Aurangzeb must rebel against his father, and compete with his brothers, especially Darashikoh who is Emperor Shah Jahan’s favoured son, to become the shahenshah of India and sit on the Peacock Throne. In politics, after all, trust and betrayal are two edges of the same sword. Meanwhile, in his zenankhana, the begums, constantly worrying about inheritance and bloodlines, grow jittery at the arrival of Hira, a mere concubine, who seems to have all of Aurangzeb’s heart. Shahenshah: The Life of Aurangzeb unravels the inner life of the formidable emperor, and the twists of fate and duty that come with a crown. An all-time favourite of Marathi literature, this is the most popular of N.S. Inamdar’s sixteen hugely successful historical novels. This effortless translation tells an intricate, affecting story of a deeply misunderstood Mughal.