The Glass Palace: Character Mind Map & Summary
The key characters of Amitav Ghosh's The Glass Palace (2000), grouped into branches, with the key episodes, a quick summary and the exam facts that come up again and again in UGC NET.
The Character Mind Map
Tap any name to open the details.
Rajkumar Raha
An Indian orphan in Mandalay in 1885 when the British invade Burma. He becomes a rich teak trader and marries Dolly, a maid of the exiled Burmese queen.
Ending: returns to India in old age👑 Burma Royals
ExileKing Thebaw & Queen SupayalatLast Burmese royals
Role: Exiled to Ratnagiri in India.
DollyThe Queen's maid
Role: Marries Rajkumar.
🏠 Friends
MentorsSaya JohnA Chinese-Malay trader
Role: Rajkumar's mentor.
Uma DeyThe Collector's wife at Ratnagiri
Role: Dolly's friend; later a political activist.
🤝 Next Generation
WarArjunUma's nephew
Role: An Indian army officer who joins the INA.
DinuRajkumar's son
Role: A photographer.
Key Episodes
The turning points examiners love to ask about.
Quick Summary
The story, stage by stage.
Stage 1Mandalay
- Invasion.
Stage 2Exile
- Ratnagiri.
Stage 3Fortune
- Teak and rubber.
Stage 4War
- Japanese invasion.
Stage 5Return
- Old age.
Must-Know Exam Facts
Quick points for UGC NET, SET and PGT.
Theme
Empire, exile, identity, war.
Award
Ghosh withdrew it from the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
Title
The Glass Palace was the royal palace of Mandalay.
Genre
Historical saga across three generations.
Additional Revision Notes
Extra character, historical and literary details for exam preparation.
Burma and Empire
Beginning around the fall of the Burmese monarchy in 1885, the novel traces lives shaped by colonial expansion across Burma, India and Malaya.
Rajkumar and Dolly
Rajkumar and Dolly belong to the novel's interconnected generations. Their experiences reveal how displacement, commerce and imperial power shape private hopes.
Historical Scope
Amitav Ghosh links intimate family stories with shifting borders, resource extraction and war. The Second World War becomes a major turning point in this wider history.
Indian Literature
100+ Key Works of Indian Literature
All these character mind maps in one printed book.
