Mah Laqa Bai
Mah Laqa Bai, born Chanda Bibi, and sometimes referred to as Mah Laqa Chanda, was an Indian 18th century Urdu poet, courtesan and philanthropist based in Hyderabad. In 1824, she became the first female poet to have a diwan of her work, a compilation of Urdu Ghazals named Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa, published posthumously. She lived in a period when Dakhini was making its transition into the highly Persianized Urdu. Her literary contributions provide insight on such linguistic transformations in southern India. She was an influential female courtesan of the Deccan; the Nizam, ruler of Hyderabad, appointed her to the omarah, and as a close affiliate at the court. In 2010, her memorial in Hyderabad, that houses her tomb, was restored using funds donated by the Federal government of the United States.
Life
Born as Chanda Bibi on 7 April 1768 in Aurangabad in the present-day Maharashtra. Her mother was Raj Kunwar – a courtesan who migrated from Rajputana, and father was Bahadur Khan, who served as a Mansabdar at Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah's court. Khan migrated from Delhi to Hyderabad Deccan where he met and married Raj Kunwar. Chanda Bibi was adopted by Kunwar's childless sister Mehtaab Ma who was the favored courtesan - almost a regular consort - of Nawab Rukn-ud-Daula, a Prime Minister of Nizam of Hyderabad.Nawab Rukn-ud-Daula took personal interest in Chanda Bibi's training and provided her with the best teachers. While growing up, she had access to a well-endowed library and was exposed to the vibrant culture of Hyderabad. By the time she was 14, she excelled in horse riding and archery. It was second Nizam who conferred her the title "Mah Laqa Bai". Due to her skills, she accompanied the Nizam II in three wars; dressed in male attire, she was noted for bow and javelin skills in the wars. Owing to her contributions, the Nizams awarded her with Jagir on various occasions, that include the neighborhoods of Hyderguda, Chanda Nagar, Syed pally and Adikmet. On one occasion, she was conferred the title of Mah Laqa — meaning "Visage of the Moon". Though she never married, she was in love with Raja Rao Rambha Rao, and used to admire Captain Sir John Malcolm.
She was an influential woman in the court of the second and third Nizam of Hyderabad. At that time, she was the only woman to be given recognition publicly in Hyderabad State. In addition, she was appointed to the omarah, the highest nobility. Mah Laqa was frequently consulted by the rulers of the state on policy matters. As a pride among the nobility in those times, a battalion of 500 soldiers was reserved to march with her while she visits any official. She was also a courtesan while the Nizams held court. She was a mistress of the Prime Ministers of the Nizams. She died in 1824 and bequeathed her properties that included land, gold, silver and diamond-studded jewellery to homeless women. Her residence which was located in Nampally, Hyderabad, today had been converted into a Government aided girls degree college. Mah Laqa of Deccan was the contemporary of renowned poets like Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Muhammad Rafi Sauda and Khwaja Mir Dard in North India. She died in Hyderabad on August 1824.
Accomplishments
Poetry
Mah Laqa was influenced by the literary work of mystic poet Siraj Aurangabadi, and learned poetry from Nawab Mir Alam who later became the Prime Minister of Hyderabad State. Her first language was Urdu, and she was also fluent in Arabic, Persian and Bhojpuri languages. She was the first woman poet to author a diwan, a complete collection of Urdu ghazals. The collection, named Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa, comprises 39 ghazals, and each ghazal consists of 5 couplets. The collection was published in 1824 after her death.The Diwan e Chanda is a manuscript collection of Mah Laqa's 125 Ghazals, compiled and calligraphed by her in 1798. It was signed and gifted to Captain Malcolm on 18 October 1799, during a dance performance at Mir Alam's residence. It is now preserved in the British Museum.
Her Nom de plume was Chanda. The Urdu words Bulbul, Gul and Saqi recurred as themes in her ghazals. Her popularity in reading poetry made her the first poetess of the region to participate and present her poetries in a mushaira which was earlier reserved for men. Along with her poetry, sometimes she sang the songs composed by the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah and Sultan of Bijapur Ibrahim Adil Shah II. From her Diwan of 39 Ghazal collection, one Ghazal "Hoping to blossom into a flower" translates as:
Dance and singing
Mah Laqa learned singing and classical Indian music specialising Thumri from Khushhal Khan a master musician of her time, and a great-grandson of the Tansen, the maestro of Mughal court. She excelled in Ghazal singing in multiple raga and Taal ; she was adept at the Yaman raga and Khayal Tappa which she use to sing at special occasions. Mah laqa preferred using Bhimpalasi raga in romantic Ghazals. When singing Sufi songs she used Dhrupad raga mixed with taal chautala and raga Bhairavi. Mah Laqa excelled in singing love lyrics accompanied by Deccani style of Kathak dance. She established a cultural centre in which 300 girls were trained by her along with other masters. Maha Laqa's library contain manuscripts and books on poetry along with the arts and the science collections. She sponsored and supervised the publication of Mahnama, a historical book about the revival period of Hyderabad State. Although Mah Laqa practiced Islam, she was influenced by the understanding of Hindu books and philosophy. One author studied her writings and said that "her verses had a distinct darbari ring in which she eulogized the king and nobles, a common style employed by poets during the 17th and 18th centuries."Mistress
After the Battle of Kharda in 1795 AD the Nizam II was defeated by Maratha Madhavrao II which lead to the Treaty of Kharda; according to treaty the Nizam II had to cede some of the Maratha territories along with Arastu Jah— as hostage in Poona. During his stay in Poona after two years in the year 1797 Arastu Jah had successfully managed to influence some of the Maratha leadership to channel his release and had reinstated the ceded territories of Nizam II. This diplomatic success of Arastu Jah had impressed Nizam II and he was made the Dewan of Hyderabad. Mah Laqa Bai was initially introduced to Nizam II by Arastu Jah to influence the Nizam II and wanted to be aware of his herem, it was under Arastu Jah patronage Mah Laqa began her career as a poet and upon Arastu Jah initiative her collected of poetry was published in the form of Devan in 1798 AD.Memorial
Near a hillock in Moula-Ali, Hyderabad, Mah Laqa constructed a walled compound where she frequently held mushairas. Inside this compound, she built a tomb for her biological mother in 1792. After her death, Mah Laqa was buried next to her mother. The tomb was constructed in the Mughal and Rajasthani architectures style in the Char Bagh pattern. Along with mausoleum, the complex contains a pavilion in centre that is decorated intricately with stucco work, the caravanserai, a mosque and two stepwells. On a carved teakwood over the door of her mausoleum, an inscription in Urdu can be seen which translates as:Scott Kugle, a Professor at Emory University and a researcher, studied the life of Mah Laqa Bai. During his study, he came across this memorial in a dilapidated condition. Kugle proposed the idea of renovating it. In the year 2010, by using funds from the US government through the Consulate General's office in Hyderabad, the Center for Deccan Studies spearheaded the year-long renovation project. The Muslim Educational, Social and Cultural Organization also provided support to the project. In this renovation project, the debris was cleared, water channels were rebuilt, trees, bushes, the buildings and their exquisite decorations were restored.