Dalrymple, William

Tells the story of the romance and marriage between James Achilles Kirkpatrick, the British Resident at the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad between 1797 and 1805, and Khair un-Nissa, the great-niece of the Nizam's prime minister and a direct descendant of the Prophet, discussing the intrigue, politics, religious disputes, and espionage that undergirded the scandalous relationship.

After British Major James Achilles Kirkpatrick falls in love with a young Indian woman who is a direct descendent of Muhammed, he becomes a Muslim convert and wears the traditional white dress while following the customs of India. He is labeled a "white mughal" with his new identity but secretly he works as a double agent.

Explores the history of India during the reign of Bahadur Shah Zafar II, the last Mughal emperor, focusing on the 1857 rebellion sanctioned by Zafar, in which Indian troops within the East India Company stage a mutiny which led to the deaths of thousands, the destruction of Delhi, and Zafar's exile in Burma.

Explores how traditional religious life in India has undergone change amid economic development around the turn of the twenty-first century, examining the lives of various religious adherents, including a sacred dancer, a Sufi mystic, and a Tantric practitioner.