Sam Dalrymple Profile picture
Mar 4 9 tweets 3 min read Read on X
The Melon Palace

In a small corner of Burhanpur, near the city's municipal rubbish dump, stands a rather gorgeous tomb known as the Kharbuja Mahal, or Melon Palace.

In actual fact it's not a Palace at all, but rather the Tomb Bilqis Bano Begum, the wife of Price Shah Shuja. Image
Shuja's parents, Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, are buried in the Taj Mahal, and the Tomb of Shujas wife shows the same aesthetic attention to detail. Image
A painting survives of the baraat during Shah Shuja's marriage to Bilqis Bano Begum (Pic 8) Image
Shuja soon moved to Dacca as governor of Bengal, and there he built many of the Bangladeshi capital's most famous landmarks like the Bara Katra depicted here... Image
... and the Hussaini Dalan depicted here. Image
Sadly his marriage to Bilqis was short lived and she died soon after. Image
In 1657, Shuja's father Shah Jahan became ill and a war of succession broke out between Shuja and his brothers Aurangzeb, Dara and Murad.

Shah Shuja declared himself Emperor, but ultimately it was his puritanical brother Aurangzeb who actually came to the throne. Image
Shuja fled first to Tripura and then to Mrauk U in modern Myanmar.

This kingdom was one of the most fascinating places in South Asia, a Buddhist kingdom populated by Rakhine archers, Rohingya poets, Portuguese pirates and Japanese ronin samurai. Image
Four months after his arrival, the Mrauk U king confiscated Shuja's wealth leading to an attempted coup-detat by the Mughal refugees.

Shujas family was killed, and Shuja fled yet again to Tripura where he finally passed away. His private mosque still stands in Tripura's Udaypur Image

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More from @SamDalrymple123

Apr 20
The Hindu Gods of Ancient Syria

In the summer of 1913, archaeologists made a stunning discovery: a clay tablet from 1350 BC, bearing the earliest known written references to Hindu gods—Indra, Varuna, Agni, Mitra, and Nasatya—in Vedic Sanskrit. Image
With that one tablet, they proved the language and belief system of the Rig Veda were already well established by 1350 BC.

Indeed it confirmed Vedic Sanskrit as the oldest surviving Indo-European language. Image
But what shocked them most was where it was found: an archeological mound in Syria Image
Read 8 tweets
Apr 13
The Temples of Mughal Delhi

Delhi was once one of the great pilgrimage sites in the medeival world. A centre of pilgrimage for Muslims, it was also sacred to Hindus, who see it as the site of the legendary city Indraprastha, as well as Sikhs, who mourn their gurus here Image
The historic Hindu and Jain temples in the Indian capital are probably my favourite hidden gems in the city. Image
There are around 100 temples in the city dating from before colonial rule in the city, mostly dating from the period of Mughal rule. They have rarely been studied in the same way as the cities Islamic or Christian monuments, yet are crucial to the city's urban fabric. Image
Read 19 tweets
Apr 8
The Brahmin Sultan of Maharashtra

In 1422, a young Marathi-speaking Brahmin called Tima Bhat, who had grown up in the Vijayanagara Empire, was taken hostage by the Bahmani general Ahmad Shah Wali and converted to Islam by force. Image
Conscripted as a military slave, things weren't looking good for Tima Bhatt, who now took the name Malik Hasan Bahri.

But in 1463, he was appointed the personal servant of the Bahmani Sultan, and over time, he gained the emperors favour. Image
Indeed, by 1471, he had been appointed amir and given responsibility for an army of 2000 horsemen.

By 1475, he was appointed as governor of Telangana and later Peshwa (Prime Minister) of the whole empire. Image
Read 11 tweets
Apr 5
The Greatest Empire You've Probably Never Heard Of

The Gupta Empire is often extolled as the 'Golden Age' of Ancient India, but it was arguably their predecessors who did more to put India on the world map. Image
The Kushans (30-375AD) are an empire that few people have heard of today.

Beginning as nomads in northwest China, they were forced across the Himalayas by the Huns and, around 100 AD, they adopted Greek customs from the descendents of Alexander the Great. Image
By the 200AD, they were based out of the dual capitals Mathura and Peshawar and were THE major trading partner of the Roman Empire. Their languages of administration included Greek, Sanskrit, and Bactrian.

Depicted here is the Kushan monastery at Takht-i-Bahi near Peshawar Image
Read 11 tweets
Mar 23
The Ethiopian Ruler of Maharashtra

Malik Ambar, buried a five minute walk from the Ellora Caves, is of the most extraordinary figures in world history. Image
Born with the name 'Chapu" in Har into Ethiopia's Oromo tribe, Ambar was "captured as a boy and sold to an Arab for twenty ducats."

"He has a stern Roman face" recalled one traveller, "and is tall and strong of stature", thought his white glassy eyes... do not become him." Image
Chapu was evenutally sold to the Peshwa (Chief Minister) of Ahmednagar - a man who was himself a former Ethiopian slave. Five years later, the Peshwa died and the Peshwa's widow finally granted Malik Ambar his freedom. Image
Read 7 tweets
Mar 1
The Sultans of Sanskrit

Asirgarh is renowned as one of the most ancient and impregnable forts in India, and even to climb up to the citadel from the village below takes a fair bit of puff. Image
Most pilgrims were heading to a Maratha temple dedicated to Shiva and Ashwathhama. What's most remarkable, however, is what's on top. Image
Up the path and around a small hill stands and astonishing mosque. Image
Read 8 tweets

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