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.

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.