All language subtitles for Exploring.Indias.Treasures.with.Bettany.Hughes.S01E01.The.North.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

BELLS CHIME

It's just before dawn and I'm in one
of the most sacred locations

for one of the world's
oldest faiths.

The river I'm travelling along is

itself sometimes worshipped
as a goddess,

and it flows through the heart of
a landscape

that has nurtured
the major world religions.

And there's a kind
of unusual calm here.

It's a sort of calm before this
storm of humanity is going to erupt.

I'm in a country where
the deeply sacred collides

and combines with a very...

...a very deeply-felt
modern lived experience.

India.

I'm exploring a subcontinent filled
with treasures of body and soul.

Meeting old friends...

This is surprising!
What a pleasant surprise!

...and making new ones.

OK. Keep it up. Bye, see you!

HE CHANTS

Witnessing rites at Varanasi...

...and the great Golden Temple.

Iconic architecture -
from Rajasthan's palaces...

Ooh, I thought there were going to
be no difficult questions, you know?

I thought we had an understanding!

...to the Taj Mahal.

It is extraordinary.

THEY CHANT

And incredible traditions.

What an amazing night.

It's a place where ideas
are made manifest

in the splendid, redolent treasures
of India.

India - in the heart of Asia.

Home to 1.4 billion

and now the most highly-populated
country in the world,

with well over 3,000
archaeological sites.

I've been travelling to India
for decades

on the trail of
the inspirational ideas

and pioneering philosophies
that emerge from this subcontinent.

My journey starts in one
of India's holier cities.

I'm here to discover
an experiential treasure - Varanasi.

This is the wondrous city
of Varanasi.

It's actually one of the oldest
continually-inhabited settlements

in the whole of India, and I'm here
to try to explore

how our understanding of
the cycle of life

and our desire to flourish in this
world and the next

has generated some
extraordinary treasures

and some extraordinary experiences.

Varanasi stretches along the Ganges,

the river adored
as the goddess Ganga.

80 ghats - banks of steps - lead
directly into this sacred waterway.

Every year, millions upon millions
of Hindus come to these banks

to celebrate and to worship
and to mourn,

and I've been invited here by
a friend of a friend

to take part in one of
the ceremonies, which I...

You know, I think it's going to be
a very moving experience.

Anchal Sachan moved to Varanasi,
or Banaras,

because of it's deep history
and spiritual significance.

I mean, this is a really, really

important destination place for
pilgrims. Yes.

It really matters that people
come here. Yes.

Ganga herself is considered to be
a goddess.

Shiva, he himself emerged as
a pillar of light, as it is said.

That's right,
cos it's the city of light. Yes.

Light and fire's very important
here, isn't it? Yes.

Shiva especially happens to be
the god of dead or recreation.

Yeah. Like, you destroy something
and you start something anew.

Cos people come here
to mourn or celebrate,

remember their ancestors, but do you
think people also come here

to try to understand what
the point of life is?

Yes. Yes, absolutely.

You have feelings and belief
expressed in stone

and in tradition. Yes.

So you can almost kind of touch
people's ideas here. Yeah.

Anchal wants to show me how ideas

and feelings can become
beautiful things.

One of Varanasi's most
celebrated crafts

plays an integral part in ceremonies
of both life and death -

hand-loomed Banarasi silk.

Have I got this right,
that when you get married,

you're always supposed to have a bit
of silk from Banaras

at the wedding as part
of the ceremony?

Yes. In India,
as many regions are there,

you have as many kinds of art,
as many types of motifs,

or you can say designs,
which are used on the sari,

and wherever you are in India,

Banarasi weave has to find
a place in your wedding trousseau.

It's this real combination of trade
and spirituality.

Yes, absolutely. The city's own
existence is coming together.

It is a blend of spirituality,
of opulence all coming together.

And are there any particular colours
of silk that are associated

with particular religious ceremonies
or rituals?

Is there kind of an appropriate
colour that I should be wearing?

When you are sitting
for a prayer

or for a ritual
of significance - yellow,

or the tones of yellow become
a more appropriate colour.

How brilliant,
they've got a yellow shawl -

perfect for a ceremony Anchal
suggested I experience.

I'd love to honour my ancestors.

You know, is it OK for me to do it?

Cos obviously I'm not Hindu,
I'm obviously a westerner.

You know, is it appropriate for me
to do that here?

If you have the right intent,
the right feeling,

the right motivations,
it is appropriate for you to do.

The ceremony is called
the Pind Daan,

performed for the liberation of
the souls of deceased loved ones.

I'm recently bereaved,
so it's an honour to take part.

So, he will be helping you...
Sit here?

...do the Pind Daan for your mother.
OK. Thank you.

Thank you.

No problem, no problem.

HE CHANTS

I do recognise snippets of
the Sanskrit chant,

like the word "Gauh" - "Earth"

root of the ancient Greek Gaia,
a reference to Mother Nature.

One blessed pind - a rice ball -

is offered to the soul
of the departed.

The rest are for other ancestors.

Honey?

Very good.

I'm feeding my ancestors and
I've been given wool to clothe them,

so they have five layers of cloth,

and they're being accompanied
by a priest. You say...

HE SPEAKS SANSKRIT
SHE REPEATS

They become divine
with the flowers.

Taking the offering to the river,

the idea is that the deceased is
dissolving back into the universe.

It's an opportunity to come
to terms with my loss.

I came here knowing that I was
going to honour my mother

because she died quite recently.

And I've been wearing her
wedding ring

so that she kind of travels with me,

because she loved
the idea that I travelled,

but she never got the chance
to travel.

It's lovely that she's coming on
the journey.

I'm actively remembering her,

and remembering the thing that she
always said is that

you are known by your deeds.
It's the deeds that make you,

so you live on in the kind of
lessons that you teach other people.

So that's what I'lU try and do.

Well, whatever it's about, it is
definitely about some kind of...

...cycle of life and love.

One of the reasons I've always been
attracted to this place is

so many different faiths have
come here.

As well as the millions
of Hindu pilgrims attending

the 23,000 temples every year,

Varanasi is special to Jains,
Christians, Muslims and Buddhists.

It is really pretty likely that
the Buddha came here.

Not least because,
by the sixth century BCE,

this place had already been known
as a centre of spirituality

and learning for centuries.

So if you're going to come
somewhere to spread your ideas,

then this is a really good choice.

Holy texts say he gave
a sermon upriver

fundamental to Buddhist philosophy.

And when Varanasi's railway station
was built,

workers stumbled across
the city's physical roots,

dating back much earlier -
to the 14th century BCE.

These discoveries prove that
Varanasi is one of

the oldest
continually-inhabited settlements

not only in India,
but in the world.

It's hard to overstate
the importance of Varanasi

in the story of faith,

because this is a place that's full
of clues

of the spiritual experience
of the past.

Here there's tangible evidence
of what we've felt

about mortality and immortality,

so the treasures and the wonders
here aren't just

kind of intellectually and
academically interesting.

They're a direct line of
communication to the experience

of love and loss through time,

so they are treasures
that make us care.

Our next treasure overlooks the
plains of modern day Uttar Pradesh -

the vast Mughal city
of Fatehpur Sikri...

...a capital built from scratch
in 1569

by one of India's most
significant rulers,

the renowned Emperor Akbar.

Akbar's rule saw the Mughal Empire
triple in size across North India

over a reign of almost 50 years,
from 1556 to 1605.

But Akbar had a problem.

He didn't have a male heir
to inherit his empire,

and so we're told that he travelled
across northern India seeking

the advice of Sufi saints.

Akbar's prayers were answered when
one of them predicted

the birth of his longed-for son.

Akbar's delight in Sufism,

a mystic, joy-embracing strand
of Islam,

would mark a dramatic shift
in his reign.

I've travelled to Delhi
to encounter Akbar's Sufi world.

And I've never actually been
to this place before,

but I know I'm on the right track
because it's a really famous

Sufi shrine,
or mausoleum called a dargah.

Hello! Hello! You're Rana?

Yes, Rana. So very happy
to meet you.

How lovely to meet you.
What a place! Yes.

What an incredible place!

Author Rana Safvi,
an expert on Indian Sufism,

is showing me the Nizamuddin Dargah.

Look at this place! Look...
How extraordinary!

It's so beautiful. So beautiful.

You come here, you get so much
of peace. Yes.

And, you know, that feeling of
acceptance, of inclusivity. Yes.

And that was again something
that was very...

...that helped in making
Sufism popular.

Beautiful. Generations worth
of approaching God. Yes.

Akbar prayed in Sufi shrines
in Delhi...

CHANTING

...as pilgrims still do today,

laying offerings to saints
and their disciples.

So, there seems to be this real
tradition of writing and song

and poetry and music. It's sort
of...words are very important. Yes.

And whoever gets into it drowns.

That doesn't sound good!
THEY CHUCKLE

And those who drown in
the love of the divine. Oh!

And those who try to swim across it
never get across.

So you've got to sort of submit
yourself to the divine love. Yes.

As I said, this is the philosophy
of Sufism - submission to God. Yeah.

The word "Muslim"
and word "Islam" mean "submission".

The word "Muslim"
MUSIC AND CHANTING

MUSIC AND CHANTING

This celebration of positivity
and tolerance is everywhere here,

particularly in traditional songs.

SINGING CONTINUES

SINGING SLOWS, STOPS

What incredible voices they have!

And I love the fact,
I just spoke to them now

and they said, "Do you want
a particular song?"

And I said, "Oh, sing a song
about love."

And they said,
“"Every Sufi song is about love."

I was expecting it to be joyful,

but I wasn't expecting it
to be quite so,

just incredibly invigorating
and inspiring.

And I can see why Akbar,
this great king,

was kind of fired up by Sufism
to achieve in the world.

What an amazing night.

HORNS BLARE

This open hearted message
spurred Akbar to relocate

his capital closer
to his favourite guru.

He decided to move here,

and he renamed his new city
Fatehpur Sikri,

the city of victory.

And here it is,
in all it's amazing splendour.

Fatehpur Sikri is wonderfully
well preserved.

Which allows archaeologists
and historians to reconstruct

Mughal courtly life here.

And the brilliant thing,
if you think about it,

is that this is
the vision of one man.

So, every single building gives us
a clue about his ethics

and his values,
and how he ruled his vast empire.

Akbar's kingdom
was incredibly efficient

and fabulously wealthy.

Taxes funded an opulent court
and his borders were expanded

by a 100,000 strong army.

Travellers from across the world
were incredibly impressed

by this place,
and we have the account of one,

a Ralph Fitch, who came here
in the 16th century.

And this is how he described it.

"Hither there is a great resort
of merchants from Persia

"and from out of India,

"and very much merchandise
of silk and cloth

"and precious stones,
rubies, diamonds and pearls."

And it's no surprise really
that he was so blown away

by this place,
because when he was writing,

England had a population
of four million,

whereas Akbar
ruled over 140 million people.

In a radical move
for a Mughal ruler,

he married a Hindu princess,
Jodha Bai.

Favourite of his six wives,

and mother of that longed-for
male heir.

In her palace here, he built
Jodha Bai her very own Hindu temple.

He clearly adored her.

He described her as a piece
of the moon,

and she was supposed
to be beautiful and witty and smart,

and an amazing businesswoman.
So she traded silks

and other luxuries
in her own right.

Akbar and Jodha Bat's success was
buttressed by religious tolerance,

a plus in a growing empire that
encompassed so many belief systems.

But nowhere is Akbar's
religious policy in evidence

more than this gorgeous place,
the Diwan-e-Khas,

his private audience chamber.

Because here he'd organise debates

between different
religious communities,

between Jains and Hindus
and Zoroastrians and Christians

and Muslims, and all the time
he would listen and learn.

Dominating the interior
is this two storey hall,

and unusually,

the central pillar is crowded
with Buddhist and Hindu

and Islamic designs.

Akbar observed the debates
from up here in a position

that represented
the centre of the world.

And, from what he heard,
he came to the conclusion

that no single religion
could claim ownership of the truth,

and so, he developed
his own religion,

Din-i Ilahi,

which was a merging of all
the different faiths in his empire

to reconcile the differences
between his divided people.

The Din-i llahi
which Akbar created and led

literally means the divine faith.

You know, it's genuinely moving
because this Din-i Ilahi

is in many ways symbolic
of the high point of Akbar's rule,

and the whole of Fatehpur Sikri
is it's embodiment.

But this great flowering
of the rule of this great man

was destined to end.

In 1585, after just 14 years,

Akbar abruptly moved his court,

first to Lahore and then to Agra.

Without the optimistic
can-do energy of the man

who created this out of nothing,

the city of Fatehpur Sikri
was all but abandoned.

Akbar is cited by some as one
of India's greatest leaders.

And in fact,
he and his Hindu wife, Jodha Bai,

often appear as hero and heroine
in Bollywood epics.

But, you know,

they're not just lionised
for the physical conquest

and wise governance of pan India,

but to their synergistic,
listening approach.

Akbar's vision was big and bold
and beautiful,

and experimental.

And Fatehpur Sikri
is it's embodiment.

Which is why this place is
a broad-minded treasure of hope.

I've travelled 400 miles
across North India

on the trail of our next treasure.

This story starts here in
the south west corner of Rajasthan.

It's India's largest state
and laced with rugged hill forts

like this. And those waterways
that you can see over there

and the islands and the distant
citadels are confections of nature

and constituents
of my next treasure,

the lakeside palaces of Udaipur.

Udaipur is in the far west
of India on the fringes

of the Thar Desert.

The city's home
to a proud clan of Rajputs,

a warrior culture
whose royal family,

the maharajahs of Mewar,

would reshape the environment
with huge man-made lakes.

These are expressions,
not just of belief,

but of self-belief.

And they tell us not just about
love of beauty of the soul,

but of extreme physical beauty too.

My first destination
is the formidable City Palace.

Completed in 1559,
the largest in Rajasthan.

The network of at least
11 separate palaces

reveals a passion for artistic
beauty and defensive military nous.

Because the palace
was also a defensive citadel,

the corridors are incredibly
labyrinthine,

and they're designed to disorientate
and out-fox any potential invaders.

But then suddenly
the palace opens up

into these perfectly proportioned,
aesthetically beautiful courtyards.

The maharajahs didn't just use
their substantial cash

to weaponise their fortresses.

But also to adorn them with potent
symbols celebrating

the natural world.

Like rooms decorated
in the colours of peacocks,

and suns smiling with
the faces of royal warriors.

Descendants of the family still live
in the palace complex today.

Now, I was hoping that I might
get to talk to the current heir

of this place, and I've just heard
that I've been granted an audience.

So I've whipped out
my posh silk scarf,

and I'm on my way to chat to him.

Beautiful.

Maharaj Kumar Lakshyaraj
Singh Ji of Mewar

is the son of the current
custodian of this palace.

What a spot to sit
and have a conversation.

But, it does feel like there's
a sort of harmony here

between the palaces and the lakes
and the islands.

I think Udaipur is one
of the greatest examples

from that perspective of being able
to create things in tandem

with nature, and when you don't
poke and prod too much

and let things be natural,
they flourish better.

And also, just the fact that nature
is so inspirational to us as humans.

But it's amazing seeing all around
the images of the sun,

everywhere in this palace,
because your ancestors,

they didn't just worship the sun,

they said that they were descended
from the sun.

Yes. Well, sun is life.
So, at the end of the day,

in other words,
you're really worshipping life.

Even water is worshipped
in our part of the world.

The greatest reason
is so that it's not wasted,

it's not abused,
it's not taken for granted.

So those were the elements
that I think from our history

and our culture, it's really to be
able to make sure that we are in

a situation today to pass it onto
the next generation

better than what we received it.

So we're sitting here
in the beautiful palace

that's witnessed so much history,
your family has created history.

What is the one lesson,
do you think,

that we should learn from the past?

Ooh, I thought there were going to
be no difficult questions, you know!

I thought we had an understanding,
all easy questions!

I think the past certainly
teaches us one thing,

and if I can sum it up in one word,
it would be respect.

From nature, to people,
to food, to environment.

And we need to ask ourselves that.

How much of it is...how much
of that are we really doing?

The City Palace is magnificent,

but not the only royal residence
in town.

Perhaps most breathtaking
is Jagat Niwas Palace,

commonly known as the Lake Palace.

By the way, if this palace
looks familiar,

it's because you'll have seen
Roger Moore arriving at it

in the James Bond film, Octopussy.

The Lake Palace,
now a very swanky hotel,

was built by Mewar ruler,
Maharaja Jagat Singh II,

as a pleasure palace to retreat from
the blistering Rajasthani summers.

And throughout there are open
pavilions and verandas

and colonnades to tempt in
the lake's cooling breezes.

Built between 1743 and 1746,

decorative details like glass inlays
and courtyard pools

reflect the beauty of the lake.

The whole palace is orientated east,

so its inhabitants
could worship the dawn,

the rising sun, the god Surya.

And this corner is called
the Kush Mahal, the happy palace,

because the sun's rays
play through these beautiful

stained glass windows to create
a kind of kaleidoscope

of living light.

The lakeside palaces
of Udaipur emerge

from the glorious and sometimes
gritty past,

but they have this kind
of fairy tale quality to them,

don't they?
And they're a treasure in India,

because they celebrate
the beauty of the natural world,

and the inspiration
of beauty itself.

I am incredibly lucky to be here,

because these are
the abandoned private gardens

of a man who built one
of the wonders of the world.

They were a place that were full
of feeling in their heyday,

and they are fabulously
atmospheric now,

because this was a place
of mourning of Shah Jahan.

The man who conceived and created
this architectural jewel,

the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal complex
with its stunning secret gardens,

is in Agra, the historic
capital of the Mughal Empire.

Conceived by Shah Jahan,
ruler from 1628 to 1658,

it's a testament to his ability
to harness the perfection of nature,

to glorify his reign.

Taj Mahal, or "crown of palaces"
is one of the new seven wonders

of the world,
and a monument to love.

The Taj Mahal was built as a tomb,

and as a tribute to Shah Jahan's
favourite wife, Mumtaz,

who tragically died
in 1631 giving birth

to their 14th child.

And basically Shah Jahan
was saturated with grief

and he went into mourning
for two years.

And, when he emerged,
he ordered the construction

of this magnificent,
majestic memorial.

How are you?
Good, how are you?

Where do you live?
I'm from London.

OK, keep it up.
Bye, see you!

Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore
called the Taj Mahal

"a tear drop on the cheek
of eternity,"

and it doesn't disappoint.

This is the main gateway through
which most get their first glimpse

of the Taj Mahal.

But this whole complex
was designed by Shah Jahan,

and actually that inscription there,
a quote from the Koran,

it reads, "Enter among my servants,
enter my paradise.”

The idea is that this is
a kind of paradise on Earth

to reflect the heaven that
Mumtaz is hopefully inhabiting.

It is extraordinary.

So you can see why
it's world famous,

and why it draws crowds
from around the world.

Millions of visitors come
to enjoy these glorious gardens

that surround the brilliant,
white marble mausoleum.

Good to see you.

Including, a happy coincidence,
my old friend and philosophy expert,

Shantum Seth.

This is my first time. No!
I don't believe it.

I know! And I hope that you'll be
pleased with me,

because why I'm here is talking
about the gardens.

I tell you what, it's a bit
like paradise meeting you here.

No, it's a special place.
Paradise made real.

Yes, it is paradise.
That's the word, no?

That's what they use
in Persian and in Sanskrit.

So we've entered paradise.

And of course with Muslims,
having anything green, you know,

that whole religion meaning
"born in the desert,”

it's so important
to have greenery and a garden.

Floral details everywhere
are a nod to the celebration

of the natural world.

But this initial design of
the gardens was quite different.

They were originally a central
part of Shah Jahan's vision.

But you have to completely wipe
from your mind everything

that you see here now,

because this was designed by
Lord Curzon during British rule,

and it's basically
a kind of manicured English lawn

version of perfection.

19th century photos show
what the gardens looked like

before Curzon's restoration of 1909.

And you can see that originally
the garden was much more

kind of verdant and pastoral
and almost mystical.

You'd have glimpsed it
through these Cypress trees.

And it makes complete sense, that,

because actually
the word "paradise" stems from

an old Persian root that originally
meant a walled garden.

So what was being created here
was literally

a kind of sacred landscape.

And on the far side
of the Yamuna River,

there's another garden,
often overlooked,

that's revealing clues
to Shah Jahan's vision.

This magical place is called
the Mehtab Bagh,

or the midnight garden.

And 18th century drawings
tell us that this was part

of the concept of the original
complex with that river over there,

the river Yamuna, representing one
of the rivers of paradise.

This is lost world that's only now
being carefully reconstructed.

A few years ago,

there was a brilliant bit
of botanical detective work

that happened here,
because archaeologists dug down

and they discovered
the seeds of plants

that were originally planted here.

So, there was the Cockscomb plant
with a wonderful red flower

that attracted birds.

Red cedars that would flower
fragrantly at night,

and the jujube tree
which is still here,

laden with fruit that could be
plucked for a midnight feast.

But the grieving Shah Jahan
wasn't free to wander these gardens

for long.

In 1658, a mere decade
after the Taj Mahal was completed,

he was imprisoned in
Agra's red fort until his death

by one of his own sons.

From his cell, we're told
that the grief-stricken emperor

could see the monument of devotion
that he'd constructed

for the wife he so loved.

After his death,

the Mughals remained
the dominant military,

administrative and cultural force in
India for much of the next century,

and they continued
to put enchanting gardens

at the heart of their
inspired creations.

This great dynasty has left behind
an unparalleled inheritance.

Some of the finest monuments
in world history.

The very best of which,
like the Taj Mahal,

harnessed the soul-lifting beauty
of nature in their grand designs,

which is why the Taj Mahal
and its secrets

will always be
a wonder of India.

TRAIN HORN BLASTS

Our next treasure takes me to
the northern state of Punjab,

to a city that is the heart
and soul of the Sikh religion,

the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

I've never actually been
here before,

so I've arranged to meet
a man who's as passionate

about history as I am.

And we've only spoken on the phone.
I think this is...

Oh, this is him. Tarundeep? Hello!
Hello, Bettany dear. How are you?

Such a long time that we've been
talking about things,

and finally, great to have
an acquaintance with you.

So, so lovely, and thank you.
And welcome to Amritsar.

Thank you,
I'm a stranger in this city.

Amritsar is infamous
as the place where more than

370 civilians were killed
by the British in 1919.

That atrocity is commemorated
by memorials throughout the city,

and galvanised India's drive
for independence.

This was the site
of an abominable massacre

effected by the British.
You know, is it OK that I'm here?

Should I be here?

It was an abominable act,

but at the same time I think
the root of the belief,

the Sikh belief system,
is in compassion,

is in forgiveness.
You should feel welcome,

because you're coming to
the house of the Golden Temple,

and anyone who comes here
with a seeking heart is welcome.

Great. I definitely have
a seeking heart!

Amritsar is also home to
the Sri Harmandir Sahib,

the Golden Temple.

It's taken us a lot of time
to get permission to film here,

because it is an incredibly
sacred, spiritual place.

And, the people here don't
want it to seem like

a kind of tourist attraction.

But we have got permission
and I'm allowed in,

so I'm not going to go in kind of
as a historian or a visitor,

but I'm going to go in
and feel it spiritually by myself.

Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak
in the 15th century.

In 1601,
just over 60 years after his death,

this complex was completed.

A five metre deep pond
gives the city its name.

"Amrit" means
nectar of immortality,

and "sar" - pool.

A dip in the sacred water
is believed to wash away bad karma.

At its heart is
the magnificent Golden Temple.

Protecting the holiest
Sikh text, Guru Granth Sahib.

A record of Sikh leaders,

this scripture is honoured as
the religion's ultimate guide.

Tarundeep is taking me
to see a part of the temple

that incarnates the nature
of Sikhism.

It's a kitchen and dining hall
of mind-boggling scale,

the Langar, open to all.

So the idea of this is that no
person should go to bed hungry.

Thank you.

Oh, baby!

The idea is that everyone who comes
to Amritsar is welcome.

It's between 75,000
and 100,000 a day,

a day, are fed here.
And that's 24/7 as well.

It's a kind of representation
of Sikhism this, isn't it?

This idea that you have
to help people with your deeds?

Yeah. Yeah.

The food's simple and delicious.

Eating together with hundreds
of other people

in companionable silence is
an unexpectedly poignant experience.

And I'm allowed behind
the scenes to witness

the incredible mechanics
that make this possible.

These extraordinary pans
cook almost two tons of dahl,

and a ton and a half
of rice every day.

The scale of the production
is incredible.

So there are five tons of wheat
that are used here every day

to make chapatis.
So that's not a cement mixer,

that's a chapati maker.

It's a humbling fact that 80%
of the workers here are volunteers.

This is the most impressive
logistical exercise.

But it must say something
fundamental about Sikhism too.

Yes. So the most basic thing
is this concept of service.

Yes. Serving others,
with no expectations in your heart.

When you see stories
about Sikhism internationally,

often if there's some massive
natural disaster

like an earthquake
or a kind of conflict,

then you see Sikh communities
often kind of preparing help

of some kind.
But, is that something,

is that part of your service
to your faith as well?

100%, 100%.
You see, ultimately,

food is the most important thing.
Yes.

And on a disaster,

the first thing that people
then seek is the food.

Yes. And the concept of it being
so beautifully ingrained

in the Sikh system
or in the Sikh psyche,

means that you bring this also to
the world when the world needs it.

Yes. Wow, that's a beautiful thing.

Every feature of the complex,
the Golden Temple itself,

the pool, the langar, offer clues
to Sikh values and belief.

I mean,
I've just come from the temple.

It was genuinely moving,

because people really feel
the spirit there.

You could see them praying.
I'm so glad to hear that.

Oh, it's just such a beautiful,
calm atmosphere.

Did you notice that in the sanctum,

you walk down the stairs
to the sanctum? Yes.

And the sanctum sanctorum actually
is below the level of the city.

Yeah. The one symbolisation
of which is that you are supposed

to be humbled when you enter
the house of God, right?

The other thing that you will
probably notice is that there are

four entrances.
Which means everyone,

irrespective of the cast, creed,
colour, belief system, is welcome.

Which, in that time, would be
something very, very special.

I mean,
and very radical for its time.

Very, very radical. I like to
call it a living monument, right?

With the people's energies always
being a part of creating this space,

or the monument, so to say.

But, I mean, I've been coming here
for 35 years on the trail

of philosophies and faith systems
and beliefs.

Why do you think it is
that India has nourished

and nurtured so many
different religions,

so many different ways of thinking?

That is a big question.
But, I would say that,

in my understanding,

I think this only speaks
about the nurturing

and the welcoming space
that India has to offer

to all these belief systems.

I mean, that's great for me
to hear as a historian,

because you realise that it really
is one generation after another

learning from each other.
Yes, isn't that beautiful?

We ought to learn from each other,
and consciously so. Yeah.

HE CHANTS

On this incredible journey,

I've been welcomed
by spiritual seekers,

devoted pilgrims, artists,
musicians,

all dedicated to sharing India's
interwoven history.

Quite rightly India,
is famous as a well spring

of so many different philosophies
and faiths...

Are you OK; is it free?

...and beliefs and all kinds
of systems,

meta physical and spiritual journeys
that have generated incredible,

physical remains.
So, if you think about it,

there's Hinduism and Jainism
and Sikhism

and the flowering
of Islamic culture here too.

Quests for understanding that have
left behind remarkable treasures.

So that this rich, beautiful,
deep, diverse place

doesn't feel like one nation,

but a whole world of wonders.

I spoke to the Open University
about my exploration of India.

To watch this exclusive interview,

and to discover more about past
and present global cultures,

go to the Open University's
website at...

Subtitles by Red Bee Media