New Delhi: As worldwide Christmas celebrations are being held, we are having a lesson from history about the respect of religions and the blend of cultures due to the peace of the Mughal time in India, where the festival was observed with the royal favour and wealth.
Reports relaying to the past have it that when Christmas came round, the Mughal capital city of Agra took on the appearance of a diverse city with the Italian jewellers, the Portuguese and Dutch merchants, French tourists, and Central Asian and Iranian scholars all adding to its cosmopolitan atmosphere.
In his book, Thomas Smith, the author, describes that Emperor Akbar was the one not just allowing the construction of the church in Agra but also joining in Christmas parties. “The emperor with his courtiers esteemed the Nativity scene in the church on Christmas morning and took part in the church service,” says Smith, who has written heavily based on his historical research.
The highest of celebrations was seen during the reigns of Akbar and Jahangir with the formal, lavish court feasts and the shows. The Europeans put on their Nativity plays where the locals dressed in angel costumes, while the imperial guards were in charge of order during these shows. The trials were usually held in Agra’s Phulatti Bazaar, as it was the British headquarters there.
However, this cultural coexistence was not without its interruptions. When in 1632, Shah Jahan temporarily banned public worship of Christ and destroyed the church because the Portuguese assumed they had various disagreements; it was detrimental. Although things got better by 1640 and they resumed with the church building, the plays began to fade away with the reign of Mohammad Shah Rangila when the social group shifted to Bhopal.
The legacy of these festive acts brings a fresh view on India’s multicultural heritage, which stays to be an issue for the world today with respect to various faiths. The Mughal meeting of Christmas is a symbol of the period when cultural lines were not too clearly drawn, and religious celebrations went beyond politics.
A historical record about the way of Christmas celebrations in the Mughal period is a vivid example of India’s rich tradition of religious inclusion and cultural synthesis, both of which heavily influence the country’s colourful layers of religion in present times.