It was not Bahadur Shah Zafar alone who could not get two yards of land for burial in his beloved country. There is one more person, the great warrior lady Begum Hazrat Mahal, who took an active part in India’s first war of independence of 1857, whose grave lies unattended and in dilapidated state in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.
Begum’s contribution in India’s First War for Independence cannot be ignored. She was a brave and intelligence lady. She valiantly fought the British with the help of Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, Nanasahab Peshwa and others. The battle of Alambagh is written in letters of gold in the history of India’s war of independence. This is the same field of Alambagh where she selectively put each and every Englishman to death. On 4th July, 1857 the Begum announced throughout Awadh that in that dear land of Awadh, we shall not allow even a single Englishman to remain alive. When the British forces attached Lucknow the Begum preferred to fight the British bravely rather than surrendering to them. Eventually, Lucknow fell to the English forces on 17th March, 1858. The Begum, while fighting somehow reached Nepal.
In Nepal, the Begum built out of her own money, an Imambara and a mosque. As long as she was alive, religious functions were regularly held in he imambara. She also built a small office for the maintenance and upkeep of the mosque and the imambara. When she died in Nepal on 7th April 1879, she was buried in the imambara built by her, in accordance with her will. The late Prince Anjum Qadar tried in vain to pursue the government of Nepal to take interest in the maintenance and upkeep of her grave and other buildings built by her. Originally a marble plaque was fixed there which contained information about the Begum and every Indian going to Nepal was in a position to know briefly about her. Prince Anjum Qadar had also complaint against Nepal Government’s Department of Tourism. His contention was that the department of tourism had not included the mazaar of the Begum and other buildings and documents in the list of items of tourism as a result of which lakhs of Indians going there do not get any information about her. He had also complained the Indian Government was ignoring her buildings and the embassy had not taken any steps for their preservation nor brought out any literature through which people may know about her and pay homage at her mazaar.
The endeavours of The Hi Time Express have revealed that today there is an office of Nepal government in the palace of the Begum. Many unauthorized and illegal structures too have come up on lands attached to her palace, imambara and mosque. Even the grave of the Begum has not been spared. Consequently, her mazaar has become indistinct and hidden behind those illegal structures.
The fact that Begum’s mazaar lies in a dilapidated state is a matter of shame for all patriotic Indians. It is surprising that even today the Nepalese authorities know nothing about the grave. When The Hi Time Express made enquiries, it was told that on the other end of Kathmandu’s Durbar Road – one side of which is the palace of Nepal’s Maharaja – there is definitely a grave in a dilapidated and desolate state. When this Hi Time correspondent reached there and made detailed enquiries, it came to light that the grave was that of none other but the same warrior lady – Begum Hazrat Mahal – who had raised the head of Indians high, way back in 1857.
That mazaar is now a small open grave, which has not even a shade. People have made a small enclosure around it for identification but there is no plaque as a result of which nobody knows whose grave is it and what is the relation of the occupant of the grave with India’s valiant history. A paan shop has come up near the grave and someone has opened a saloon. There is no trace of the imambara which was attached to the grave at that time and which the Begum had built with so much devotion in Awadh style of architecture. It was told that quite a few years ago, the imambara was demolished and a grand market is situated there now. The beautiful mosque also built by the Begum has been rebuilt in a new style whose grandeur has, of course, been enhanced. The palace built by the Begum in Lakhnawi style is still there in original grandeur but there is an office of Nepal government in it. But the grave needs immediate attention!
During the good days, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah had given the Begum the title of ‘Mahak Pari’ (Fragrant Fairy). On reaching the mazaar one is reminded of this couplet:
Begum’s contribution in India’s First War for Independence cannot be ignored. She was a brave and intelligence lady. She valiantly fought the British with the help of Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, Nanasahab Peshwa and others. The battle of Alambagh is written in letters of gold in the history of India’s war of independence. This is the same field of Alambagh where she selectively put each and every Englishman to death. On 4th July, 1857 the Begum announced throughout Awadh that in that dear land of Awadh, we shall not allow even a single Englishman to remain alive. When the British forces attached Lucknow the Begum preferred to fight the British bravely rather than surrendering to them. Eventually, Lucknow fell to the English forces on 17th March, 1858. The Begum, while fighting somehow reached Nepal.
In Nepal, the Begum built out of her own money, an Imambara and a mosque. As long as she was alive, religious functions were regularly held in he imambara. She also built a small office for the maintenance and upkeep of the mosque and the imambara. When she died in Nepal on 7th April 1879, she was buried in the imambara built by her, in accordance with her will. The late Prince Anjum Qadar tried in vain to pursue the government of Nepal to take interest in the maintenance and upkeep of her grave and other buildings built by her. Originally a marble plaque was fixed there which contained information about the Begum and every Indian going to Nepal was in a position to know briefly about her. Prince Anjum Qadar had also complaint against Nepal Government’s Department of Tourism. His contention was that the department of tourism had not included the mazaar of the Begum and other buildings and documents in the list of items of tourism as a result of which lakhs of Indians going there do not get any information about her. He had also complained the Indian Government was ignoring her buildings and the embassy had not taken any steps for their preservation nor brought out any literature through which people may know about her and pay homage at her mazaar.
The endeavours of The Hi Time Express have revealed that today there is an office of Nepal government in the palace of the Begum. Many unauthorized and illegal structures too have come up on lands attached to her palace, imambara and mosque. Even the grave of the Begum has not been spared. Consequently, her mazaar has become indistinct and hidden behind those illegal structures.
The fact that Begum’s mazaar lies in a dilapidated state is a matter of shame for all patriotic Indians. It is surprising that even today the Nepalese authorities know nothing about the grave. When The Hi Time Express made enquiries, it was told that on the other end of Kathmandu’s Durbar Road – one side of which is the palace of Nepal’s Maharaja – there is definitely a grave in a dilapidated and desolate state. When this Hi Time correspondent reached there and made detailed enquiries, it came to light that the grave was that of none other but the same warrior lady – Begum Hazrat Mahal – who had raised the head of Indians high, way back in 1857.
That mazaar is now a small open grave, which has not even a shade. People have made a small enclosure around it for identification but there is no plaque as a result of which nobody knows whose grave is it and what is the relation of the occupant of the grave with India’s valiant history. A paan shop has come up near the grave and someone has opened a saloon. There is no trace of the imambara which was attached to the grave at that time and which the Begum had built with so much devotion in Awadh style of architecture. It was told that quite a few years ago, the imambara was demolished and a grand market is situated there now. The beautiful mosque also built by the Begum has been rebuilt in a new style whose grandeur has, of course, been enhanced. The palace built by the Begum in Lakhnawi style is still there in original grandeur but there is an office of Nepal government in it. But the grave needs immediate attention!
During the good days, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah had given the Begum the title of ‘Mahak Pari’ (Fragrant Fairy). On reaching the mazaar one is reminded of this couplet:
Ai bad-e-saba aahista chal
Yahan soee hui hai Mahak Pari
(O’ zephyr, blow sweetly and calmly
Here lies in slumber Mahak Pari.)
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