The Age of Kali
| Author | William Dalrymple |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Travel |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
|
Publication date
|
1998 |
| Preceded by | From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium |
| Followed by | White Mughals |
The Age of Kali is a 1998 travel book by William Dalrymple. The book's theme is trouble in the Indian subcontinent and the Hindu belief in a time called the Kali Yuga when many problems will come to exist in the world.
The book gives an overview of many of the top controversies in the region at the time of publication, including interviews with players in those events.
Dalrymple's fourth book, The Age of Kali (1998), saw the author rekindle his love affair with India. It was released in India renamed as At the Court of the Fish-Eyed Goddess (). (The "fish eyed goddess" refers to the Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai.)
The book is a collection of essays collected through almost a decade of travel around the Indian subcontinent.
It deals with many controversial subjects such as Sati, the caste wars in India, political corruption and terrorism.
This chapter on Patna includes discussions of the 13 February 1992 massacre of high caste people by low caste people in Barra, Bihar; the arrest and political style of Anand Mohan Singh; violence in Patna; and a profile of and interview with Laloo Prasad Yadav.
This chapter includes a discussion of the culture of 19th century Lucknow; the general decline of Lucknow; the poet Mir Taqi Mir; the palace Dilkusha; and the Tawaif (courtesan) subculture. Interviews with Mushtaq Naqvi, an elderly poet, profound author and a historian and Suleiman Mahmudabad, a literati prince, lead the narrative.
This chapter on Vrindavan discusses the lives of widows who retire there and corruption in the systems for providing aid to widows.
This chapter on Gwalior includes an interview with Vijayaraje Scindia and discussions of Jai Vilas Mahal and the Babri Mosque.
...
Wikipedia