Begum Hazrat Mahal Biography: Due to their poverty, her parents sold her as an infant to royal agents. She became a courtesan shortly after entering the royal harem as a Khawasin, where she was promoted to a Pari and given the name Mahek Pari. She became a Begum after being selected as a royal concubine by the last Tajdaar-e-Avadh, the king of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah.
Begum Hazrat Mahal, also known as Begum of Awadh, was one of India’s first female freedom fighters; she led the struggle against the British East India Company during India’s first independence movement in 1857. The Begum, a bold and courageous woman, has cemented her position in history as Awadh’s sole significant female leader. Even during her years of exile in Nepal, the valiant queen continued to oppose the British Raj, despite her many difficulties in life.
Muhammadi Khanam was born in the 1820s into an impoverished Syed family in Faizabad, Awadh, and ultimately Uttar Pradesh. Due to their poverty, her parents sold her as an infant to royal agents. She became a courtesan shortly after entering the royal harem as a Khawasin, where she was promoted to a Pari and given the name Mahek Pari. She became a Begum after being selected as a royal concubine by the last Tajdaar-e-Avadh, the king of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah. The title Hazrat Mahal was conferred upon her following the birth of Birjis Qadr, their son and the royal heir of Awadh.
The East India Company took possession of the state of Awadh in 1856 and forced the Nawab to submit. Despite Begum Hazrat Mahal’s protestations, the Nawab complied and was exiled to Calcutta. She chose to regain control of Awadh on her own because she refused to submit to the British.
As the first Indian war for independence, the Great Mutiny, began in 1857, she made her son, Prince Brijis Qadr, the Wali, sovereign of Awadh during his minority, with herself as his queen mother. In Lucknow with her son, she managed the revolutionary state of Awadh as it engaged in armed conflict against the Company.
Rani Lakshmi Bai Biography: Age, Height, Career, Family, Personal Life, Movements
Begum Hazrat Mahal Biography
| Born | 1820 |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
| Place of Birth | Faizabad, Awadh, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Chidren | son |
| Known for contribution as | Mahak Pari |
Begum Hazrat Mahal and Indian uprising of 1857 Revolt
During the 1857 Indian revolution, Begum Hazrat Mahal’s chief complaints were the destruction of mosques and temples to pave roadways and the forced use of new gunpowder cartridges containing the bones of pigs and cows. Begum Hazrat Mahal inspired the villagers of Awadh to assist her in the battle by appealing to them. She even spent her entire fortune on the country in an effort to provide for the one hundred thousand devoted followers.
With their assistance, she lead her troops to victory and retook Lucknow by herself. As she joined Rani Laxmi Bai, Bakht Khan, and Maulvi Abdullah on the battlefield, she proved indispensable to this liberation struggle. She collaborated closely with Nana Saheb and assisted the Maulvi of Faizabad during the assault on Shahjahanpur.
On July 5, 1857, she re-established Indian authority in Lucknow by handing the throne to her 14-year-old son after a victorious battle.
Begum Hazrat Mahal lost control of Lucknow and the majority of Awadh when British troops returned on March 16, 1858. She retreated with her army, but that did not prevent her from attempting to coordinate soldiers in other locations.
Eventually, by the end of 1859, after a brief residential stay in Terai, she was forced to migrate to Nepal, where she was initially denied asylum by the Rana, Prime Minister Jang Bahadur, but later permitted to remain despite British Government demands for her handover.
Begum Hazrat Mahal and The Britishers
Begum Hazrat Mahal Biography: The British offered her a substantial pension to return to Awadh and work for them, but she refused and resisted British rule until her last breath. On April 7, 1879, at the age of 59, she passed away in Kathmandu, Nepal. In the history of the Indian freedom movement against the British Empire, her role in the first Indian struggle for independence in 1857 has secured her a place as a hero for all time.
On the occasion of Queen Victoria’s jubilee in 1887, following her death, the British Government pardoned Birjis Qadr and permitted him to return home. The tomb of Begum Hazrat Mahal is located in the central park of Kathmandu, close to Jama Masjid, and is maintained by the Jama Masjid committee.
Begum Hazrat Mahal was honored at the old Victoria Park in Hazratganj, Lucknow, on August 15, 1962, for her exemplary participation in the first Indian liberation movement of 1857. Alongside the park, a marble memorial comprising a marble tablet with four round brass plaques depicting the Coat of Arms of the Awadh Royal family was constructed. The park has been utilized for Ram Lilas, Dussehra bonfires, and Lucknow Mahotsav.
Begum Hazrat Mahal and The Government
The Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in honor of Begum Hazrat Mahal on May 10, 1984, and the Ministry of Minority Affairs established the Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship for Meritorious Girls from India’s minority communities. This award is administered by the Maulana Azad Education Foundation.
Begum Hazrat Mahal is an inspiration for all, as she fought alone against the world’s foremost colonizers, the British Raj. She was one of the most influential advocates of her period, speaking out against inequality and injustice. She is also a symbol of religious tolerance and friendship.
