With Scott Kugle, Emory University

The courtesan-poet-mystic Mahlaqa 'Chanda' (1768-1824) played an important political role in the Nizam's State in Hyderabad, India. The talk will focus on her artistic role in Urdu poetry and dance, her patronage of Shii piety with Sufi connections, and the architectural monuments that preserve her story for posterity.