Lifestyles of the Rich and Royal

I visited a number of forts and palaces in North India, and took many pictures.  The architectural detail can be amazing - please double click any of the photos below for a closer view of the artistry.

Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri, or the City of Victory, was built by the emperor Akbar starting in 1571, near the city of Agra.  It served as the capital of the Mughal empire until 1585, when it was abandoned.  It is believed that the water supply was not reliable enough to support the residents.  The well-preserved buildings were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.

Musicians would perform for the court on the platform in the middle of this pool, with the water acting as a natural amplifier.

Nobles might play a game of parchesi, with dancing women moving from space to space.

Wine was also known within the palace walls.

Intricate bas reliefs decorate the living quarters.  Religious sensibilities, in a state of flux during and after the rule of Akbar, influenced design.  He encouraged religious moderation and tolerance, by hosting theological debates and through the example of his own interfaith marriages. 

The panel immediately below, with plants as its subject, has been preserved, but in the panel further below, the faces of the animals have been excised, in deference to certain Muslim beliefs prohibiting the depiction of faces in art.

My understanding of the prohibition comes from one of the students I tutored in Toronto a few years ago.  The belief is that while angels make the bodies of animals and people, God Himself makes the faces.  One must take care to never do anything that could show disrespect towards God's work.  Any human attempt to represent the work of God could only fall short. 

As part of the complex, Akbar built one of the largest mosques in India.  This is the main entrance to the mosque.

This is a view of the other side of the main entrance, as seen across the central courtyard.  Graves are visible in the foreground.

This is one of the most beautiful arcades I saw in India.

Agra Fort

The Agra Fort has been in existence from at least the 11th century C.E.  The Mughul emperor Akbar assumed control of the fort in the 16th century and began to rebuild the ruined brick structure using red sandstone.  This phase of work began in 1565 and ended in 1573.

Akbar's grandson Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal, continued to make additions to Agra Fort.  Eschewing the cheaper red sandstone favoured by his grandfather, Shah Jahan built palaces of white marble inside the fort, carved with bas reliefs and inlaid with gold and semi precious stones, much like the Taj Mahal.

Shah Jahan dreamed big dreams, and appeared to have an inexhaustible supply of them, although his empire did not have an inexhaustible supply of money to build them.  This was probably one of the concerns of Aurangzeb, the third son of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.  In a nasty battle of succession with his family, he imprisoned his father in the Agra Fort for the last seven years of his life, from 1657 to 1664.  As Aurangzeb went on to rule the Mughal empire, his father would gaze out of his sumptuous prison at his beloved Taj Mahal, with thoughts we can only imagine.

Amber Fort, Jaipur

The Amber Fort has existed since the 10th century C.E.  It was ruled by the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs from about 1037 to 1727, when Sawai Jai Singh II moved his capital to the newly created town named after him, Jaipur. 

The fort formed a central part of a vast network of sandstone walls protecting the town of Amber.

This section of the palace was richly painted centuries ago.  The colours remain vivid, both on the exterior and the interior.

Another part of the complex is known as the Palace of Mirrors.

Thousands of tiny mirrors cover the walls of this stunning suite of rooms.  It is said that a single candle could light the interior at night, and that the mirrors would shine like a starlit sky.

This part of the palace also has some rare examples of Hindu stained glass.  I met an artist at the site who specializes in restoring it, Pushpendra Singh Rathore. 

During the heat of the summer, royal residents of the palace could relax in a shaded pavilion.  A stream of water would flow down a ridged incline then through a channel in the floor, creating a soothing sound and a cooler ambient temperature, before it continued through to a lush garden.

In the arid hills of Rajasthan, obtaining steady supplies of water required planning and work.  Water would be pumped into cisterns using draft animals as the source of power.  The Amber Fort made use of a Persian Water Wheel, or Rehat, to draw water from cisterns for further distribution.  Earthenware jugs were attached to a looped pair of ropes.  The jugs would descend into the cistern to fill and as they were brought back up over the top, would empty their contents into the appropriate channels. 

The ropes moved on an axle, powered by a shaft, which in turn was powered by ...

... slave labour, supplied by whichever people had been conquered by the ruler of the time.  

Feeding everyone in the fort would be a huge daily task, with cooking pots up for the challenge.

National Museum - Delhi

On December 6, 2009 I visited the National Museum in Delhi.



It houses a variety of collections, including sculpture, painting and textiles. Most of the works are centuries old, and I did not see any contemporary art on display. I spent about two hours at this large museum, taking photos of whatever grabbed my eye the most.


Vajra Tara, 11th century C.E.



Tara is a deity in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist belief. Her name means "star" and she is associated with Avolokiteshvara, or the Bodhisattva of Compassion. According to the Glossary of Indian Art, A Bodhisattva is a Buddha in the making, a spiritually advanced being who delays his entry into Nirvana in order to stay in the world and save other sentient beings. Tara is believed to have come into being from the tears he shed in sympathy for the suffering of humankind.


Vishnu, 5th century C.E.



Vishnu is considered one of the three principal deities of Hindu belief. Brahma is revered as the creator, Vishnu as the preserver, and Shiva as the destroyer.


Kali, 7th - 8th century, C.E.



I've described Kali earlier in this blog; she is a destroyer of evil who gets carried away and goes on an indiscriminate killing spree.

Many exhibits in the museum are well-labeled but there are whole sections that lack any explanation whatsoever. The "tribal" art section seemed to have been somewhat forgotten by the administration, with empty display cases, harsh lighting and no descriptions of many of the artifacts. However, I found the works here to be among the most striking in the museum.

Marriage - Jaipur, Amber Fort, Taj Mahal

Most Indians get married and most marriages are arranged by the bride and groom's families. According to the 2001 census, only about 1% of the population over the age of 30 has never married and the divorce rate is only around 1%.

I hired drivers to take me from Delhi to Fatehpur Sikri, Agra and Jaipur. The casual conversations started out as usual between strangers in India, with inquiries on my marital status. Being unmarried (and unengaged) at my age is considered unusual and led to follow up questions on girlfriends. I confess to being vaguely untruthful, simply because it seemed to be the most expedient way to keep the conversation going on these car trips, with these drivers.


Friendship

Someone I know told me about a women he met in college. They would walk to classes together, talking. She always seemed to know just the right thing to say, words of understanding, encouragement. Concerns were expressed to his father, who defended his son, expressing complete confidence in the appropriateness of his conduct and intentions. My friend has not seen or spoken with the young woman since he graduated.


Romance

The fields on either side of the road to Agra were lush with the delicate yellow blooms of mustard plants. My driver pointed to a young well-dressed woman standing in a field, surrounded by the flowers, and a young man taking her photograph. "Romantic" we both said, and laughed.


Engagement

Parents try their best to find suitable matches for their children. Wikipedia provides the following list of factors they are most likely to consider:

• Values and personal expectations: should match
• Age and height: girl should generally be younger and shorter
• Looks: should be acceptable to the other
• Religion: should be same, preferably same sect
• Mother tongue, caste: should be preferably same
• Diet (veg/non-veg/alcohol/smoking): may differ only if acceptable to the other
• Education: comparable educational levels or the boy should be more educated than the girl
• Profession: the profession should be acceptable to the other
• Financial: The boy's current and future financial situation should be acceptable to the girl.
• Astrological signs/attributes: should be compatible, if the two families believe in it.

In modern India, websites exist to help parents with their search. Some recent additions include websites specializing in finding matches for the physically challenged, and even the transgendered, although the latter undoubtedly arrange their own matches without parental input.

From what I can tell, many young people have opportunities to meet their prospective matches prior to engagement, and may have a veto, at least in theory.

Engagements can last a few years, typically to allow the man to become more established in his career. It may be possible for both men and women to delay marriage by pursuing graduate studies, or a professional degree.


Weddings

These photos and video are from a lavish wedding that took place on the front lawn of the Taj Jai Mahal hotel in Jaipur. Along with a number of other westerners staying at the hotel, I formed part of the uninvited paparazzi for the event.

December is a popular month for weddings, as the climate has cooled somewhat, and the monsoons are usually finished. Hindu priests or astrologers may be consulted to determine an auspicious day and time for the ceremony. Weddings in north India usually take place in the evening. In south India, the reception may happen in the evening, but the ceremony is usually early in the morning, like at 6:00 AM. It has the advantage of being the coolest part of the day.

The venue was large, with several pavilions. 500 guests is not unusual. Some weddings have been known to have as many 2000 guests.



The groom arrived in an open car, a band accenting the grand entrance. The car is an update to the tradition of the groom arriving on a horse. "So that he can escape," remarked one of my drivers sardonically.



The bride and groom were seated with their families for a session with the photographer.



Fireworks marked the occasion.




Married life

Many Canadians might wonder what life would be like in an arranged marriage. There are many ways of looking at this, but one perspective is the experience of the children. I've met many people who describe a happy home life with their parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. Many young adults need to move away from home for work, and a number of them have told me how much they miss their families, and how much they enjoy visits home.

I'm not endorsing arranged marriage, something I could never accept personally in my own life, but I am trying to appreciate some of the complexity, both positive and negative, that comes with the institution.


Married life among royalty

In the Mughal empire, polygamy was common among royalty. The Amber Fort just outside of Jaipur was also a palace for the local ruler and his twelve wives.

This part of the palace complex includes a central courtyard where wives and children would spend their days.



In the evenings, each wife would retire to her own apartment, adjoining the courtyard. Each apartment had a separate staircase to a hall leading to the king's quarters. Wives would wait; the king would decide which staircase he would descend.




Til death to us part

The Taj Mahal is perhaps one of the world's best known monuments to love. The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built it as a mausoleum for his third, and most beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. She died in 1631, during the birth of their fourteenth child. Shah Jahan began construction of the Taj Mahal in 1632, completing the main building in 1648 and surrounding buildings in the following five years.

The site is on the banks of the Yamuna river, in the city of Agra. One may visit the Taj Mahal as a day trip from Delhi, but that means seeing it in the afternoon, when the crowds peak. Sunrise and sunset are also popular times for visits, but sunrise in December can be foggy, obscuring the view. My guide advised me to sleep in, and I saw it on a Tuesday morning at 9:00 AM. The sun was bright, the sky was clear and the site uncrowded.

The central monument is constructed of white marble, and surrounded by fountains, gardens and other buildings.



The mausoleum is symmetrical on four sides. It's four main minarets lean slightly out from centre, so that in case of an earthquake, they would collapse outward, rather than on the mausoleum.



Smaller minarets are richly decorated.



The entrances to the mausoleum are decorated with verses from the Koran, such as: "O Soul, thou art at rest. Return to the Lord at peace with Him, and He at peace with you."



Much of the Taj Mahal is adorned with bas reliefs, and inlaid with semi-precious stones such as cornelian (orange), malachite (dark green) and black onyx.



It's a cliché, but I couldn't help myself. Some people next to me saw what I was doing and asked my guide to take the same picture for them.



Centuries after its completion, the Taj Mahal is still a source of inspiration for those hoping to experience something of what Shah Jahan felt for Mumtaz Mahal.

Delhi Red Fort

I spent December 5, 2009 with Rajbir, my former co-worker and current friend. He is originally from Delhi, lived abroad for many years and is now back living here. We spent part of the day at the Red Fort.



Mughal Emporer Shahjahan built the Red Fort between 1638 and 1648. Various additions, demolitions and other changes have occured subsequently. The fort sits next to the Yamuna River, which fed the moat. National Geographic has a good map of the site. Red sandstone is the primary building material and gives the fort its name.

One of the first stops in the fort is a museum depicting martyrs to Indian independence. This is one of the more dramatic images on display. Kum. Maina was 13 years old when she was captured and tortured by the British in 1857, who were trying to learn from her the whereabouts of rebel leader Nana Sahib. She refused to cooperate and the British burned her alive.



The Diwan-I-Am, or hall of public audience, is where the emperor received the public. His throne sat on a white marble balcony, visible to the left.



The Diwan-I-Khas, or hall of private audience, is where the emperor received courtiers and state guests. It is clad entirely in marble, inlaid with semi-precious stones.



The Rang Mahal formed part of the emperor's seraglio. Water flowed through a channel in the floor, providing much needed cooling during the summer months. The channel is known as the Nahr-I-Behisht or Stream of Paradise.



Although these halls and living quarters appear quite bare now, during the time of the emperors they would have been luxuriously furnished with carpets, cushions, screens and all the accoutrements of comfortable living.

The Moti Masjid, or Pearl Mosque, was built in 1659 by Aurangzeb, Shahjahan's successor. It was for the emperor's private use at that time, and it is currently closed to the public.



The Naqqar-Khana, or drum house, was used to play music at suitable times during the day. It now houses the fort's war museum.