Abstract
This chapter shows how Hindi poetry can be an important resource for understanding the Mughal period (1526–1857). Mughal historians have largely relied on Persian and European sources, but much can be gained by examining the local historical cultures that were cultivated in Indian vernacular languages. Busch focuses on a specific Hindi work, the Binhai Raso of Maheshdas Rao, which tells the story of the Mughal succession war of 1658 from the viewpoint of the Gaur Rajputs who fought (and died) in defence of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Since the materials are primarily literary rather than documentary in nature, they present challenges to would-be historian of historical culture, but they have the potential to contribute new perspectives not only to the field of Mughal history, but to the re-theorisation of Indian historiographical practices.
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