ONE of the largest states in the early modem era, the Baburi/Mughal Empire, encompassed an area of 3. 2 million square kilometres and a population of 100 to 150 million at its zenith around 1008/1600. Its landmass included much of present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. It was larger in size and resources than Safavi Persia and Ottoman Turkey and was comparable only to the Ming Empire of China. The period remains unprecedented in the history of South Asia in terms of wealth and grandeur, capability of rulers and governing elites, imperial ideology and political and administrative system, technological advancement and economic growth, literary and historical output and artistic and aesthetic taste. The Mughals left an enduring cultural legacy, particularly in architecture, paintings, literature and cuisine.