The search for ultimate meaning is a thread that runs through every culture, however wedded it may be to the practical and tangible. Gold and empire are greatly prized but always there are individuals who look for something else. The Mughal emperor Akbar’s inward journey was both long and arduous. Even the Material Girl has her own special space for the spiritual. But nowhere is it better exemplified than in the pilgrim’s quest. When the devotee sets out, like Kim’s Lama in search