William Dalrymple: ‘If I ever want to show off to a nephew, I tell them about being shot at’
The historian on being stunned silent by Mick Jagger, his favourite sandwich filling and the seventh century Indian king he wants to have dinner with
As an expert in Indian history, who is your favourite character you wish more people knew about?
I’d like to go back to the Pallava court in south India in the seventh century, where there was an incredible king called Mahendravarman who is important for art history because he’s the first guy to really start building temples in stone. He started excavating and building little temples in the landscape, incredibly beautiful. But what was fascinating about him was he wasn’t just a ruler and a builder – he was also a playwright. He wrote these Samuel Beckett-like farces which are still performed. In one of them, the god of death swaps the souls of a courtesan and a monk. He was also a great musician and a great drinker. That’s who you want at a dinner party.
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