The Lives and Legends of a Warrior Queen
Penguin Random House India • 2026A sweeping work of historical recovery and archival investigation into pre-modern India's most iconic female Muslim ruler.
In 1595, Chand Bibi (1550–1600) of the Deccan sultanates in southern India defied the most formidable military power of the early modern world: the imperial armies of Mughal Emperor Akbar. As regent of Bijapur and Ahmadnagar, she commanded armies, negotiated complex diplomatic alliances, and led the defense of Ahmadnagar Fort on horseback.
Yet for centuries, her story has been obscured by north-centric Mughal histories, colonial folklore, and romantic myths. Who was this sovereign queen, and what kind of political and cultural world made her leadership possible?
Challenging imperial historiography and recovering female sovereignty in the Deccan.
Histories of India's Persianate past are overwhelmingly dominated by Mughal court chronicles written in Delhi and Agra. By turning south to the Deccan sultanates (Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Golconda), the book reveals a distinct, pluralistic political sphere with independent diplomatic ties to Persia and the Indian Ocean world.
The book challenges modern stereotypes of pre-modern Muslim women existing solely "behind the veil" as passive victims of patriarchy. Waheed examines Chand Bibi's military command, her matrilineal heritage (including her regent mother, Queen Khunza Humayun), and her armed female guard, the Urdubegis.
Chand Bibi's end is shrouded in competing narratives: was she murdered by mutinous soldiers, did she commit suicide to evade Mughal capture, or did she escape through underground tunnels? Waheed investigates how historians make sense of contradictory archives and why certain legends endure.
What leading historians and authors are saying about Chand Bibi.
"A timely and profoundly exciting work. Sarah Waheed combines rigorous archival research across South Asia with vivid narrative prose, questioning historiography and the erasure of South Asian female Muslim voices."
"A powerful act of historical recovery. Waheed brings to life not only the military genius of Chand Bibi but also the rich, multi-ethnic, and Persianate world of the Deccan sultanates that shaped her reign."
"A brilliant exploration of how memory, myth, and history intertwine. Sarah Waheed guides readers through fort ruins, Persian manuscripts, and Urdu folklore to solve the historical mystery of Chand Bibi's life and afterlives."
"Written with beautiful prose and erudition, this book transforms our understanding of gender, sovereignty, and religious pluralism in early modern India."
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