But all was not well in the empire. The Moghuls came from Central Asia. Descended from Genghis Khan and Tamburlaine, they swept down from the steppes in the sixteenth century, conquering all who stood in their way. Adept horsemen, ruthless warriors, they lived in the saddle and took no prisoners. And they founded the greatest… Continue reading THE GREAT MOGHULS
Tag: History
The Indigo Revolt
I wish I had invented blue jeans… – Yves Saint Laurent It was an uprising in blue. The Nil vidroha, or Indigo Revolt, was a peasant movement started by indigo farmers in Bengal in 1859. Tired of being exploited by landowners and money-lenders, the farmers went on a rampage, taking their cue from the recent… Continue reading The Indigo Revolt
THE FOREST OF STONE
The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time. … Continue reading THE FOREST OF STONE
Moonlight Encounter
The inlets and coves, slotted into the coastline like notches on a sailor’s knife handle… I was jumped on by a possum at Curio Bay. Now that’s not a sentence you’ll read very often. It was just after ten o’clock at night and I was standing on a headland overlooking the bay, with surf booming… Continue reading Moonlight Encounter
The Light Horse
With cold steel bayonets gleaming, in sodden seas of blood They raced towards the stronghold, all in a crimson flood, Such maddening surge of horses, such tumult and such roar The Wells of old Beersheba had never seen before … … Continue reading The Light Horse