Hayat Bakshi Begum (died 26 February, 1667) was the royal

consort __NOTOC__ Consort may refer to: Music * "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses'' * Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles * Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...

Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah (also transliterated in different ways) was the sixth ruler of the kingdom of Golconda in southern India under the Qutb Shahi dynasty. He ruled from 1612 to 1625. He was the nephew and son-in-law of Muhammad Quli Qutb ...

, the sixth ruler of the Golconda Sultanate in

south India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

. When her son Abdullah Qutb Shah was made sultan at the age of fourteen in 1626, she acted as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

for the first few years of his reign, and continued to wield considerable influence in the state until her death.

Biography

Early life

She was the only daughter of

Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (4 April 156511 January 1612) was the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golkonda and founded the city of Hyderabad, in South-central India and built its architectural centerpiece, the Charminar. He was an able adm ...

did not have any male heirs, and hence decided to wed his daughter to his nephew

, and make him the heir to the throne. She married

in 1607. When

died on 16 January 1612,

ascended the throne and Hayat Bakshi Begum became principal consort. Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah often turned to Hayat for counsel.

Regent

In 1626, Sultan Muhammad died, and Hayat had her son Abdullah Qutb Shah crowned. The new sultan was fourteen years old, and Hayat ruled as

for the first few years of his reign, and would wield considerable influence in the kingdom until her death. In 1656, she made a treaty with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. According to the treaty, Abdullah's daughter would be married off to Mughal prince

Muhammad Sultan Muhammad Sultan was 5th son of Abdurashid Khan and became Khan of Yarkent Khanate from 1592-1609 after the death of his elder brother Abdul Karim Khan. He was the ruler who arranged Jesuit Bento de Goes' Caravan, sent by the third Mughal empero ...

and the Golconda Sultanate would be ceded to the Mughals after Abdullah's death. She died on 26 February 1667. She was buried in a tomb within the

Qutb Shahi tombs The Qutub Shahi Tombs are located in the Ibrahim Bagh (garden precinct), close to the famous Golconda Fort in Hyderabad, India. They contain the tombs and mosques built by the various kings of the Qutub Shahi dynasty. The galleries of the sma ...

. Her tomb is the only woman's tomb which is equal in size to the tombs of the kings.

Legacy

In 2019,

IIT Hyderabad Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (abbreviated IIT Hyderabad or IITH) is a public technical research university located in Sangareddy district in the Indian state of Telanganaa. As with all Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), IIT ...

released a

Virtual Reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

film entitled ''Ma Saheba – The queen of Hyderabad'', about Hayat Bakshi Begum.

References

{{reflist Qutb Shahi dynasty 1667 deaths 17th-century women rulers