Manu S. Pillai is an Indian writer whose book The Ivory Throne won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2017.Currently studying for a PhD at King’s College London, he is also the author of The Courtesan, the Mahatma & the Italian Brahmin, a collection of essays compiled from his column in Mint Lounge (2016–2019). His writing has appeared in The Hindu, Hindustan Times, Open magazine and other publications. Rebel Sultans is Manu’s second book.
<p><span style="color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In Rebel Sultans, Manu S. Pillai narrates the story of the Deccan from the close of the thirteenth century to the dawn of the eighteenth. Packed with riveting tales and compelling characters, this book takes us from the age of Alauddin Khilji to the ascent of Shivaji. We witness the dramatic rise and fall of the Vijayanagar empire, even as we negotiate intrigues at the courts of the Bahmani kings and the Rebel Sultans who overthrew them. From Chand Bibi, a valorous queen stabbed to death, and Ibrahim II of Bijapur, a Muslim prince who venerated Hindu gods, to Malik Ambar, the Ethiopian warlord, and Krishnadeva Raya on Vijayanagar’s Diamond Throne – they all appear in these pages as we journey through one of the most arresting sweeps of Indian history.</span><br></p>
