“Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar, guardian of mankind” – I
learnt the Kipling poem when I was in school, and its opening lines were all I
could think of as we drove the 5 miles from Agra to the Emperor’s final resting
place, Sikandra. Growing up in India, the history you are taught in school is
somewhat one sided, but creates a lasting impression, especially about the
Mughal Emperors of India. Babur was the conqueror. Jahangir was the just one.
Shah Jahan was the romantic. Aurangzeb was the angry old man. But only Akbar
was “The Great”. A king who was just, fair, a great warrior, a wise
administrator, a man who gathered around him a court of such brilliance that
stories about it are told to this day. Every child in India knows the stories
of Akbar and his court wit, Birbal, about his Hindu Rajput wife, Jodha Bai, who
in all fairness is more legend than fact, and about how his court musician, the
Vaishnava Tansen, could make it rain by singing the raga “Malhar”. Akbar is to
Indian history what Shahrukh Khan is to Bollywood cinema – a superstar you see
on screen or read about, but never imagine will be able to approach. Needless
to say, I was excited as I stepped into the vast funerary garden at
Sikandra – this is the closest any human being could get, to Akbar the Great.
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| Akbar's Mausoleum, Sikandra |
