The arrival of the British in India in the “Taj Mahal” trilogy by Indian-American writer Indu Sundaresa

Abstract

For Europeans, the discovery of the Indian Ocean was one of the greatest events in the
history of world trade. At the mention of India, the first thing that came to the head of Westerners
was spices and gold. In this regard, the Taj Mahal trilogy written by Indu Sundaresan is very
interesting and rich in historical facts. The first arrival of the British in India, the struggle of the
Europeans with other rivals, and the use of various means to find their way to the Babur palace
were reflected in the trilogy. The novel shows that the first British visits to India took place during
the reign of Babur ruler Jahangir Shah. Historical facts also show that the arrival of the British in
the Indian lands coincided with the time of Jahangir Shah. These events attract everybody’s
attention in the author’s both novels "The Twentieth Wife", and "Banquet of Flowers". The novel
also tells of an East Indian company set up to trade with the East. India is a rich country. The
company wanted to increase its reputation, but they had nothing significant to offer India. The company's repeated visits to India and the suffering they endured are endless. When none of them is
able to fully achieve his desires and everybody leaves India, a new guest leaves England. It is not
easy to fulfil the dream of the ruler of India by (through) giving him many gifts and convincing
them to sign a contract and trade in these lands. They are hindered by other Europeans who settled
on these lands even earlier. On the other hand, the warm nature of India and the behaviour of the
people also annoy the arriving ambassadors.