Robes of honour : khil'at in pre-colonial and colonial India

This volume analyzes the khilat ceremony, the tradition of honorific robing, prevalent in South Asia in the pre- colonial and colonial periods. The essays here examine the historical depth, geographic spread and general importance of the custom. Introduction: Ibn Battuta and a region of robing / Stewart Gordon -- The Emperor's clothes: robing and "Robes of honour" in Mughal India / Gavin R.G. Hambly -- "Voluntary" relationships and royal gifts of Pān in Mughal Bengal / David L. Curley -- When soldiers and statesmen meet: "ethnographic moments" on the frontiers of empire, 1800-15 / Bernardo A. Michael -- Early modern legends of poison khil'ats in India / Michelle Maskiell and Adrienne Mayor -- The Emperor's old clothes: robing and sovereignty in late Mughal and early British India / Gail Minault -- Conclusions / Stewart Gordon. This volume analyses a ceremony, termed khil'a in Arabic and khil'at or sar-u pa in Persian, found in much of South Asia in the pre-colonial and colonial periods.