| Publication |
2013.
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| Summary/Abstract |
In May 2009, in a small chat room in the Hunza Valley (in Northern Areas of Pakistan), a heated debate ?ared up over an old photograph. It showed Mir Muhammad Nazim Khan, ruler of Hunza State, from 1892
to 1938, and his Wazir, Humayun Beg, in ceremonial attire at the Imperial Coronation Durbar at Delhi in 1903. The opinions offered by the participants ranged from appreciation for great leaders of the past to their
utter condemnation as colonial 'devils' and exploiters. In fact, the photo conveys various messages. For me, first of all, it shows the integration of the Hunza Mir into a colonial hierarchy. Second, and more generally
speaking, it draws our attention to the world of durbars or 'ceremonial gatherings' in colonial India. Muhammad Nazim Khan was actively involved in this world.' He participated in two imperial durbars at Delhi, and every year he also attended a durbar, known as the Ialsa.
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