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References: Empires and Encounters

  1. Mughal dynasty - Encyclopaedia Britannica - A full overview of the Mughal Empire from 1526 to 1857, with sections on each major emperor, government, trade, architecture and the empire's decline. Good for checking dates and names.

  2. The Art of the Mughals before 1600 - The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History - A short museum essay on Babur, Humayun and Akbar, with images of paintings made by Akbar's mixed team of Persian, Muslim and Hindu artists. It shows Indo-Persian culture in action.

  3. Taj Mahal - UNESCO World Heritage Centre - The official World Heritage listing, with the building dates (1631 to 1648), the reason it was listed in 1983, and photos and maps.

  4. Group of Monuments at Hampi - UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Describes the last capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, its temples and palaces, and what happened to the city after the Battle of Talikota in 1565.

  5. Great Living Chola Temples - UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Covers the three Chola temples at Thanjavur, Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram, including the temple Rajendra I completed in 1035.

  6. Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat - UNESCO World Heritage Centre - The listing for the 15th-century city founded by Ulugh Khan Jahan in present-day Bangladesh, home of the Sixty Dome Mosque.

  7. Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore - UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Explains why Lahore's Mughal fort and gardens, from the reign of Shah Jahan, are World Heritage sites in Pakistan.

  8. East India Company and Raj 1785-1858 - UK Parliament, Living Heritage - Shows how the British Parliament gradually took control of the East India Company by renewing its charter only for twenty years at a time. Useful for understanding that the Company and the government were not the same thing.

  9. Aurangzeb: Mughal Emperor - Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, The Ohio State University (2023) - A historian explains why Aurangzeb's memory divides people today, from those who see him as a model Muslim ruler to those who see him as a villain. Supports the Whose Story? box.

  10. Ahmad Shah Durrani - Encyclopaedia Britannica - Calls him the founder of the state of Afghanistan and describes his repeated invasions of north India, his wars with the Sikhs in Punjab, and his victory over the Marathas at Panipat in 1761.