His mannerisms began to mirror those of Mughal noblemen. He smoked the hookah and embraced pleasures that were part of aristocratic life in Delhi. He is widely said to have had 13 Indian wives or companions. “In early 19th-century Delhi, one of the sights of the town was the afternoon parade of the British Resident, or ambassador, and his 13 Indian wives, each travelling on the back of her own elephant,” wrote author William Dalrymple in his essay Before British India, There Were Indian Britons. According to the account, Ochterlony would leave the British Residency each evening with his household and take them around the Mughal Red Fort for their airing before returning for dinner.
