White Mughals

William Dalrymple's "White Mughals" recounts the extraordinary and poignant true story of James Achilles Kirkpatrick, the British Resident at Hyderabad, and his passionate love affair with Khair un-Nissa, a Hyderabadi noblewoman, in the late 18th century. Against all odds and crossing immense cultural, religious, and political divides, Kirkpatrick, originally an ambitious East India Company officer, fell deeply in love, converted to Islam, and married Khair. This deeply personal narrative unfolds amidst a larger historical phenomenon: the 'white Mughals' – Europeans who adopted Indian customs, dress, and even faith, often to the dismay of the burgeoning British colonial establishment. Dalrymple vividly portrays a world of court intrigue, harem politics, and secret assignations, weaving in fascinating characters like 'Hindoo Stuart' and Sir David Ochterlony. The book masterfully blends individual romance with the grand sweep of geopolitical maneuvering, illuminating a forgotten era of cultural synthesis, love, seduction, and betrayal, and the complex interplay between British mercantile ambitions and local power structures.