 15th to 18th centuries.


Art historian Dr Yael Rice turned into a detective when she encountered a fascinating portrait of the emperor Aurangzeb visiting a Sufi shrine. 

Portrait of Mysteries: Decoding Clues Within a Mughal Painting

The Secrets of Ladakh: A Rare Journey

Dholavira: Tracing the Story of the Harappans

South Asian Masterpieces at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Revisiting India’s First Port City: Lothal

Join us on unforgettable journeys week after week and meet those who are defining the way we look at history

Portrait of Mysteries: Decoding Clues Within a Mughal Painting

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