The Emperor Who Never Was: Dara Shukoh In Mughal India

Description

This biography is the first in over sixty years to comprehensively investigate the life and intellectual project of Dara Shukoh (1615-1659). It is the first ever to balance an analysis of the prince's writings with the complex cultural, social and political context of his times. Dara Shukoh is frequently seen as an impractical intellectual, whose mystical proclivities kept him away from matters of governance. In contrast, The Emperor Who Never Was demonstrates that the prince's spiritual explorations were central to his political theology. Like other Mughal emperors of the past, Dara Shukoh cultivated the persona of a philosopher-ruler. The book also introduces a range of lesser-known figures, such as a Hindu secretary who became a Sufi poet, and a Sufi scholar who wrote about Hindu deities. It shows how Dara Shukoh, far from being an anomaly, was part of a larger cultural conversation that went beyond the court and continued after his death. From these encounters emerged ideas - that all religions share a common truth, that Vedanta is the pinnacle of Indic thought - that ultimately became crucial features of modern Hinduism. Introduction -- Empire, 1615-1622 -- Dynasty, 1622-1628 -- Youth, 1628-1634 -- Discipleship, 1634-1642 -- The Chosen, 1642-1652 -- Mission, 1652-1654 -- Confluence, 1654-1656 -- The Greatest Secret, 1656-1657 -- Succession, 1657-1659 -- Conclusion.