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On a sunny day in the mid-1500s, two men at a village market in northern India are talking. One complains to his friend that, for centuries, the Muslim sultans who rule the land have been unfair to people who practice the Hindu religion.
His friend says things are changing now. The new Muslim ruler treats Hindus with respect. He might even let Hindus build temples again.
In the early 1500s, when Esma’il ruled the Safavid Empire, another empire was rising to the east. Many Hindus had converted to Islam after the year 1000, when Turkish Muslims took over northern India. In 1526, other Muslims from Central Asia invaded the area. Their leader, Babur (BAH-boohr), became the first head of the Mughal (MOO-guhl) Empire. During their rule, the Mughals controlled most of what is now India and Pakistan. They created a centralized government, opened new trade routes, and built many beautiful palaces and tombs that still stand today.
