Badshah, Bandar, Bazaar

The impact of Mughal rule on India remains a hotly contested topic of debate. Some see the regime as a benign entity, others as one harmful to India’s long-term development. But by fixating on the king’s actions rather than those of his subjects, have we been looking at the issue the wrong way round? Badshah, Bandar, Bazaar turns conventional wisdom on its head to examine what has long been taken for granted. Through the eyes of numerous real-life characters, it demonstrates the power of bankers, moneylenders, merchants, middlemen, artisans and all manner of ordinary folk in making – and eventually breaking – the might of the Mughal Empire. Globalisation and the spread of market relations was intensifying meanwhile, transforming everyday life in ways that were often subtle, and sometimes dramatic. With exotic and enticing goods for purchase, and ever more artful ways to make money, came a new ethos – and a new set of anxieties – towards business which was so potent that it shaped preaching by Sikh gurus and Sufi sayyids alike. Breathing new life and a fresh perspective into the history of the Mughal Empire, Badshah, Bandar, Bazaar takes us on a fabulous journey from the empire’s rich and fertile countryside, to the hustle and bustle of its great cities and ports; and from religious debates in Delhi’s fairgrounds and public squares and legal battles over property in Surat, to princely wars of succession and the dynasty’s tumultuous yet protracted overthrow.