Product Description

In December 1525 Babur, the great grandson of the Mongol conqueror Tamberlaine, crossed the Indus river into the Punjab with a modest army and some cannon. At the battle of Panipat five months later he routed the mammoth army of the Afghan ruler of Hindustan. Mughal rule in India had begun. It was to continue for over three centuries, shaping India for all time. Full of dramatic episodes and colourful detail, THE MUGHAL EMPIRE tells the story of one of the world's great empires. 'The story of Mughal India is intensely dramatic and colourful and Eraly's lively text does justice to its subject...exciting reading' Philip Ziegler, Daily Telegraph

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #292498 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 555 pages

SUNDAY TIMES
"An unashamedly old-fashioned narrative history of the Mughal Emperors."

Review
"This is a majesterial history covering six reigns of that larger-than-life empire... this paperback edition improves on the hardback with some full colour illustrations." (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

"Fans of Starkey or Schama should now look east with Abraham Eraly... This edition improves on the hardback with a sumptuous selection of Mughal art." (BOYD TONKIN THE INDEPENDENT )

"An entertaining and informative journey charting the rise of the Mughal dynasty while examining the lives, concerns and fascinations of the first six of the 11 Indian emperors... who each in their different way ruled with a ruthless, ego-driven aggression that helped preserve thrones, cities, artefacts and harems while advocating war, pillage and plunder." (IRISH TIMES )

"Eraly's exhilarating saga of India's great emperors celebrates the last golden age of India, a great multicultural period of imperial achievement." (THE TIMES )

"An unashamedly old-fashioned narrative history of the Mughal Emperors." (SUNDAY TIMES )

About the Author
Abraham Eraly, who was born in Kerala, has taught Indian history in Madras and the United States. He is the author of Gem in the Lotus: The Seeding of Indian Civilisation. He lives in Madras.

Customer Reviews

Narrative history as it should be written
This is a fascinating account of the Mughal Empire of India and spans almost three centuries from the late fifteenth to the early eighteenth centuries. The book charts the Empire's path from its humble beginnings under Babur, its meteoric rise under Akbar the Great, its splendid apogee under Shah Jahan and its subsequent decline under Aurangzeb.
Prior to reading this book, I had virtually no prior knowledge of this period of Indian history, my interest being primarily concerned with the British Raj. This was no impediment to my enjoyment of this book, as the author writes with flare about the subject and never wavered in his ability to keep me interested.
Mr Eraly recounts in detail the magnificent opulence of the Mughal court and also its decadence and corruption. He covers the incessant wars, rebellions and coups that made stability in the Empire an all too rare and fleeting occurrence and his descriptions of the battles, the conspiracies and the diplomacy are never dull.
The book is populated with a wonderful cast of colourful characters ranging from the Emperors and their scheming families, to duplicitous Generals and ministers and Holy Men and Rebels. The book is enlivened with accounts of their deeds and misdeeds, their virtues and vices and he really does manage to bring the past to life.
My only (minor) criticism of the book has nothing to do with Mr Eralys writing, but there is a complete absence of maps, which if included, would have made the progress of the campaigns he describes easier to follow. I feel that the book would also have benefited from the inclusion of some pictures to accompany the text; maybe a plate section of portraits of some of the main protagonists and perhaps some photographs of the surviving forts and palaces he describes would have resulted in me awarding an extra star.
To summarise then, this is narrative history as it should be written, fast paced, informative, sometimes a little gory, but always entertaining. Even if you do not have a particular interest in this period or in Indian history in general, but like the tale to unfold at a breathtaking pace and the events described to sweep over a wide canvas, I would recommend this book to you.

Living with Mughals
This book is must read for those who are interested in Mughal India. Mughals loved India. They have decorated India. If world is fasinated about the India it is mainly due to Mughals.

I am in the middle of reading this book. It is like I am transported to Mughal era. All the glamour of empire as we know on the outset are inter woven with the pain and heart ache. None of Mughal Emperor faces plain sailing; they all went thru lots of emotions.

Facts are not just stated but are back-up by the quotation from other scholars or from the scriptures found from that era.

I would recommend this book without any reservation.

Mughals
Very interestingly put together. I must say this book is an eye opener. There is a lot this book can teach us today. All that mughals did was to safeguard their own interest. Mughals were indeed the pioneers in rapid urbanisation in otherwise a predominant rural India. From literrary advancement to the life sciences reasearches, gardens to the most stunning mosques,forts and the Taj their contribution to India is immense. Thogh not very popular with masses they do actualy represent India to the world even now. Abrahm Early is a gifted book writer.