Mansions of the Gods and Visions of Paradise

Abstract

The culture of the Mughals left an indelible stamp on South Asia, particularly in court ceremonies, architecture, and visual arts. Many of the architectural elements that form their legacy were emulated by successor states to the Mughal empire. Some of the new state formations were merely splinters of the Mughal state, where the new rulers nominally claimed to be vassals. Others, like several Maratha states, had histories wherein they saw themselves as a resistance against the Mughals. However, while the empire was slowly being dismantled, every successor accepted the legitimacy of Mughal rule. In their quest to portray themselves as political descendants of the Mughals, they adopted the court culture and imperial architecture. Therefore, the Mughal political decline is also a period of cultural ascendancy. The most unlikely venue for Mughal architectural features was the Hindu temple, which had a long history of architecture, including its own logic and morphology. However, even the temples of the Marathas, possibly to keep up with the latest architectural trends and emblems of political power, and to enhance their prestige, borrowed Mughal architectural elements. Studies in the visual culture allow for nuanced counter-narratives, wherein the common binaries of religions, or political states completely dissolve into a single cultural matrix.