In 1746 the Dutch East India Company (VOC) launched an invasion of the Rameshvaram island located between Sri Lanka and the Indian mainland. This thesis combines new VOC archival material with...Show moreIn 1746 the Dutch East India Company (VOC) launched an invasion of the Rameshvaram island located between Sri Lanka and the Indian mainland. This thesis combines new VOC archival material with existing literature on the combatants to answer the question what the military conflict reveals about India's balance of power at the dawn of British Raj as well as to show the interesting relationship between the Company and the Setupatis of Ramnad.Show less
Here I shall analyze Shah Jahan’s imperial narrative on the basis of these two sources: Padshahnama and the Taj Mahal. I have chosen to do so for a number of reasons. Firstly both of these were...Show moreHere I shall analyze Shah Jahan’s imperial narrative on the basis of these two sources: Padshahnama and the Taj Mahal. I have chosen to do so for a number of reasons. Firstly both of these were expressions of the imperial narrative which were closely monitored by Shah Jahan. They were as personal a source we have from the reserved emperor. Secondly the two contrast nicely with each other. As an official chronicle the Padshahnama was expected to be used as a propaganda piece. This meant that the impact of it as an expression of the imperial narrative could be limited. The Taj on the other hand was a tomb, a controversial building in both Islamic and Indian tradition as we shall see below. By making this into an expression of the imperial narrative Shah Jahan showed that nothing was beyond its grasp and by extension his own. Thus the impact of the Taj could be much greater.Show less
