Moran Sarkar ( pnb, ) was a

Punjabi Muslim Punjabi Muslims ( pa, ) are adherents of Islam who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis. Primarily geographically native to the Punjab province of Pakistan today, many have ancestry in the entire Punjab region, ...

married to

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

ruler

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

in 1806. She was a

nautch The nautch (; meaning "dance" or "dancing")Scott A. Kugle, 2016When Sun Meets Moon: Gender, Eros, and Ecstasy in Urdu Poetry p.230. was a popular court dance performed by girls (known as "nautch girls") in India. The culture of the performing ...

girl before she became a queen.

was supposedly punished by flogging by

Akali Phula Singh Akali Phula Singh Nihang (born Nihang Singh; 1 January 1761 – 14 March 1823) was an Akali Nihang Sikh leader. He was a saint soldier of the Khalsa Shaheedan Misl and head of the Budha Dal in the early 19th century. He was also a senior ...

for marrying her. Mai Moran was sent to live in

Pathankot district Pathankot district, is the northernmost district of the Indian state of Punjab. Pathankot city is the district headquarters. The district was created on 27 July 2011. Etymology The original name of Pathankot was ''Paithan'' during the Mughal ...

, in 1811.

Life

Mai Moran was born in a Muslim family in Makhan Windi, near

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

She later married Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a year after he became the maharaja of Lahore at the age of 21 and was officially given a name as ''Maharani Sahiba''. She was a nautch girl. Maharaja Ranjit Singh used to meet her in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. She used to dance for him at the Baradari of Maharaja Ranjit Singh halfway between Amritsar and Lahore. The place was since called

Pul Kanjri Pul Kanjri is a historical site situated 35 km away from Amritsar on Amritsar-Lahore road, near the villages of Dhanoa Khurd and Dhanoa Kalan on the Wagah border. It is one of the heritage sites built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, where he used ...

but now its name has been changed to 'Pul Moran'. She later married Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a year after he became the maharaja of Lahore at the age of 21 and was officially given a name as ''Maharani Sahiba''. She was considered to be very learned in arts and letters. She was known for her philanthropic acts and in bringing Maharaja's attention to many problems. The Maharaja at Moran's request, built a mosque called as ''Masjid-e-Tawaifan'', which was renamed in 1998 as ''Mai Moran Masjid'' in Lahore. This is located in Lahore's bazaar now called Pappar Mandi near Shah Almi Gate. The front of Moraan Mosque 2

Play

Her life story with Maharaja Ranjit Singh was made into a play by Manveen Sandhu and directed by Kewal Dhaliwal. The same play written by Manveen Sandhu was translated and directed by Rajiv Kumar Sharma principal Spring Dale Senior School, Amritsar during CBSE National Sahodaya Conference held at Amritsar in November 2013. The audience consisted of appx. 1000 school principals, CBSE officials and other delegates. The cast entirely consisted of school teachers. Rajiv Kumar Sharma presented the play Moran Sarkar Moran Sarkar play directed by Rajiv Kumar Sharma

one last time in the same year during Indo-Pak Peace Festival Saanjh 2013 held at Spring Dale Senior School, Amritsar.

External links

Link to Mai Moran Masjid on Google Maps

More Pictures of Mai Moran Mosque in WikiCommons

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarkar, Moran Indian queen consorts Indian courtesans Women of the Sikh Empire 18th-century Indian women 18th-century Indian people 19th-century Indian women 19th-century Indian people Indian women philanthropists Mosques in Lahore 1781 births 1862 deaths 19th-century dancers 19th-century Indian philanthropists 19th-century women philanthropists

Life

Play

See also

External links

References