Begum Hazrat Mahal (Aged 62) also known as the Begum of Awadh, was born in 1820 in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. She was the second wife of Nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah and acted as the regent of Awadh during 1857–1858. Hazrat Mahal played a leading role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company.
In 1856, the British annexed Awadh, and Wajid Ali Shah was exiled to Calcutta. Despite being divorced from the Nawab, Begum Hazrat Mahal took charge of the affairs of the state of Awadh. During the rebellion, her supporters rebelled against the British forces under the leadership of Raja Jalal Singh, seized control of Lucknow, and declared her minor son, Prince Birjis Qadr, as the ruler (Wali) of Awadh, with Hazrat Mahal acting as his guardian and regent. She automatically assumed a leadership role in the rebellion against the British.
One of Begum Hazrat Mahal’s principal complaints was that the East India Company had destroyed temples and mosques to make way for roads. She worked with Nana Saheb, but later joined the Maulavi of Faizabad in the attack on Shahjahanpur. When the British recaptured Lucknow and most of Oudh, she was forced to retreat to Nepal.
Initially, Hazrat Mahal was refused asylum by the Rana Prime Minister Jang Bahadur, but was later allowed to stay. She eventually settled in Hallaur, where she passed away by 1879 and was buried in a nameless grave on the grounds of Kathmandu’s Jama Masjid. Her role in the rebellion has given her a heroine status.
Begum Hazrat Mahal
(1820 – 1879) – (Uttar Pradesh)
Begum Hazrat Mahal (Aged 62) also known as the Begum of Awadh, was born in 1820 in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. She was the second wife of Nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah and acted as the regent of Awadh during 1857–1858. Hazrat Mahal played a leading role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company.
In 1856, the British annexed Awadh, and Wajid Ali Shah was exiled to Calcutta. Despite being divorced from the Nawab, Begum Hazrat Mahal took charge of the affairs of the state of Awadh. During the rebellion, her supporters rebelled against the British forces under the leadership of Raja Jalal Singh, seized control of Lucknow, and declared her minor son, Prince Birjis Qadr, as the ruler (Wali) of Awadh, with Hazrat Mahal acting as his guardian and regent. She automatically assumed a leadership role in the rebellion against the British.
One of Begum Hazrat Mahal’s principal complaints was that the East India Company had destroyed temples and mosques to make way for roads. She worked with Nana Saheb, but later joined the Maulavi of Faizabad in the attack on Shahjahanpur. When the British recaptured Lucknow and most of Oudh, she was forced to retreat to Nepal.
Initially, Hazrat Mahal was refused asylum by the Rana Prime Minister Jang Bahadur, but was later allowed to stay. She eventually settled in Hallaur, where she passed away by 1879 and was buried in a nameless grave on the grounds of Kathmandu’s Jama Masjid. Her role in the rebellion has given her a heroine status.
News