Rani Roopmati (kavi roopmati) (died 1561) was a poet queen of Mandu and the consort of the

Sultan of Malwa Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate was the principal title of the ruler of the Malwa Sultanate (1401–1561/2) in the Indian subcontinent. The Sultanate was founded by Dilawar Khan, an Afghan (ethnonym), Afghan or Turko-Afghan governor of the Delhi ...

Baz Bahadur Bayazid Baz Bahadur Khan was the last Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate, who reigned from 1555 to 1562. He succeeded his father, Shuja'at Khan. He is known for his romantic liaison with Roopmati. Baz Bahadur as sultan did not bother to look aft ...

. Roopmati features prominently in the folklores of

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

, which often describe the romance of the Sultan and his consort. She is said to have poisoned herself out of loyalty to her husband when Mandu was invaded by

Adham Khan Adham Khan (1531 – 16 May 1562) was a general of Mughal emperor Akbar. He was the younger son of Maham Anga, and thus, was the foster brother of Akbar. In his fourth regnal year, Akbar married him to Javeda Begum, the daughter of Baqi Khan B ...

Legend

According to folk legend, Baz Bahadur, the last independent ruler of Mandu, met the shepherdess Roopmati while he was out hunting, and she was singing with her friends. He asked her to accompany him to Mandu, and she agreed on the condition that she would live in a palace within sight of the

Narmada The Narmada River, previously also known as ''Narbada'' or anglicised as ''Nerbudda'', is the 5th longest river in India and overall the longest west-flowing river in the country. It is also the largest flowing river in the state of Madhya Prade ...

. Baz Bahadur thus built the Rewa Kund at Mandu. Mughal

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

decided to conquer Mandu, and sent

to capture the city.

was prompted to conquer Mandu partly due to Roopmati's beauty. In 1561,

's army led by

and Pir Muhammad Khan attacked

, and easily defeated Baz Bahadur's weaker forces in the battle of Sarangpur on 29 March 1561. Bahadur fled to seek help, after which Roopmati, believing he was dead, and unwilling to submit to Adham Khan, poisoned herself.

Poems by Roopmati

In 1599, Ahmad-ul-Umri Turkoman, who was in the service of Sharaf-ud-Din Mirza, wrote the story of Rani Roopmati in Persian. He collected 26 poems of her and included them in his work. The original manuscript passed to his grandson Fulad Khan and his friend Mir Jafar Ali made a copy of the manuscript in 1653. Mir Jafar Ali's copy ultimately passed to Mehbub Ali of Delhi and after his death in 1831 passed to a lady of Delhi. Jemadar Inayat Ali of Bhopal brought this manuscript from her to Agra. This manuscript later reached C.E. Luard and translated into English by L.M. Crump under the title, ''The Lady of the Lotus: Rupmati, Queen of Mandu: A Strange Tale of Faithfulness'' in 1926. This manuscript has a collection of twelve ''doha''s, ten ''kavita''s and three ''sawaiya''s of Rupmati.Khare, M.D. (ed.) (1981). ''Malwa through the Ages'', Bhopal: Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of M.P., pp.365-7

Rewa Kund and Rani Roopmati pavilion

The Rewa Kund is a reservoir built by Baz Bahadur in Mandu, equipped with an aqueduct to supply Roopmati's palace with water. Today, the site is revered as a holy place. Baz Bahadur's palace was constructed in the early 16th century, and is notable for its spacious courtyard fringed with halls, and high terraces. Rani Roopmati's Pavilion was built as an army observation post, and served a more romantic purpose as Roopmati's retreat. From this hilltop pavilion, the queen could see Baz Bahadur's palace, and also the River Narmada below. Rani Roopmati's double pavilion perched on the southern embattlements had a view of the Narmada valley. File:Rupmati Pavilion 01.jpg, Rani Roopmati pavilion File:Baz Bahadur's Palace 12.jpg, Baz Bahadur's palace File:Rewa Kund, Mandu.jpg, Rewa Kund File:A MESMERISING SUNSET @ RANI RUPMATI PAVILION.jpg, Sunset at Rani Roopmati Pavilion

In popular culture

The story of Queen Roopmati has been adapted into several films in India, including: ''Rani Rupmati'' (1931) by

Bhalji Pendharkar Bhalji Pendharkar (3 May 1897 – 26 November 1994) was an Indian film director and producer, and a recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the most prestigious award in the field. Early life and family He was born to Radhabai and Gopal Pendha ...

and ''Rani Rupmati'' (1959) by S.N. Tripathi starring

Nirupa Roy Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who had appeared in Hindi films. Noted for her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow, Roy was known for her acting ability, and was uncharitabl ...

in the titular role. Kuldip Kaur played the role of the queen, portrayed as a dacoit, in the 1952 Indian film ''Baiju Bawra'' about the titular poet during the Mughal period.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{authority control Year of birth unknown 1561 deaths History of Malwa 16th-century Indian women singers 16th-century Indian singers Indian women folk singers Women musicians from Madhya Pradesh 16th-century Indian royalty 16th-century Indian poets Indian female royalty