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Legacy of The Peacock Throne
PERHAPS THE GREATEST but least understood love story ever told is that of the famous 17th century Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan and his beloved wife, the ethereal and enigmatic, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal monument he commissioned to declare his love for her upon her tragic death in 1631 remains unprecedented in five thousand years of recorded human history.
The chief architect of the building complex and grounds, Ahmed Lahori, labored for more than twenty years under the supervision of the Emperor and his Court. He secured the skills of innumerable architects, builders, craftsmen and stonemasons from across the world to raise this unparalleled masterpiece of Islamic and Persian architecture. Since its completion, this bejeweled mausoleum along the banks of the river Yamuna in Agra, India has borne witness to the love Shah Jahan had for his beloved Queen.
“The Peacock Throne” was the name given to the exceptionally ornate throne built for Shah Jahan in 1635. Its columns and platform were embellished with precious gems including diamonds, emeralds, pearls, rubies and sapphires as well as several priceless Mughal heirlooms, most notably, the brilliant and enormous Kohinoor diamond. This pièce de résistance remains amongst the largest diamonds ever unearthed and has its ancient origins in Golconda’s Kollur diamond mines in the south central region of India. To this day, Golconda diamonds are distinguished by their exceptional brilliance, clarity and color.
The Persian invader, Nader Shah, seized the Kohinoor, along with Shah Jahan’s Peacock Throne when he invaded a considerably weaker Mughal Empire in 1739 but the diamond eventually found its way into the crown jewel collection of England when Queen Victoria was anointed as Empress of India.
The lives of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz, and their extraordinary relationship are also the subject of my surreal novel. It’s an exciting, unique and wonderful story about Jannah and Qasim Ali, two twins from London who are students at Cambridge University in the early 1930’s. Jannah and Qasim are studying Mughal history during the age of the Emperor and his wife and are also their descendants.
The twins find themselves deeply frustrated at their inability to learn more about the historic love story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz, beyond what’s commonly known. But their sincere desire to gain deeper insights into Mughal Court life and the lives of their forbears leads them on an incredible journey from Paris and London to Delhi and Agra, eventually immersing them into the splendid age of this most famous of Mughal Emperors. The consequences of their ambitions are dramatic and unpredictable while the challenges are dangerous and numerous. But their journey is beyond rewarding.
I hope you’ll enjoy the first of several novels about our main characters, Jannah and Qasim. Now please sit back in your coziest chair, make yourself comfortable and join the twins on their incredible journey.
Vicar Sayeedi
Chicago, London & Paris
The chief architect of the building complex and grounds, Ahmed Lahori, labored for more than twenty years under the supervision of the Emperor and his Court. He secured the skills of innumerable architects, builders, craftsmen and stonemasons from across the world to raise this unparalleled masterpiece of Islamic and Persian architecture. Since its completion, this bejeweled mausoleum along the banks of the river Yamuna in Agra, India has borne witness to the love Shah Jahan had for his beloved Queen.
“The Peacock Throne” was the name given to the exceptionally ornate throne built for Shah Jahan in 1635. Its columns and platform were embellished with precious gems including diamonds, emeralds, pearls, rubies and sapphires as well as several priceless Mughal heirlooms, most notably, the brilliant and enormous Kohinoor diamond. This pièce de résistance remains amongst the largest diamonds ever unearthed and has its ancient origins in Golconda’s Kollur diamond mines in the south central region of India. To this day, Golconda diamonds are distinguished by their exceptional brilliance, clarity and color.
The Persian invader, Nader Shah, seized the Kohinoor, along with Shah Jahan’s Peacock Throne when he invaded a considerably weaker Mughal Empire in 1739 but the diamond eventually found its way into the crown jewel collection of England when Queen Victoria was anointed as Empress of India.
The lives of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz, and their extraordinary relationship are also the subject of my surreal novel. It’s an exciting, unique and wonderful story about Jannah and Qasim Ali, two twins from London who are students at Cambridge University in the early 1930’s. Jannah and Qasim are studying Mughal history during the age of the Emperor and his wife and are also their descendants.
The twins find themselves deeply frustrated at their inability to learn more about the historic love story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz, beyond what’s commonly known. But their sincere desire to gain deeper insights into Mughal Court life and the lives of their forbears leads them on an incredible journey from Paris and London to Delhi and Agra, eventually immersing them into the splendid age of this most famous of Mughal Emperors. The consequences of their ambitions are dramatic and unpredictable while the challenges are dangerous and numerous. But their journey is beyond rewarding.
I hope you’ll enjoy the first of several novels about our main characters, Jannah and Qasim. Now please sit back in your coziest chair, make yourself comfortable and join the twins on their incredible journey.
Vicar Sayeedi
Chicago, London & Paris
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 17, 2013
15 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Vicar Sayeedi
5 books113 followershttps://www.amazon.com/author/vicarsa...
VICAR SAYEEDI IS THE AUTHOR of the novel, “The Shariah Parliament - Renaissance and Sacred Law”.
The story illuminates a path forward for the Muslim World, a ray of hope for a way out from its current malaise. In the absence of any other comparably constructive initiatives, I felt compelled to write this book. Although but a work of contemporary fiction, my profound aspiration is to sow the seed of possibility in the minds of readers and thinkers throughout the world with the sincere hope that their collective voice will resonate so loudly as to leave no choice for world leaders but to mobilize and undertake this desperately needed project.
VICAR SAYEEDI IS THE AUTHOR of the novel, “The Shariah Parliament - Renaissance and Sacred Law”.
The story illuminates a path forward for the Muslim World, a ray of hope for a way out from its current malaise. In the absence of any other comparably constructive initiatives, I felt compelled to write this book. Although but a work of contemporary fiction, my profound aspiration is to sow the seed of possibility in the minds of readers and thinkers throughout the world with the sincere hope that their collective voice will resonate so loudly as to leave no choice for world leaders but to mobilize and undertake this desperately needed project.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 11, 2014
A beautiful and captivating novel about 17th century Mughal India. A new take on an old tale, the story explores the extraordinary lives of Shah Jahan and his enigmatic wife, Mumtaz Mahal in an age of splendor.
June 5, 2013
This is a breathtaking novel of romance and adventure. It transports the reader back to a magical time of pomp and ceremony in Mughal India yet seamlessly bridges the reader to London, Paris and beyond. The characters are delightful and the writer has left no detail to bring their story to life. It's a must read for those who enjoy historical fiction.
July 14, 2013
I enjoy novels where the reader and the characters travel back in time to witness history being made. The Legacy of the Peacock Throne takes the reader and two descendants of the Moghul empire back to Emperor Jahangir's reign in order to return a ghost of her former self, Mumtaz, back to her youth and marriage to Shah Jahan, as well as gain important information about the Mughul empire for a thesis both twins are writing. This part was clever, engaging, and informative. The beginning of the story, however, was filled with repeated, unnecessary dialogue. At first, this novel read like a third grade novel, making sure the reader was getting the main points. As the twins disappeared into the world of the Mughul empire, events ramped up, and the writing was more descriptive and compelling. I love reading about the Mughul empire, and love reading about the love between Shah Jahan and his wife, inspiring the building of the Taj Mahal. This novel, in my opinion, would be a great elementary school read. It lacked the sophisticated writing of other novels I have read about this era.
June 7, 2013
I'm really impressed by this book..
July 20, 2013
it was good book to read.
August 4, 2013
The concept was intriguing, the story had/has great potential. Unfortunately the technical writing style was simplistic and childish. If the intended audience is junior high school, it was probably spot on. The theme could easily inspire a multi book series. The authors research was obvious and impressive. But the character dialogue was stilted, the narrative lacked readability. I have finally concluded the book read more like it was written for the big screen than for the reader; a 21st century weakness for writers. I plowed through the story, interested to see where it might take me . . . Only to discover it fell short of taking me to that wonderful place for readers: an engaging story that does not require a movie for interpretation.
October 4, 2025
The story flows well making it easy to become invested in the characters and their struggles
July 9, 2013
I struggled to get into this book. I did not enjoy the story being told via the lives of the 2 young kids, sometimes finding the conversations between them insignificant.
Unfortunately when it turned into a fanatsy story of going back in time...I could not carry on.
I prefer stories that are real and whilst the story behind the Taj is real perhaps keeping it like that and telling it as it was I would have enjoyed it more.
This book is probably a great book just not for me
Unfortunately when it turned into a fanatsy story of going back in time...I could not carry on.
I prefer stories that are real and whilst the story behind the Taj is real perhaps keeping it like that and telling it as it was I would have enjoyed it more.
This book is probably a great book just not for me
January 20, 2015
I enjoyed reading the book but not as much as I wanted to. The storyline itself is very grasping told from the perspective of the twins. The readers are taken back in time and see the history being made. The reason for 3 stars is that regardless of really good depiction of the story I felt as something was missing. Me as reader couldn’t get imaginative enough and slip into the historical world of the Moghul Empire.
January 5, 2014
I love this genre and find this particular time period fascinating. I enjoyed reading about the characters and places. The vivid details brought the events and characters to life. I found myself researching the historical figures and events because I was so captivated. Thank you for helping me connect with my heritage!
March 13, 2014
I just cannot go on... I read to escape and sadly very little about this story grabbed me...I wasn't able to close my eyes and feel, smell, and taste the story... I wasn't emotionally moved by the characters nor the unfolding story.
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June 17, 2014I give up. Too many words I didn't understand.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews