The Fantastic Mir Jumla

One name which frequently crops up in 17th century CE Mughal history, is the name of Mir Jumla. A fascinating survivor, adventurer and ‘man for all times’, the rise of this man is quite unparalleled, even for a time when rags to riches stories were common and the subcontinent was the land of opportunity, which attracted ambitious young men from all over.

Mir Jumla started off as a clerk, became a diamond merchant, amassed a massive fortune and became one of the most important people in Mughal India. Jumla was an extremely ambitious man whose actions would change the course of history for cities and states like Golconda, Gandikota, Chennai, Dhaka, Cooch Behar, Assam and even the Mughal Empire. He is also said to have been the man who gifted the Koh-i-noor Diamond to Shah Jahan and would go on to back the right side – as Aurangzeb’s mentor, in the war of succession. At the same time, he ran a huge business empire that spanned from Persia in the East to Burma (Myanmar) in the West.