During the past two centuries, over seventy European and American women (and a New Zealander) - including queens, a poet, missionaries, novelists, a photo-journalist and a Flamenco dancer who married a Sikh raja - have deployed their pens, pencils, brushes and cameras to capture the essence of the Sikhs. Through their diaries, letters, missionary reports, novels, autobiographies, paintings and photographs, unique perspectives emerge of an enchanting and dynamic culture underpinned by a vibrant spiritual tradition. From their attempts to understand the universal teachings of the Sikh Gurus and the experience of visiting the Golden Temple of Amritsar to the mysteries of colourful turbans bound over uncut hair and the impact of conflicts both against and for the British Empire, the personalities, prejudices and enthusiasms of female writers and artists during 200 years of social transformation are revealed.

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