The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi, 1857 (2006)
William Dalrymple
Bloomsbury, 578pp
Bahadur Shah Zafar II was the last of the Great Mughals, a monarch whose reign saw the city of Delhi transformed from backwater into a place of cultural brilliance and learning, only to be devastated in the Indian Mutiny of 1857. In his history of this man, this city and the Uprising, William Dalrymple has produced a work of astounding power, informed by his erudite reading of events, backed up by exhaustive primary materials, many of which have never been employed before to tell this story.
I first became aware of Dalrymple through his 1994 book City of Djinns (which is sitting in my book cupboard waiting to be read again), and over the decade and a bit between that book and this, he has taken much time to learn and study the city of Delhi: and has produced numerous books that explore the connections between East and West, Christian and Islamic and Hindu. His latest work, for instance, is Nine Lives: in Search of the Sacred in Modern India, in which he explores how modern faith is transforming this rapidly changing nation. It is easy to see it is a natural continuation of work begin in City of Djinns and advanced here.
The Indian Mutiny of 1857 is a rather infamous and bloody moment in British Colonial rule in India. Until I read this book, I had no idea the extent or sheer bloodiness of the conflict, and I admire the manner and sober attitude Dalrymple takes in telling it. His writing is so evocative and humane, it is easy to picture the horror – and though that is a good thing, it doesn’t always feel so. Details in this book turned my stomach. It is no surprise it won him the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize.
What becomes initially surprising about his book, is that he informs us he is using Indian documents regarding the Mutiny, documents that include personal testimonies and diaries of both Muslims and Hindus, and that barely any of these documents have ever been used to recount the story. It is use of these materials, along with the already familiar British documents, that give his tale equality, and provides deeper understanding. It highlights the mistakes made by all sides, and the sheer brutal ignorance of native cultures shown by the British (no surprise there, though).
This conflict had been brewing in India for some time, but all sides managed to find equilibrium again before it rose to violence on a grand scale. However, it was the introduction of the Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle that was to prove the final insult, and kick-start the rebellion. To load one of these rifles, the Sepoys (Hindu and Muslim soldiers in the British army) had to bite the cartridge open – the cartridge was coated in both pork fat and tallow. For those who do not understand the problem here: pork is regarded as unclean by Muslims, and tallow, which is beef fat, comes from the cow, sacred to Hindus. To fight in the English regiments, both the Muslims and Hindus were forced to break their sacred vows. Disgust at this was expressed to British rulers, but their complaints were roundly ignored. Very soon afterward, the city of Delhi was at war.
The bulk of Dalrymple’s excellent book is given over to an extremely detailed breakdown of events in Delhi, from British, Muslim and Hindu perspectives. It reveals the inability to act by Zafar II, the stupidity of the British forces who allowed themselves to be caught off guard more than once, and the hunger and illness that ravaged the city as clean water and food became scarce. When the British retake Delhi, the savagery they show is so total, and so harrowingly described, it is almost like one is there, with these men. Dalrymple’s writing roves the devastated city streets, into the nearby caves and settlements, into the royal court and the British camp, and excavates the truth of the Mutiny. He shows how it all could have been avoided. He reveals the end of an era and shows the beginning of another – and how events of this conflict lead directly into the modern conflict between East and West. For the Uprising became the first jihad – lessons that should have been learnt after Delhi have been ignored, as they are ignored now… and it is this that makes Dalrymple’s book more than history, it is a warning, a lesson, a plea for the peoples of the world to not commit to another holy war.
The Last Mughal then is a great book. It is unique, powerful, and one that should be read by all and especially by those in power. William Dalrymple should be applauded.
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