Begum Hazrat Mahal
Begum Hazrat Mahal, also known as the Begum of Awadh, was the second wife of Nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah, 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.
Also known as the Begum of Awadh, Begum Hazrat Mahal was the second wife of Nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah, 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.
Biography
Begum Hazrat Mahal's earlier name was Muhammedi Khanum; she was born in Faizabad, Awadh, British India. She was sold by her parents and became a courtesan by profession.
She entered the royal harem as a khawasin after having been sold to Royal agents, where she was promoted to a pari and was known as Mahak Pari.[citation needed] She became a Begum after being accepted as a royal concubine of the King of Awadh, the last Tajdaar-e-Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah; 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. She was eventually to take charge of the affairs of the state of Awadh despite her divorce from the Nawab.
One of the principal complaints of Begum Hazrat Mahal was that the English East India Company had casually demolished Temples and mosques just to make way for roads. 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 in the attack on Shahjahanpur.
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 Nepal, where she was initially refused asylum by the Rana prime minister Jang Bahadur but was later allowed to stay.
She died there in 1879 and was buried in a nameless grave on the grounds of Kathmandu'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.
