The Mughals
had earned a lot of wealth and their way of life was full of pomp and glory.
The forts were
well built, and the palaces were very richly decorated.
The gardens
had water canals, fountains, sprinklers, waterfalls and greenery which added to
the beauty of the palaces.
These were
good ways of keeping cool in the heat of India because when the breeze blew,
the water would make the warm air cool.
The open and
airy Hawa Mahal in Fatehpur Sikri shows how in the intense heat to the Mughal
Emperors could keep themselves cool.
Akbar slept on
a bed under which there was water. In this way he kept himself cool in the hot
weather of India.
Various
talented and renowned musicians, singers and painters gave aesthetic pleasure
to the Mughal Emperors.
They certainly
lead a luxurious life, but they also had to face a lot of problems. They had to
go out for months fighting their battles in hot, rainy or cold weather.
During wars,
they would have to stay away from their wives and children.
If they took
their family along, then the family had to suffer the hardships with the
emperor.
Moreover, the
kings were never at peace because they always had the fear that someone might
try and kill them to become the emperor.
There were a
lot of intrigues and plans being made against the emperor in the family as well
as amongst the generals.
Even brothers
were not to be trusted because anyone could kill anyone.
After
Jahangir's and Shah Jahan's death, a lot of wars of succession were fought
amongst brothers.
Though
Aurangzeb won, it is said that Dara Shukoh was a liberal minded man. He could
have been another Akbar in his friendship with the Hindus.
People say
that if Dara had been the king, the position of the Mughals might have
strengthened. In that case the later Mughals would not have lost their
significance.
Aurangzeb
wasted a lot of money and time in fighting against th eHindus. In a way, he
started the downfall of the Mughal Empire.
In India, the
main Mughals were the first six but the Mughal dynasty ruled from 1526-1857.
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