Begum Hazrat Mahal (c. 18207 April 1879), also known as the

Begum Begum (also begüm, bagum, begom, begam, baigum or beygum) is a royal and aristocratic title from Central and South Asia. It is the feminine equivalent of the title ''baig'' or '' bey'', which in Turkic languages means "higher official". It us ...

Awadh Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...

, was the second wife of

Nawab of Awadh The Nawab of Awadh or the Nawab of Oudh was the title of the rulers who governed the state of Awadh (anglicised as Oudh) in north India during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Nawabs of Awadh belonged to a dynasty of Persian origin from Nishap ...

Wajid Ali Shah Mirza Wajid Ali Shah ( ur, ) (30 July 1822 – 1 September 1887) was the eleventh and last King of Awadh, holding the position for 9 years, from 13 February 1847 to 11 February 1856. Wajid Ali Shah's first wife was Alam Ara who was better k ...

, and the regent of Awadh in 1857–1858. She is known for the leading role she had in the rebellion against the British East India Company during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

. After her husband had been exiled to Calcutta and the Indian Rebellion broke out, she made her son, Prince Birjis Qadr, the ''Wali'' (ruler) of Awadh, with herself as regent during his minority. However, she was forced to abandon this role after a short reign. By way of Hallaur, she finally found asylum in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

, where she died in 1879. Her role in the rebellion has given her a heroine status. (Young's inspired, called her "The Tigress")

Biography

Early life

Begum Hazrat Mahal's name was Muhammedi Khanum, and she was born in Faizabad, Awadh, India. She was sold by her parents and became a courtesan by profession. She entered the royal

harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...

as a ''khawasin'' after having been sold to Royal agents, where she was promoted to a ''pari'',Michael Edwardes (1975) ''Red Year''. London: Sphere Books; p. 104 and was known as Mahek Pari. She became a ''Begum'' after being accepted as a royal concubine of the King of Awadh, the last Tajdaar-e-Awadh,

; became his junior wife and the title 'Hazrat Mahal' was bestowed on her after the birth of their son, Birjis Qadr. In 1856, the British annexed Awadh, and Wajid Ali Shah was exiled to

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

. Begum Hazrat Mahal remained in Lucknow with her son and soon took charge of the affairs of the rebel state of

as it entered armed struggle with the British East India Company.

Indian Rebellion of 1857

During the

, Begum Hazrat Mahal's band of supporters rebelled against the forces of the British under the leadership of Raja Jalal Singh; they seized control of

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

, and she took power as the guardian of her minor son, Prince Birjis Qadr, whom she had declared as the ruler (''Wali'') of Awadh. As regent, she automatically came to have a leadership role in the rebellion against the British. One of the principal complaints of Begum Hazrat Mahal was that the English East India Company had casually demolished

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

s and mosques just to make way for roads.William Dalrymple ''The Last Mughal; the fall of a dynasty: Delhi, 1857'', Viking Penguin, 2006, p. 69 In a proclamation issued during the final days of the revolt, she mocked the British claim to allow freedom of worship: Hazrat Mahal worked in association with Nana Saheb, but later joined the Maulavi of

Faizabad Faizabad (Hindustani pronunciation: ɛːzaːbaːd is a city situated near the southern banks of Saryu river in Ayodhya district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The area of this Faizabad region is administered by Ayodhya Municipal Corpo ...

in the attack on

Shahjahanpur Shahjahanpur () is a municipal corporation, town and district headquarters of Shahjahanpur District in Uttar Pradesh, India. The city is between Bareilly and Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. History Shahjahanpur was established by Di ...

. When the forces under the command of the British re-captured Lucknow and most of Oudh, she was forced to retreat.

Later life

Ultimately, she had to retreat to

, where she was initially refused asylum by the Rana prime minister

Jang Bahadur Maharaja Jung Bahadur Kunwar Ranaji, (born Bir Narsingh Kunwar ( ne, वीर नरसिंह कुँवर), 18 June 1817; popularly known as Jung Bahadur Rana (JBR, ne, जङ्गबहादुर राणा)) () belonging to the ...

, but was later allowed to stay. She died there in 1879 and was buried in a nameless grave in the grounds of

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

's Jama Masjid. After her death, on the occasion of the jubilee of Queen Victoria (1887), the British Government pardoned Birjis Qadr and he was allowed to return home.

Memorials

Begum Hazrat Mahal's tomb is located in the central part of Kathmandu near Jama Masjid, Ghantaghar, not far away from the famous Darbar Marg. It is looked after by the Jama Masjid Central Committee. On 15 August 1962, Mahal was honoured at the Old Victoria Park in

Hazratganj Hazratganj is the downtown and the main shopping centre of Lucknow, the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In addition to bazaars, it also contains shopping complexes, restaurants, hotels, theaters, cafés and man ...

, Lucknow for her role in the Great Revolt. Along with the renaming of the park, a marble memorial was constructed, which includes a marble tablet with four round brass plaques bearing the Coat of Arms of the Awadh royal family. The park has been used for

Ramlila Ramlila (Rāmlīlā) (literally 'Rama's lila or play') is any dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' or secondary literature based on it such as the ''Ramcharitmanas''. It particularly ...

s and bonfires during Dusshera, as well as Lucknow Mahotsava (Lucknow Exposition). On 10 May 1984, the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

issued a commemorative stamp in honour of Mahal. The first day cover was designed by C.R. Pakrashi, and the cancellation was done by Alka Sharma. 15,00,000 stamps were issued. The

Ministry of Minority Affairs The Ministry of Minority Affairs is the ministry in the Government of India which was carved out of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and created on 29 January 2006. It is the apex body for the central government's regulatory and ...

has started the Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship for Meritorious Girls belonging to minority communities in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. This scholarship is implemented through the

Maulana Azad Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al-Hussaini Azad (; 11 November 1888 – 22 February 1958) was an Indian independence activist, Islamic theologian, writer and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress. Following Ind ...

Education Foundation.

Gallery

File: Hazrat Mahal's Tomb in Kathmandu.jpg, The tomb of Begum Hazrat Mahal near Jama Masjid in Kathmandu File: Begum Hazrat Mahal Park Lucknow.jpg, Memorial of Begum Hazrat Mahal in Begum Hazrat Mahal Park,

. File:Victoria Memorial - Begum Hazrat Mahal Park.jpg, A view of Begum Hazrat Mahal Park

References

External links

Begum Hazrat Mahal Biography

The 1857 Uprising in the History of Freedom Struggle

Freedom fighters of India
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahal, Begum Hazrat 1879 deaths Indian women in war Women in 19th-century warfare Revolutionaries of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Military personnel from Lucknow Indian independence activists from Uttar Pradesh Indian rebels Indian courtesans 1820 births Indian queen consorts History of Awadh 19th-century Indian women Military personnel from Uttar Pradesh Women Indian independence activists Women from Uttar Pradesh 19th-century Indian Muslims Burials in Nepal Indian slaves Slave concubines