Mughal Bengal's Merchant Prince: Hiranand Sahu of Cossimbazar

While the Jagat Seths dominate the history of Bengal's banking dynasties, this episode turns to Hiranand Sahu, the merchant who financed Shah Shuja's ill-fated bid for the Mughal throne in the 1650s. Lucas and Luna trace Hiranand's rise in the textile and saltpetre trade along the Hooghly, his relationship with Prince Shah Shuja, and the fallout after Aurangzeb's victory. They examine how the Sahu family navigated the transition from Mughal patronage to early English East India Company influence, and why their story is often overshadowed by the Jagat Seths. Along the way, they discuss the hazardous world of inland trade, the politics of Mughal succession, and the fragile prosperity of Cossimbazar (Khushbagh) before the Plassey era. #BengalHistory #MughalEmpire #Cossimbazar #HiranandSahu #ShahShuja #Aurangzeb #SaltpetreTrade #Hooghly #MughalMerchants #JagatSeth #Murshidabad #BengalBanking #SouthAsianHistory #FexingoHistory #EarlyModernIndia #TextileTrade #BengalSubah #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo