Exploring the World of the Great Kublai Khan

Architectural Relief Depicting the Hindu Legend of Gajaranya Kshetra
Kublai's kingdom was not only about the Silk Road over land. Ports flourished, with diverse communities of merchants settling in a number of southern Chinese cities. This stone relief of an elephant came from Quanzhou, in today's Fujian province, and likely belonged to a Hindu temple set up by Tamil traders. Concurrently, South Indian coastal cities of the time saw the construction of pagoda-like structures meant for Chinese seafarers and merchants.

• Treasures from the Forbidden City