The daughter, who had been born to Aiafs in the desert... was educated with the utmost care and attention. In music, in dancing, in poetry, in painting, she had no equal among her sex. Her disposition was volatile, her wit lively and satirical, her spirit lofty and uncontrolled. - (About Nur Jahan), Alexander Dow, The history of Hindostan
When I was little and was in school and was introduced to the mighty subject called History, I only read about the Mughal Period. Rest I just mugged along. I wanted to sit on the peacock throne, I wanted to wear diamond and ruby studded cholis and ghagras and I wanted to roam around India on an elephant. I wanted to be a Mughal empress.
I had lived only the elephant riding dream until I read Indu Sundaresan's The Twentieth Wife, The Feast of Roses and The Shadow Princess. These three books take you through the reign of three of the most fascinating emperors of the Mughal period, Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. But we have read so much about them already you might say. The twist is Indu Sundaresan takes you through the daily lives of the most powerful women in these emperor's courts. Women who have seduced, commanded and ruled from behind their veils.
These novels are like historical facts in a gossip filled celeb magazine. Only here the celebs (males) are more open about actually having 20 wives and even more concubines, where women actually have diamonds and rubies studded into their clothes, where hukkas are a part of the routine and where there is wine on tap.
The first book takes you through the lives of Mehrunissa (known to the world as Nur Jahan and Jahangir's 20th and last wife) and Jahangir on how they struggle in their individual own lives until Jahangir becomes emperor and after many years takes his first true love of over 20 years, Mehrunissa as his last wife .
The second book shows how Alexander Dow (quoted above) was correct in his assessment of Empress Nur Jahan even while she was a child. This book is an exhilarating account of when Empress Nur Jahan ruled the Mughal Empire from behind the veil. It is a racy mix of politics, riches and love, all in the hands of a woman.
The third book is about another powerful woman of the Mughal period, Emperor Shah Jahan's eldest daughter Jahanara. This book gives you a poignant account of what was it like to be an unmarried daughter of a grieving Emperor father while having a passionate lover.
These books helped me live my fantasy of being an Empress in the Mughal Empire. I got my lessons of history, my dose of gossip and a poignant tale of true love.
