TY - BOOK AU - Sudhir Kakar TI - The crimson throne SN - 9780670084104 U1 - 823 PY - 2010/// CY - New Delhi PB - Viking KW - Mogul empire N1 - Novel N2 - On Mogul empire. Three decades into emperor shah jahan s reign, while the monarchindulges in the pleasures of the flesh to divert himself from the travails ofhis ageing body, the country is bracing itself for the brutal and inevitable war of succession to the peacock throne at this time of tumult, europeantravellers niccolao manucci and francois bernier arrive in india, and findtheir way into the innermost circles of the royalswhile manucci revels in his new-found fame as miracle healer to princessesand concubines, and bernier records his cerebral interactions with theomrah in the imperial court, they conjure up an enthralling panorama ofan empire in crisis little escapes their discerning eye fabled cities nowspinning into decay; harems rife with gossip, lust and venereal afflictions;wily courtiers whose hearts breed malice even as they enjoy the luxuriesof privilege; the tenuous ties that bind hindu subjects to their muslimrulers and, most of all, the chief contenders to the throne of hindustan:dara s ER -