Source: Dawn
THERE is a recurring theme running through Muslim mythology in the subcontinent that places the Mughal era at the pinnacle of India’s rich and varied past.Travellers to India in the 16th and 17th centuries returned with tales of dazzling riches. Indeed, compared to the display of wealth by the Mughal aristocracy, European monarchs and princes paled into insignificance.But the reality was very different, unless you were one of the favoured few at the top of the Mughal hierarchy. To illustrate this, consider the fact that under Shah Jehan, 36.5 per cent of the assessed revenue of the country was assigned to 68 princes and ‘amirs’. The next 25pc went to another 587 officers.