Nur Jahan was one of the most powerful and influential women in Indian history, and Ellison Findly's biography is an intriguing, elegantly written account of her life and times. It not only revises the legends that portray Nur Jahan as a power-hungry and malicious woman, but also investigates the paths to power available to women in Islam and Hinduism, providing a fascinating picture of life inside the mahal (harem).