Begum Hazrat Mahal

Begum Hazrat Mahal
Begum of Awadh
Begum Hazrat Mahal
Born	est. 1820 Faizabad, Awadh, India
Died	April 1879 Kathmandu, Nepal
Spouse	Wajid Ali Shah
Religion	Shia Islam

Begum Hazrat Mahal (Urdu: بیگم حضرت محل born c. 1820) also known as Begum of Awadh, was the first wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. She rebelled against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After her husband had been exiled to Calcutta, she took charge of the affairs of the state of Awadh, seized control of Lucknow and set up her son, Prince Birjis Qadir, as the Wali (ruler) of Awadh, but was soon forced to abandon it. She rejected the promises of allowance and status held out to her by the British. She finally found asylum in Nepal where she died in 1879.

Biography

no bio

Commemoration

Begum Hazrat Mahal Park

Memorial of Begum Hazrat Mahal in Begum Hazrat Mahal Park, Lucknow

On 15 August 1962, she was honored at a ceremony in the old Victoria Park. Here a marble memorial has been built by the state Government in the memory of the Begum as she played a very crucial role during the era of the first freedom movement in 1857. This memorial was adorned with strings of flowers and brightened by multi-coloured bulbs and neon tubes. There is also a marble tablet that has four round brass plaques bearing the coat of arms of Awadh royal family.

It is located in the heart of the city, Begum Hazrat Mahal Park once used to be a rally ground. It’s been witness to many Ravanas, going up in fire during Dusshera. A number of Lucknow Mahotsavas have also been hosted here. But what you see today is a totally different landmark, a walker’s paradise. With pathways that are interwoven into the beautiful, green landscaping in the Park, it’s also a visual delight of sorts. While the mornings are marked by scores of people walking at different paces, the evenings are relatively inactive at the park. But when the fountains go up and the lights turn on, it’s a sight most of us can feast our eyes on. And one which comes as a relief from the mundane sight of the traffic zipping past it. It is on the crossing of B.H.M and opposite to hotel Clarks Avadh.

Commemorative stamp

Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in the honour of Begum Hazrat Mahal on 10 May 1984.

Quotations about the Begum

Here are few notable quotes on Begum Hazrat Mahal, Queen of Awadh:

Hazrat Mahal, Begum of Oudh, during the national liberation uprising of 1857-59 in India headed the rebels.

— Karl Marx

... The Begum has excited all Oudh to take up the interest of her son, and the Chiefs have sworn to be faithful...

— Sir W. H. Russell

The Begums of Oudh have left an abiding mark on history of Oudh ...towards the close of the dynasty came ..... Hazrat Mahal, Judith of the Sepoy Mutiny, the ever more heroic consort of the still softer Wajid Ali Shah.

— Sir Jadunath Sarkar

She was a better man than her husband and lord.

— S. N. Sen

That the resolute and capable Begum still maintained, in spite of all these disorders, the whole administration in tact is a sure indication of her grit.

— Veer Savarkar

Begum Hazrat Mahal of Oudh was the last of the breed of able queens and generals. The queen led her kingdom's army into battle during the revolt of 1857. Even after she was defeated she defied Queen Victoria's famous Proclamation and issued a counter Proclamation....

— Qurratulain Hyder

She wiped out the blot of cowardice from the face of the ruling family of Avadh.

— Prince Anjum Quder

Begum Hazrat Mahal, Raja Jia Lal ....they were the lodestar of the first war of independence.

— Roshan Taqui, Lucknow 1857:The Two Wars

..who like Joan of Arc of 15th century France had challenged the hegemony of the British, fired hope in the sunken hearts, appeared from the unknown like a meteor and spread the flame of freedom in the length and breadth of Oudh.

— M. Kaukab Qadr

See also

• Awadh
• Nawab of Awadh
• Indian rebellion of 1857

External links

• Begum Hazrat Mahal Biography
• 1857 - India's Struggle for Freedom - Begum Hazrat Mahal
• People took charge in Awadh
• LUCKNOW IN 1857-58: THE EPIC SIEGE
• The 1857 Uprising in the History of Freedom Struggle
• Miserable condition of the grave of a warrior lady