The Queen of Oudh

Begum Hazrat Mahal

(1820 – 1879)

Together with many valiant men, there were hundreds of brave women who laid down their lives for the cause of our motherland. Begum Hazrat Mahal was one among the earliest freedom fighters who left an enduring mark in the archives of Indian freedom struggle by her audacity and devotion to the country. A courageous leader who shook the foundation of the British in The Revolt of 1857 or the First War of Indian Independence.

She was born as Muhammadi Khanum in Awadh or Oudh, India in 1820 to a Syed family which were apparently the descendants of Prophet Muhammad. She was taken into the royal harem as a ‘khawasin’ after being sold by her parents and later sold again to royal agents becoming a ‘pari’. The King of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah married her at the age of 14 for her exceptional beauty and purity of lineage. She was bequeathed the title ‘Hazrat Mahal’ upon giving birth to her son, Birjis Quder. Avadh was a land of milk and honey and a heaven on earth until the black day of 7 February 1856 when Lord Dalhousie captured the kingdom overnight. The British ordered Wajid Ali Shah to step down from the throne; Hazrat Mahal insisted her husband to fight for the kingdom on the battlefield. However, he handed over the kingdom to the British and was banished to Calcutta. Hazrat Mahal decided to battle against the British to recover the lost territory. She urged all the people of Awadh including the rural folk to take part in the war. She was successful in recapturing Awadh with the complete support of her people and soldiers. Her 14 year old son, Brijis Quder was crowned the Prince of Awadh and Hazrat Mahal herself assumed duty as his guardian and advisor.

Begum Hazrat Mahal was greatly concerned at the East India Company’s various plots which hurt the sentiments of Indians. Demolishment of mosques and temples to construct roads was one among the many such distresses. She wrote the following to the British in a decree to allow freedom of worship - “To eat pigs and drink wine, to bite greased cartridges and to mix pig’s fat with sweetmeats, to destroy Hindu and Mussalman temples on pretence of making roads, to build churches, to send clergymen into the streets to preach the Christian religion, to institute English 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?”
  
Later, when India’s first war of Independence broke out, Begum Hazrat Mahal joined the ‘Mutiny’ leading her soldiers against the East India Company. She emerged as a conspicuous leader along with other heroes of 1857 such as Nana Sahib, Tatya Tope, Firuz Shah, Rani Lakshmibai, Bakht Khan, Beni Madho, etc. She also played a key role in the attack on Shahjahanpur in association with Maulavi of Faizabad. The British attacked Awadh again to seize her kingdom; despite her courageous efforts to save Awadh, the British managed to snatch Lucknow and most Awadh on 16 March 1858. When her army lost ground, she fled Awadh and prepared soldiers in other places. In the battle of Musabagh, Hazrat Mahal led 9000 troops against the British when her palace at Kaiserbagh was attacked. She was never able to restore authority in her kingdom although she kept an army all through the year. She lost most of her aficionados by the end of 1859 and was forced to migrate to Nepal. She left the Fort of Baundi in December 1858 with a resolve not to fall into the hands of the British and crossed over to Nepal where she was given refuge by the King of Nepal, Jung Bahadur. She spent her entire wealth in supporting the one hundred thousand refugees of 1857 who fled with her to Nepal. The British offered a pension of Rs. 15 lakhs to Hazrat Mahal and Birjis Quder if they returned home but the proud queen snubbed the offer with contempt. She replied to the British that she would not return home as a subject and slave in chains of gold and silver and not settle for anything short of complete freedom of the country. She died in voluntary exile in 1874 and was buried in a commonplace grave in Kathmandu.

A girl from poor background rose to the height of a Warrior Queen and still higher up to a place in the history by her valour, bravery, partisanship and selfless devotion to her motherland. She kept the flame of freedom burning till her last breath and continues to be an inspiring icon of national pride.

Jai Hind.