Bettany Hughes’ first stop, in the holy city of Varanasi, is a particularly emotional experience because it’s an opportunity to honor her late mother in a ceremony of remembrance. She uncovers a lesser-known aspect of the famous Taj Mahal in Agra, which is also associated with loss, since it was built to house the tomb of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s wife.

Bettany Hughes takes a train up into the Nigri mountains to meet the women of the indigenous Toda people. At a thousand-year-old temple in Thanjavur, Hughes sees the local sculptors using traditional techniques to create the stunning Chola bronzes.