If stones could speak, what hidden stories would they reveal about the inhabitants of these ancient places? The massive pile of Mughal structures in India provides us with plenty of fodder to indulge our curiosities and lend wings to our imagination. The Mughal period has been acknowledged as one of the most colourful in the annals of Indian history.

Whispers of the past in these atmospheric heritage spaces seem as alive today as they were back in their heyday. Documented in their monumental works are tales of intrigue and deceit, ambition and indolence, murder and mayhem, love and hatred, pleasure and debauchery, passion and apathy, friendships and betrayal, inspiration and destruction, piety and ungodliness—in fact, the entire gamut of human behaviour in positions of power and plenty—and want.

Humayun’s Tomb

As you make your acquaintance with Mughal India in the national capital of Delhi, you cannot but be blown away by your experience at the stunning Humayun’s Tomb. It took 14 years in the planning, after the untimely death of the second Mughal emperor, Humayun. In his rush to heed the call of prayer, he tripped over his robe and plunged to his death from the staircase of his library in Dinpanah, his bastion by the Yamuna River in the Purana Qila. His devoted wife, Hamida Banu Begum, spared no expense in commissioning this exquisite mausoleum in red sandstone, highlighted by white and black marble inlays, for her beloved husband, with whom, after years of separation, she had only recently been reunited—along with their son Akbar. Built in 1570 in Nizamuddin East, close to the Dinpanah Citadel, it is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent and served as a forerunner to the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Vigorously wooed by Humayun, who was almost twice her age, the beautiful Hamida was at first greatly reluctant to wed him. Giving in to his persistence, she finally agreed to the match. Hamida was to stay by his side through all his travails, enduring even the heartbreak of being separated from her infant son, Akbar. She lived on for 50 years after Humayun’s death and is buried by his side.

Located in the neighbourhood of Nizamuddin, the 27.04 ha complex is also known as the ‘dormitory of the Mughals’, with many cells filled with more than 150 dead Mughal family members. It also incorporates other structures such as Nila Gumbad, Isa Khan, Bu Halima, Afsarwala, Barber’s Tomb, and the Arab Serai inhabited by the workers on the emperor’s tomb. The mausoleum lies a short distance away from the shrine of 14th-century Sufi saint Nizamuddin Aulia, which has close connections with the Mughals.

The Humayun’s Tomb complex, not many are aware, almost 300 years later also served as a refuge for the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and his three princes—Mirzas Mughal, Khizr Sultan and Abu Bakr—commanders of the Mughal army during the Uprising against the British. Chased by British officers during the Indian Mutiny of 1857–58, they had left the Red Fort to get out of the city. Tragically, the emperor was taken into custody at Humayun’s Tomb and spirited away to the Red Fort as their prisoner; the three princes, in their bid to escape, were shot to death in cold blood by Captain William Hodson near the entry gate to the walled city, now known as Khuni Darwaza.

Agra Fort

A UNESCO World Heritage Site today, the Agra Fort was both a military base and a residence for the royals. Located on the right embankment of the Yamuna River, the forbidding self-contained citadel was the seat of power for the Mughal government in Agra. Entry was only through the south-facing Amar Singh Gate and the west-facing Delhi Gate.

So rich in atmospherics, the old citadel wings us back to the days of the conflict between one of the greatest of Mughal emperors, Shahjehan, and his son Aurangzeb. The vaulting ambition of Aurangzeb to grab the Mughal throne knew no bounds. His personal hatred and his puritanical Islamist intemperance for the heir-apparent Dara Shikoh was fuelled by his rage—both for being favoured by Shahjehan and the poet-prince’s leanings towards Sufism. His vicious cruelty in cutting down Dara and other contenders for the throne refused to be satiated. The next target was the ageing but defiant emperor himself.

Agra Fort still seems filled with the sorrow and sighs of the emperor, whom Aurangzeb finally managed to hold prisoner here till Shahjehan’s death eight years later. As the emperor’s health started deteriorating, it provided further impetus to Aurangzeb in 1658 to carry out his plan to overthrow Shahjehan and grab the throne. Initially, he entrapped the ruler and its other occupants by seizing Agra Fort. When he cut off its water supply, Shahjehan was forced to plead with him to desist.

As soon as the fort gates were opened, he was promptly put under house arrest at the fort by the wily Aurangzeb. To follow his movements closely, he was confined to his personal quarters in the octagonal tower known as Mussaman Burj, near the Diwan-i-Aam. The burj provided stunning views of the Taj Mahal across the river—and oftentimes as not, the emperor’s gaze would turn sorrowfully to his wife’s last resting place, tears rolling uncontrollably down his face.

Poignant moments abound in this sad phase of the powerful emperor's dying days. With Aurangzeb cutting him off from everyone, with only his loyal daughter Jahanara to take care of him, his health continued to deteriorate further.

As an occupant of the fortress, to which he had added some beautiful structures and spent memorable moments with his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, being incarcerated here by his own son was something the monarch probably never even contemplated he was capable of doing to his father. Shuffling around in worn-out slippers, he spent the hours looking out at the Taj from the veranda and reading the Quran.

The burj was a splendid structure Shahjehan rebuilt between 1632 and 1640 in white marble with grand windows and beautiful interiors—much loved by Mumtaz. Scattered in the fort are also the three white marble mosques—the Moti-Masjid, Nagina-Masjid and Mina-Masjid—which he built.

At Agra Fort, the whispers seem to get louder as we learn how Aurangzeb’s bitter conflict with the Marathas went into overdrive when he came to the throne. In fact, we wonder how the conversations went when Shivaji arrived in Agra in 1666 and met Aurangzeb in the Diwan-i-Khas. Aurangzeb died in 1707, but his spirit must still be in a fury when he learned that the Marathas captured the Agra Fort from the Mughals in the beginning of the 18th century. But he must’ve really gloated uncontrollably when he discovered it was just for a short while, because they lost it to the British in 1803.

The Brits used Agra Fort as a military base, and you can probably hear the gnashing of teeth and cries of the prisoners held here by them. Though they managed to withstand the siege of the fort by the Indian freedom fighters in the Mutiny of 1857, they had to do a lot of repair work caused by the damage inflicted by the rebels when they wrested it back from them.

Agra Fort’s Sheesh Mahal

An unmissable marvel at the fort is the stunning Sheesh Mahal, or Palace of Mirrors. Most travellers are familiar with the grandeur of the Sheesh Mahal in Amer Palace near Jaipur, but the lesser-known Sheesh Mahal at Agra Fort offers another rare opportunity to explore the stunning outcomes of the Persian-inspired Aaina Kari, or mirror work.

Covering the interior walls, arches and ceiling, tiny shimmering mirrors create a mesmerising effect by reflecting multiple images of all who enter this double-chambered structure northeast of the Khas Mahal in Agra Fort. The beautifully crafted asymmetrical floral and geometric motifs add a piquant charm to the glittering mosaic that brightens the chamber and adds a fine elegance to its interiors.

Built by Shah Jahan between 1631–40, it served as a summer retreat for his harem with an imperial bathing chamber, a hammam, an elaborate marble tank fitted with fountains, and a luxuriant dressing room—or maybe a boudoir. It’s easy to recapture those leisurely hours spent here by the royal ladies amidst the splash of water from the fountains and rose petals and fragrant herbs suffusing the air at the hammam. The path to Anguri Bagh too was decorated with small pieces of glass under his direction. As local lore has it, the mirrors were sourced from Aleppo in Syria, which is utterly believable given Shahjehan’s propensity for spending lavishly on his buildings and many of his elite and private spaces.

As you wend your way around India in search of its Mughal past, you’ll discover echoes of its glory days captured in its monumental expressions. Well-known or hidden gems, these structures have many tales to tell…