Library Of Congress Names Ruby Lal Kluge Chair As She Works On Book On Taj Mahal

Photo: Danish Saroee/Emory

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC- Emory University historian Ruby Lal has been named the 2027 Kluge Chair in Countries and Cultures of the South at the John W. Kluge Center of the Library of Congress.

Lal, a professor of Middle Eastern and South Asian studies in Emory College of Arts and Sciences, will spend four months in residence in Washington, D.C., beginning in January 2027.

Her work during the residency will center on her seventh book, ‘The Genius of Mughals, A Magisterial History of the Taj Mahal.’ The book will trace the human history behind the Taj Mahal and the Mughal Empire during the period when the monument was built.

Lal said the book will focus on the people involved in its creation, including the queen in whose memory it was built, the architects, a calligrapher, thousands of masons and stone cutters, and the Raja who provided the land. It will also examine the lands and rivers connected to the monument and the vision behind its design.

“In writing this book, I stand as a witness to those who were witnessing the Taj, a wonder of the world, as it was coming into being,” Lal said.

“I am delighted and honored to have been selected as the 2027 Kluge Chair in Countries and Cultures of the South at the Library of Congress,” she said, adding that she looked forward to carrying out the public and intellectual duties of the role.

The Kluge Center hosts scholars and researchers who use the Library of Congress’s resources for their work and engage with policymakers and the public. The chair in Countries and Cultures of the South is one of five Kluge Chairs established in the founding documents of the center.

Lal’s books include ‘Vagabond Princess: The Great Adventures of Gulbadan,’ which was shortlisted for the James Tait Prize and was a finalist for the Georgia Author of the Year award.

Her earlier book, ‘Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan,’ won the Georgia Author of the Year Award in Biography and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in 2018.

In spring 2025, Lal published ‘Tiger-Slayer,’ an illustrated young adult remix of ‘Empress.’ It was among the top two picks of the New York Public Library’s 2025 nonfiction young adult selection and was a finalist for the Atta Galatta Bangalore Literature Prize.