Mughal Exhibition, Ancient Civilisation Museum in Singapore

Jewels on the swords, jewels on the dainty miniature cups, the archery rings and ... fly whisks! Seems that the great Mughal emperors' royal hands are fit only for dabbing with rubies/emerald/jade/gold.

For me the swords were a joy to behold - how did they ever want to use it in battle? Exquisitely outlaid with rubies against a clear white jade background, the rubies look too attractive to want to subject them to the violent rigours of war. If I were in the battlefield, I'd be too busy scanning the ground for dropped jewels! Or maybe the kundan technique is really the best in business for affixing jewels....

Another highlight for me were the cups and one that particularly stood out was the multiple hibiscus-motifed (no guesses for which precious stone they used) cup with saucer. The hibicus with one petal unfolding lends an added elegance to the majestic red stones and the skilled craftsmanship, which flourished under Mughal ruler's penchant for the aesthetics, showcased how a hard stone can be made to look ethereally soft and flowy. Look out too for Jahangir's royal spinel inscribed with Arabic writings (the rulers were Muslims), so tiny you'll need microscopic vision.

Oh, and bring your camera along too! There's definitely lots to photograph. If the jewels do not attract you, there's this "try the turban" photoshoot opportunity with Shah Jahan (he's apparently a connoiseur of the precious stones and a jeweller too! No wonder Taj Mahal is the classic it is) and stamping/colouring exercises for the kids (and kids-at-heart like me), an irresistible distraction with the cutely drawn Mughal prince and princess.

This exhibition is a travelling collection from the al-Sabah collection from Kuwait which first started with the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, so it's a pity if you miss this exquisite collection which showcase the opulent lifestyle that can only be afforded by the strength and splendour of the empire. Hindi movie buffs will no doubt be interested to read more about Akbar, the ruler who was depicted in the blockbuster 'Jodhaa Akbar' starring Hritik Roshan in the titular role and everlastingly lovely Aishwarya Rai as the Rajput princess he married.

(By the way, opt for the 1 1/2-hour museum tour for the other sections, free-of-charge. The tour docent we had, Benedict, was extremely knowledgeable and certainly brought a lot of fresh insights to the exhibits, especially the development of the artistic representations of the Buddha and why it evolved the way it did.)