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A review by baibhabi
Daughters of the Sun: Empresses, Queens and Begums of the Mughal Empire by Ira Mukhoty
5.0
Mukhoty attempts to chronicle, as she admits, the lives of some exemplary Mughal women who built the empire. She particularly insists upon showing the readers the truth of Mughal zenana, contradicting the portrayals of a dull captive and lifeless zenana by travellers and chroniclers of that time. She holds to us, so expressive her words are, a spirited and flourishing Mughal household. The women are ambitious and confident; they are least dependant. Their education began from childhood and they are likely the most educated amongst their sisters from other muslim empires of the time.
The women, continuously chained by customs in a patriarchal society, hold immense independence in their own right. They trade in foreign markets, build cities, take charge of their finance, command cavalries or issue farmans; all from within the zenana. These women manage the immensely huge imperial household; arrange weddings, bring up children (biological and adoptive), stop wars between brothers with their remarkable diplomatic skills or raise their righteous voices in the court from behind jaalis.
Mukhoty writes how these women build and shape the empire. They introduce new cuisines and clothes, build gardens mosques and mausoleums, bring with them their religion and culture from their homeland; these influences our lives of today as well. With time, the zenana transforms from Turkic to Hindustani to Persian influences. The Mughals move constantly from time to time and as Mukhoty writes, the women are the Timurid homeland.
The sun has sets in the Mughal Empire, but these daughters shall be remembered for their contributions.
If you don't have prior knowledge of Mughal history, this might be a tricky read but we have Google to help, don't we?
The women, continuously chained by customs in a patriarchal society, hold immense independence in their own right. They trade in foreign markets, build cities, take charge of their finance, command cavalries or issue farmans; all from within the zenana. These women manage the immensely huge imperial household; arrange weddings, bring up children (biological and adoptive), stop wars between brothers with their remarkable diplomatic skills or raise their righteous voices in the court from behind jaalis.
Mukhoty writes how these women build and shape the empire. They introduce new cuisines and clothes, build gardens mosques and mausoleums, bring with them their religion and culture from their homeland; these influences our lives of today as well. With time, the zenana transforms from Turkic to Hindustani to Persian influences. The Mughals move constantly from time to time and as Mukhoty writes, the women are the Timurid homeland.
The sun has sets in the Mughal Empire, but these daughters shall be remembered for their contributions.
If you don't have prior knowledge of Mughal history, this might be a tricky read but we have Google to help, don't we?