| Begum Hazrat Mahal | |
|---|---|
| Begum ofNawab of Awadh | |
 Begum Hazrat Mahal | |
| Born | Muhammadi Khanum 1820[citation needed] Faizabad,Awadh |
| Died | 7 April 1879 (aged 59) Kathmandu,Kingdom of Nepal |
| Husband | Nawab Wajid Ali Shah |
| Religion | Shia Islam[1] |
Begum Hazrat Mahal (c. 1820 – 7 April 1879), also known as theBegum ofAwadh, was the second wife ofNawab of AwadhWajid Ali Shah, and the regent of Awadh in 1857–1858. She is known for the leading role she had in the rebellion against theBritish East India Company during theIndian Rebellion of 1857.
After her husband was exiled to Calcutta and the Indian Rebellion broke out, she made her son, PrinceBirjis Qadr, theWali (ruler) of Awadh, with herself as regent during his minority. However, she was forced to abandon this role after a short reign.[2] By way ofHallaur, she finally found asylum inNepal, where she died in 1879. Her role in the rebellion has given her a hero status in the post-colonial history of India.
Begum Hazrat Mahal's name was Mohammadi Khanum, and she was born in 1820 atFaizabad, the former capital of Oudh State. She was sold by her parents and became atawaif by profession. She entered the royalharem as aKhawasin after having been sold to royal agents, where she was promoted to apari.[3]
She became aBegum after being accepted as a royalconcubine of the King of Awadh,[4] the last Tajdaar-e-Awadh,Wajid Ali Shah and became his junior wife.[5] 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 toCalcutta. Begum Hazrat Mahal remained in Lucknow with her son[6][7] and soon took charge of the affairs of the rebel state ofAwadh as it entered armed struggle with the British East India Company.[8]
During theIndian Rebellion of 1857, Begum Hazrat Mahal's band of supporters includingRaja Hanumant Singh, rebelled against British. The revolutionary forces alinged to Begum Hazrat Mahal under the leadership ofRaja Jailal Singh; seized control ofLucknow, and she took power as the guardian of her minor son, Prince Birjis Qadr, whom she had declared as the ruler (Wali) of Awadh.[3] 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 theEast India Company had casually demolishedtemples andmosques just to make way for roads.[9] In a proclamation issued during the final days of the revolt, she mocked the British claim to allow freedom of worship:[9]
To eat pigs and drink wine, to bitegreased cartridges and to mixpig's fat withsweetmeats, to destroyHindu andMussalman temples and mosques on the pretense of making roads, to buildchurches, to sendclergymen into the streets to preach theChristian religion, to instituteEnglish schools, and pay people a monthly stipend for learning the English sciences, while the places of worship of Hindus and Mussalmans are to this day entirely neglected; with all this, how can people believe that religion will not be interfered with?[9]
Hazrat Mahal worked in association withNana Saheb, but later joined the Maulavi ofFaizabad in the attack onShahjahanpur. When the forces under the command of the Britishre-captured Lucknow and most of Oudh, she was forced to retreat.
Ultimately, she had to retreat toNepal, where she was initially refused asylum by the Rana prime ministerJung Bahadur,[10] but was later allowed to stay.[11]
She died there in 1879 and was buried in a nameless grave in the grounds ofKathmandu's Jama Masjid.[12]
After her death, on the occasion of the jubilee ofQueen Victoria (1887), the British Government pardoned Birjis Qadr and he was allowed to return home.[13]
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.[2]
On 15 August 1962, Mahal was honoured at the Old Victoria Park inHazratganj, Lucknow for her role in the Great Revolt.[14][15][16] 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 forRamlilas and bonfires duringDusshera, as well as Lucknow Mahotsava (Lucknow Exposition).[17][18]
On 10 May 1984, theGovernment of India issued a commemorative stamp in honour of Mahal.[19][20][14]
TheMinistry of Minority Affairs,Government of India has started the Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship for Meritorious Girls belonging to minority communities inIndia. This scholarship is implemented through theMaulana Azad Education Foundation.[21][22]
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