OxTalks will soon move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events.' There will be a need for an OxTalks freeze. This was previously planned for Friday 14th November – a new date will be shared as soon as it is available (full details will be available on the Staff Gateway).
In the meantime, the OxTalks site will remain active and events will continue to be published.
If staff have any questions about the Oxford Events launch, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
The language of kingship in early modern India has often been discussed as an issue of power and spiritual authority with a millenarian flavour. Multiple origins were grouped to create a composite yet coherent idea of kingship that linked the local with Islamicate tropes, casting kings in the mould of Solomonic rulers. This representation, however, does not account for all aspects of Indo-Muslim kingship. Focusing on imperial as well as Perso-Islamic and Turco-Mongol concepts, much of the historiography underplays the role of localised, Indic-infused concepts. This preliminary paper asks to examine these often overlooked aspects of Indo-Muslim kingship. Focusing on Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur (r. 1580-1627), I argue that additional elements took part in shaping his royal image. These ranged from Indic concepts and symbols of rulership to artistic expression and affective projection. Identifying these aspects, I suggest, will shed new light on royal practices and their public display in Bijapur and beyond. By that, the paper will suggest possible directions towards a more nuanced understanding of this central institution.
