Li Fe of the Nawab Gauhar Begum

H A YAT - I - Q U D S I

LI FE OF THE NAWAB GAUHAR BEGUM

A L I AS NAWAB BEGUM UDSI A THE Q , ‘ h n ” wﬁl -hA .

EJH O PAL

H E R H I GH NESS JAHAN BEGUM

C. I .

R U L E R O F B H O P A L

T R A N S L A T E D

P oli tical A mt m B ho al g p .

L ONDON KEGAN A L P U , TRENCH , TRUBNER CO. LTD . N E Y E P D W O R K : . TTO N C . U O.

1 9 1 8

I NTRO D U CTI ON

H E R u ds ia HIGH N ESS the Nawab Q Begum , whose life and c ha ra c t e r I have attempted to r h s t ra I y in t is volume , was one of the mo t God nd l e of a . f ring , pious virtuous adi s her time The s o f r intere ting accounts her virtues , cha ities , s b e i volenc e r kindness to her ubj ects , to he poo , f rivall piety and sanctity , can hard y be in the life of the great saints . As stories of her gr acious character and pious life are remembered with reverence throughout h ﬁ the B opal State , it is only tting that her i t biography should be recorded , and seems to h no t e a sacred duty for me to do this , only s she becau e she was my ancestor , but because was the ﬁrst ruler of the new dyna sty to which

I belong . A considerable portion of the contents of this book is from the vivid recollection which I have of my gr e at grandmother . It would no doubt have been more suitable if the life of the Begum Qud si a had appeared before the publication o f H a t - i— y Shahj ahani ( the life of my mother) , but owi ng to the disappea r ance of many valuable fﬁ manuscripts , the di culty in tracing many i ln which ex st , and the time taken checking and I sifting oral accounts , deemed it better not to o f delay the publication the life of my mother .

FOR E WOR D

TH E life of her great g r andmother given in this volume by Her Highness , the present Begum t of Bhopal , takes the reader back to a m os o stirring and stormy period f Indian history . ’ Qu dsi a Begum s childhood followed closely o nthe last i r ruption into India o f the Afghans from the North and the march o f the Maharatta armies from the Deccan into Upper India . Her youth witnessed the advance of the power of the o f East India Company , the defeat the Maharat tas and the stamping out o f the predatory bands f F o indaras . The pa c ific at i ono f India followed in the early l t h years of the g Century , and the distinguished Political Officer who negotiated most of the m treaties and arrange ents , which gave a new o f lease life to the smaller States of Central India , was Sir John Malcolm , the historian and fasci nating writer . Her Highness has quoted his writings several ’ e s tim s, and there i not a state in Central India which is not indebted to his wise and sympathetic policy under which they have remained up to s the present day eparate States , devoted to the King Emperor and British Empire . Bhopal was one o f the first States to perceive 6 FOREWORD that the Maharatta confederacy would collapse 1 8 1 1 before the British , and from onwards had endeavoured to obtain treaties with the East

India Company guaranteeing its safety . o n Being a Mahommedan State , surrounded all sides by the powerful Maharatta States of Indore and Gwalior and by small Raj poot or

Maharatta States that were in their grasp , Bhopal had always had the greatest difﬁculty to pre serve i t s existence .

On 1 8 1 2- 1 several occasions , notably in 3 , when the City o f Bhopal withstood a siege o f four months by the armies o f Scindi a and Nagpur r Raj a , and was reduced to the greatest st aits , it So o f looked as if the end had come . few its defenders remained that the women o f Bhopal took charge o f and successfully defended o ne o f the gates .

Shortly afterwards , a strong Maharatta army , ’ Filoz e o ne o f Sc indi a under Jean Baptiste , s o t - 1 generals , had g as far as Sehore , twenty th ee m iles from Bhopal , and would undoubtedly

have captured the place , as it was much reduced

at the time , but fortunately for Bhopal and its gallant defende r s the pressure o f Sc indi a in the w'i t h t h e north became so acute that it led to , ’ d ra w f Fil A r al o oz e s army . sto y is told that when Filoze found that he would not have to

attack Bhopal , he threw himself into the arms

of the Bhopal general , who was a Bourbon , and W h s aid We are both sons of France , y should FOREWORD 7

’ We ﬁ Filoze s ght geography was at fault , no doubt , his father having been a Neapolitan ; but he had been born and brought up among ’ Scindi a s French battalions , and probably his sympathies were French . One of the British generals used to refer to “ him as that confounded fellow , John the

Baptist . 1 8t hf f During the and irst few years o the l t h of g Century India was the home many ff t European soldiers of fortune . The di eren

States all over the country kept up large armies , and were constantly at war and were always ready to employ these reckle s s European a d venturers to train and lead their forces . s s Many of the e men , e pecially the Frenchmen , had most remarkable careers , and among other things showed the Ea st India Company what excellent bodies of troops could be formed from ﬁ f a d the ghting castes of India . Many o the venturers were killed , a few returned to their o ne homes with fortunes , or two , such as George o n Thomas , who had begun life as a steward an

East Indiaman , actually conquered and held small States , and the remainder settled in India m h , w en the times grew quieter and in ost cases r i mar ied Ind an wives , and their descendants t o are still be found in the country .

The Bourbon family in Bhopal , with its o romantic and interesting hist ry , touched on in s s thi book is an in tance . The ﬁrst clause of the treaty with Bhopal runs as follows

There shall be perpetual friendship , alliance and unity of interests between the Honourable o f East India Company and the Nawab Bhopal , hi s heirs and successors ; and the friends and enemies o f one party shall be the friends and enemies of both . These words were written j ust a hundred years a o g , and have been faithfully adhered to even o f through the stormy days the Mutiny , and Bhopal under its Nawabs and four successive Begums has the proud boast that it has never drawn its sword against the British , and please

God it never will .

( Signed) W . S . DAVI S ,

( Political Agent in Bhopal) . PART I .

I N TH E N AME o r GOD TH E M O ST C OM P A S

S I O NATE A N D MERCI F UL .

H AYA T= I = Q U DSI

CHAPTER THE FIRST .

’ U D S I A GE Q BEGUM S B IRTH , EDUCATI O N , MARRIA

CHILDRE N A N D WIDOWH OOD .

U D S I A t h NAWA B Q BEGUM was born on the 9 of

R 1 2 1 6 . . aj ab , , A H ( corresponding a ab Ma hd She was a daughter of N w Ghaus o mme ﬁ Khan who was fth ruler o f Bhopal . awab Amrr The N had two wives , named Begum and Chandni Begum . The former bore him o ne so n ahd M omme , Hatim Khan , and the latter who was the daughter o f an Afghan merchant had two sons and one daughter , named as follows , Moi Mahm d z om e a u d ar Maho m Khan , Miyan F j med Khan and Gauhar Begum , the last being * also known as Qudsi a Begum and Mihar—1

r - Ta r zkhi - N a m N Mih Tamsal was a ( ) of awab Qud si a B not t hr r u i e i I t i . r eg m , and a name n o d na y sense , s a ch ono o r a r t r ht r r i i i e at u e t i r t t g m , and n Pe s an h s o y and , da es of mpo an ' t a r ﬁ t i r r e t i i i . E l t t r h even s of en s gn ed n h s manne ve y e e of t e t r he A h h in t o t b a d rt i um r i l v lu alp abe as (acco d g j ) a ce a n n e ca a e , ” t h r r - e t he tt i v lu l M h T l t t h r and a e of e e s of amsa , added oge e , ’ t h N si i e t ud a B e a m s irt K i k sr . a h g ves da e of awab Q g b h u a u ah T ri - i m a khi t s t t r i i l t he t m J an s y nam , and e e s g ve da e of y b irt h . 1 2 HAYAT- I - QUD SI

Tamsel . The Nawab was also credited with some 56 other children . As far as can be ascertained the education o f Qudsi a Begum was mostly o f a religious char ﬁ acter . During her youth Bhopal was ghting Bhnsla o single handed against h, the Nagpur s e Raj a and Gwalior , and must have heard many accounts of the bravery inwar of the last four rulers a nd have been anxi ous t o follow

f he o Sa b a the example Mamola Bi , alias Maj i , Mahd omme mother of Nawab Faiz Khan , who for som e yea r s controlled the State and was de facto ruler . s h At the age of ﬁfteen e was married to Nawab

- - a ahm d u d D aul h M o me n Nazir Nazar Khan o

2 2nd o f - ul- Ekhir 1 2 2 Friday the Rabi , 3 This marriage had been arranged by Nawab Maho mm e d Wazir Khan to weld the two branches o f hi the family and to end the friction w ch had existed between them . He however died before

o f the completion the ceremonies . Mahom d Nawab Nazar me Khan wa s the u so no f Maho m d me yo ngest Nawab Wazir Khan , f who was great grandson o f Sirdar Dost Mabom— f r o . med Khan , the founde Bhopal Both father and sonwere celebrated for their bravery and force o f character and were noted Generals and

. ah Commanders Wazir M omme d Khan is spec NAWA B GHA U S M A H O M M E D KHA N , F ATH E R O F QU D S I A B EG U M

[ Fac e pag e 1 2

I 4 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

of to the enmity Chotey Khan , the Diwan , and it was his return to Bhopal after Chotey Khan’s death and patriotic and energetic action during ’ Mahomm e d s Nawab Ghaus reign which saved

Bhopal from being absorbed by the Mahrattas . hm e d Ma o m Ghaus was indolent and incompetent , and the whole power remained in the hands of

ho mm e d s Wazir Ma Khan who eventually uc c e e de d him as N awa b when he retired and lived

his . on Jagir Sir John Malcolm in his Memoir of Central Maho mm d India writes as follows of Wazir e

Khan . “ ahmm d 8 V azi er M o e 1 1 6 died in February ,

A ﬁft - r . D . , aged y one , afte having governed Bhopal little mo r e than nine years ; but o f this

r one short pe iod he had not passed day in repose .

r r This p incipality , f om the hour he assumed o f his the Government until that death , was

re th atened with destruction . Such a man could

r r f alone have saved it . Though a s ema kable o r p r owess and valour as the most desperate o f the was Afghan race , he , in his manners , mild and pleasing ; but his look and statur e were alike

r commanding , and the e was in his disposition a sternness that inspired awe . He latterly ga ve of way to habits dissipation , which were believed

t o t e hi s . have shor en d existence All acquainted THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 5

with the vicissitudes of his life , deeply regretted his deat h at the moment it occurred . He should have lived to behold his patriotic efforts t e warded ; to see the people of the land he loved

r rescued f om destruction , and raised to happiness and prosperity by the Government which he had o n through life courted , and which his hopes till the last hour of his life rested . This destiny was reserved for a son whom he selected and hi m educated as his successor , and who proved ” o f self every way worthy his father . ’ Ma hmm e d s c ho 1ce After Wazir o death the o f a ruler fo r the State lay between Ghaus Mahomm e d — Khan the ex Nawab and the two Maho m me d o f sons Wazir , Amir Khan and Nazar me ﬁ Ma hom d . e Khan The rst had prov d his ﬁnss Maho mm e d u nt e for the position and Amir

Khan was also considered incompetent , so the leading Nobles exercising their right of selection M ho m o f the Chief unanimously chose Nazar a med Khan his younger brother , and he was placed on the Gadi and invested with full power s r r 1 uds i a before his ma age with Q Begum .

[ Ma ho mme d Nazar Khan and Qudsia Begum had only one child , a daughter , who was born in the upper storey o f the Gauhar Mahal ( Palace) 2 8t ho f ha S uwal 1 2 1 . . in Bhopal on the 3 A H , and n amed Sikandar Begum . 1 6 HAYAT- I - QUD SI

’ Qudsia Begum s married life was destined to last only two years and nine months and ended in a tragedy when her daughter was but one d year and three months ol . ’ Ma ho mme d s There are two versions of Nazar One lamentable death . is that the Nawab when

’ passing over a bridge over the Patra river a d j oining the Fort of Islamnagar where he lived ,

t h' mu d noticed that the channel was choked wi and set to work to have it cleared ; being ex hansted he layed down to sleep and in doing s o his head struck a loaded pistol which exploded ul and the b let passed through his head , killing

hi m . instantly The other version which is more widely credited is that the Nawab was playing with his little hi daughter Sikandar in a mosque of s palace

— - r Maho mme d where his brother inlaw Fauj da hi o f Khan , a c ld eight years , discharged a pistol , probably accidentally , with the result that the ’ bullet passed through Nazar Maho mme d s head and embedded itself in the wall o f the mosque . hi W chever version is t r ue the catastrophe left Qudsi a Begum a widow at the age of eight een hm d n and a half years and Nazar Ma om e Kha had only reigned three years and nine months . Mahm Nazar o me d Khan left the following l f h wi l The well wishers and dignitaries o t e THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 7

State should carry out their duties in the s ame excellent manner as they have performed them l during my administration . They should ook upon my wife Nawab Qudsia Begum as their he r ruler and obey orders , and when my daughter Sikandar Begum attains t o yea rs O f discretion she should be married t o one of my relatives of equal posi t ion . ha Her husband s ll be called the Nawab o f

Bhopal . Sir John Malcolm in his memoir already quoted

r Ma ho mme d w ites as follows of Nazar Khan , and his Opinion may be taken as fully worthy of t rust o f as he was Resident Central India at the time , and besides being deeply interested in Bhopal affairs had Special facilities for forming an Opinion ’ M h s a o mme d of Nazar character . Nuzzer Ma homm e d Khan has been already mentioned as ﬁ ghting and bleeding , while yet a youth , by his ’ o Of father s side , at the mem rable siege Bhopal . o f s o nwho Hopeless his eldest . was a slave to a o f h bits indolence and excess , which enervated hi s Mahom e d m both mind and body, Vizier had ' e a i' l ) y determined upon his successor , whose education was an Obj ect Of his earnest solicitude and , in ahddition to his other requirements , Nuzzer Ma omm e d had learnt so well the duties ’ o f a soldier that o nhis father s death he stood

J I 8 HAYAT—I -QUD S1

o f the ﬁrst in fame among the chiefs the country .

for o f c om The respect the memory his father , bine d own with his high qualities , made all the o f hi Nobles press the Government Bhopal upon s acceptance . Mahomme d Ghaus , who , though sunk into

was Obscurity, still called Nabob , made no Obj ection to his elevation and his eldest b r other Mahomm d St u fie d e e Amir Khan , p with his fi excesses , was among the rst to avow publicly his owndis ualific a t ions t o q , and urge his younger brother to take upon himself the administration of the affairs of the State . To this Nuzzer Ma hm e d fi f o m Khan consented ; and his rst ef orts were dir ected to the favourite Obj ect o f his ’ r fathe s life , a treaty Of peace with the English f Government . The policy o this measure had

r been long unde discussion , and a fear Of the emb a r rasm e nt s in England led to the desire that

r no such t eaty should be concluded , but the outrages committed by the Pind ar i es forced the Government t o a cour se of measures which made obedience to such restrictive orders impossible .

fi 1 8 1 was the The rst step Of the campaign Of 7 of engagement with the State Bhopal , concluded H ussina b a d at g , which guaranteed that territory for hi s to its actual ruler , and stipulated aiding co the British army with a contingent , and THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 9 operating to the ut most of his means in the NO ensuing war . Obligation were ever more fi Mahomme d faithfully ful lled . Nuzzer received , his fine z as the reward of eal and efforts , the o r five province named Punj Mahal , the districts which were taken from a Jagheerdar of the is h Pa hwa , and which not only j oined the terri o f tories Bhopal , but had formerly been an integral portion of that principality . The res t ora t io n o f I sla mnu ur of the fort gg , subsequently

Obtained from Sindia , though of little value , was esteemed beyond all other favours by the ruling family o f Bhopal . It contained the tomb of Ma homme d Yar and its position , almost at the o f gates the capital , had made its separation from the State a source of the gr eatest annoy ance . The condition of this principality at ’ hom e d s Ma m low Vizier death was so , that its actual revenue could no t have amounted to one o f no . was w lac rupees It h, however , raised to a high rank among t e secondary class of Native

r States . Its rescued territo ies included almost all t he ’ provinces its princes formerly possessed , and it s revenues yielded from nine to ten lacs o f of rupees , with the expectation soon exceeding thirty . Never were prospects more flattering than those Maho ze mmed e an ent of Nuz r , wh n unhappy accid 20 HAYAT—I - QUD SI

hi s his a nd terminated life , and left family country to mourn the untimely and irreparable loss o f a prince who seemed born fo r the times

r in which he lived , and who p omised to be as active and successful in restoring his country his to prosperity as father had been in saving it from destruction . His death was occasioned by the discharge o f a pistol he carried about his person , which he laid down when playing in his inner apartments with his infant daughter and it is supposed to have been ﬁred by his brother in- r law , Fauj dar Khan , a child Of eight yea s Of wh one o age , was the only present on this mel

a nc hol . y y occasion The sensation caused b his death was great , and men gave way for the w moment to the worst suspicions . These , ho ever were dispelled by the minute investigation which

b y n o f took place , and the co duct all to whom

e o r such a design could have b en attributed , who

wa nﬁf r could have in any y expected b e e f om it . But the gener al feelings and conduct Of all r Ma hmm e d w o pe sons , from Ghaus to the lo est

r o f Patan , banished eve y suspicion Nuzzer ’ Maho m m e d a Khan s death being premedit ted . r wa s one of The e but sentiment , that deepest r a egret , and no person sought to take advant ge o f the accident to promote his o wninte r ests . of At a consultation the principal chiefs , it was

THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 2 1 resolve d to continue to attend to the widow a nd r ministe s of the deceased prince , till the pleasure o f his the British Government was known as to not successor ; and it is remarkable , that the slightest eff ort was made by any party to influence the j udgment Of the British Government— a ffi o f o f su cient proof of itself , the absence all design o r guilt o nthis unhappy occasion . hm e d Ma o m Nuzzer Khan , when he died , was only twenty- eight years Of age he had governed a nd fiv e Bhopal three years months , but he has left a name that has been attained by few during the longest life . Schooled in adversity, he early attained a remarkable maturity o f j udgment . His appearance was noble , and his who manners those of a prince knew the value of possessing the hearts of his subj ects . His s o mind was so superior , and his courage elevated

' Oi him above suspicion , that the whole family s w the ruler of Bhopal hom he had supplanted , as well ' as his elder brother who had resigned his

no t re birthright to him , hlived only without t e n of striction , but on most i timate footing

m ' fa iliarity with him , coming and going through

o f r every apartment his palace at thei pleasure . Mahomme d Nuzzer held in j ust detestation the

f . general vices and indunlgences o his tribe His o e s . harem contained but princess , and no slave 22 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

m He was a good Mahommedan , but so far re oved from bigotry , that his favourite companion and minister was a Christian . His whole soul was absorbed during the last two years in plans for improving his country . He investigated every account himself , heard every complaint ; f hi a nd o s , while all speak kindness , benevolence and j ustice , his memory is unstained by the i reproach o f a s ngle act Of tyranny . A greater loss could not have occur red to a community in the condition o f Bhopal than the Maho mme d death of Nuzzer and that event was also a serious misfortune to the British Govern ﬁ ment , to which the virtuous prince was rmly

was ﬁ attached . He exactly tted to be the popular instrument which was required t o restore order and prosperity . His mind went far beyond f the usual range Of those o his class . He culti v a t e d knowledge o f every description with

r extraordinary ardou , and had made no slight pr ogress in the arts foreign to the occupations o f f his life and the habits O his station . The fame o f Ma h Nuzzer o mm e d will be long commemorated a s an Obj ect o f emulation to his successors but

“ . wa s we must despair of seeing his equal He ,

as most other such characters have been , formed by the ea rly scenes of his life : no instructions could have conveyed the lessons he had learnt . THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 2 3

h t h W en encouraged by e example and rewarded by the love of a noble father he struggled with him to preserve a country, rendered dearer from the extreme misery to which it was reduced and his mind was t oo well formed before the hour Of t o n success came , ever lose that to e which it had received amid scenes of difﬁculty and danger . he Ma omm d Nuzzer left no issue by his princess , Of Mahm d e one om e the daughter Ghaus , xcept female child . He had not assumed the title O f Nabob , though he was always addressed as Maho me d m such by the British , for Ghaus who had sunk into complete Obscurity, was never in any way brought forward in the connection which was forced between that Government and the actual f r uler o Bhopal . In the engagement which was H ussina b a d entered into at g , and the treaty th e made after war , by which the cession to this State and the numbers o f the contingent to be

ﬁ Mahomm e d maintained were nally settled , Nuzzer de ce ndant s Khan and his were alone mentioned , and to them the Government of the country wa s

. Mahomm d guaranteed Mooner e Khan the son of Mahmm d o e o f Amir Khan , the elder brother Mahd omme Nuzzer , has succeeded his uncle , to whose daughter he is to be married , that the interests Of the familym ay as much as possible ” be united in his person . 24 HAYAT- I - QUD SI

Investigation into the circumstan c es Of the Ma ho mme d . death o f Nawab Nazar Khan

hi Sir John Malcolm in a foot note to his story ( page 340) Observes The same cause ( his Mahmm e d being the sonOf Ghaus o ) which led to hi s these suspicions , attached to sister , the ’ Nabob s only wife ; but her ever having had such an intent is treated by Maj or Henley as quite impossible . She is described as very young , s h S e t being only seventeen is , besides , ated to be o f a mild disposition , and to have been strongly t o attached the Nabob , who treated her with unusual consideration . He not only resisted all the entreaties that we r e used to induce him to ro contract a second marriage , but strictly p hibit e d o f the introduction any young females , nr o either as slaves , serva t , Otherwise , within the Mahal . In further disproof of this it is stated , that her grief since the accident has been s o — a n great , as to produce her miscarriage event ,

she that , had cherished any ambitious views , ” she inust have earnestly deprecated .

o f a h The untimely death Nawab Nazar M om med Khan coming as it did at a time when Bhopal was beset with t r oubles and difﬁculties from every quarter was a severe blow to his friends and u dsi a supporters , and to the Q Begum his loss was irreparable . D CHAPTER THE SECON .

TH E O B O F P TH E RE GE N CY . B UR O N S BH O AL .

SI KA N D AR BEGUM .

’ OWI N G to the Qudsia Begum s youth and to her ﬁ being in Purdah , she at rst took no part in the administration Of the State , but her whole atten tion wa s g iven to her daughter who was the j oy of her life . With the exception of four men she b f was surrounded y untrustworthy and sel l seeking O fﬁcia s . These four were Hakim Shah K u ht a s a h i a d hwk Maseh , Raj a Rai , Mi n Karam ahm e d M M om aho Khan and Bakshi Bahadur m me d Khan . As these men took a very p rominent part in Bhopal aff airs some details of their history will be o f interest . Hakim Shahz ad Maseh was descended from a

Frenchman named Jean Philipe Bourbon , one o f the interesting adventurers and believed t o have been a member o f the o of _ R yal Family France who came to India in ' the re ign o f the ’ . Akb a r s Emperor Akbar He served in army , son c m ff and his be a e an o icer of artillery . He 26 HAYAT- I - QUDSI had much influence and had a position o f honour at court . He married a Georgian slave girl , and had two sons The eldest , Alexander t o t he Bourbon , rose be superintendent Of Royal Seraglio in the reign o f Jehangir and was granted

Shergarh , a place in Malwa , in Jagir , as a reward for his services . This post remained in the hands of his descendants till the invasion o f India Of by Nadir Shah , the last Governor the Seraglio being Francis Bourbon . He and his family escaped to the for t o f Shergarh and remained

1 8 A. D . there till 77 , when they were attacked by

o f r the Raj a Narwa , and Francis and all except s four were massacred . The e four which included o f Salvador Bourbon , a son Francis , took refuge o n with some christian families at Gwalior , and the capture of that place by Colonel Popham , Salvador explained to what straits the family had been reduced and received an allowance fr om the State . Salvador also called Inayat 1 Maseh came to Bhopal in A D . 785 with the

r Ma hme d om family , and took se vice with Wazir Khan and was appointed Kille da r ( Commander o f the Fort) and subsequently after distinguished and faithful service to the State was gr anted a

r . His so n la ge j agir Balthazar Bourbon , also called Shahzad Maseh , became one Of Nawab ’ Maho mme d Nazar Khan s chief Ministers and

2 8 HAYAT—I - QUD SI

Khan all members o f the reigning family gathered at the palace and the question of the succession Ma . h to the throne was discussed omme d Din Of Ma homme d Khan , grandson Karam Khan , Ma ho mme d r son p oposed that Asaf Khan , his n— d o f Mah i an o m law , a nephew Nawab Wazir

o med Khan should be elected , but this was p Ma ho m d posed by Karam me Khan and the meet w h ﬁ ing b r oke up it out any de nite decision having been arrived at . Three days later when a large number of the

r t he r a my , members of uling family and pro minent subjects o f the State had assembled to ’ o f Fat ha r e celebrate the ceremony the , Ka am Ma ho mme d d m Khan a dressed the and said : f o d has ﬁ o G The will been ful lled , and it is incumbent o nus t o frame a scheme for the ’ administration Of the State . hz Hakim Sha ad Maseh whose loyal services Ma hmm e d both to Wazir o and Nazar Mab om med have been referr e d to was much affected Maho mm e d by the death Of Nazar and stated I have no desire t o have anything whatever t o ff do with State a airs , but I will be responsible ﬁr o f for three things , st , the management the o f garden the deceased , second , the palace which was his residence , and whoever interferes with it will have to reckon with me , and lastly . THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 29

the pay Of the army, and if any arrears are due . I will be responsible for them and in fact am ’ ready to pay them off now . All replied Whoever interferes with the

r o f Ha em the late Nawab is a man of no faith , but it is nevertheless necessary to arrange fo r o f so the government the State , that the honour of the deceased rule r may be upheld and co n

t inue . Shahzad Masih replied : This can be done if yo u accept Qudsi a Begum a s your ruler ’ and obey her .

This proposal was accepted , and a document was drafted and signed by all important persons

present . It ran as follows : The following agreement is executed by the relatives Of the

r o f rule and the Chiefs the Bhopal State , date

2 t h 1 2 . . 5 Moharram 35 A H , attested by Qazi

ho mm d Mahomme d Ma e Yaqub , Qadir Baksh , hm d Ma om e Maho mme d Amir Khan , Jalal Khan , i Maho d Mo z mme Khan son of Nawab Ghaus ‘ M ho mm d a e ar Khan , Shaikh Abdul Quddus , K am o e M h Mahm d a o mm d m e Khan and Din Khan . These few lines are wr itten to say That Nawab

a r dd l hr Ma o N i u a u a hmme d B z Naza Khan ahadur

' was a ruler of Bhopal by right Of de sc e nt and a s birth . Now the Nawab has departed to a Go d e better world by the will of , leaving his wif s n and daughter , therefore as the right of uccessio 30 HAYAT- I - QUDSI goes to the child of the deceased and the Begum o f ha s aheb a S is the consort the Nawab , it been settled that in all cases affecting r evenue and administration her orders will be obeyed thr ough

o ut . r this State Now we all , relatives , brothe s a nd r kinsmen , are willing and ready to act acco d

r o f o f ing to the orde s the Begum the deceased , and do not think it well fo r us t o deviate in the l least degree from her wil . Any person among Of the brothers , relatives or servants the deceased whomsoever the Begum may give the right to do any work for her , will do every act of administra tion according to her commands . These few lines have been wr itten as an authority fo r the

. 2 t h above and to serve as a bond Dated 5

hrr m 1 2 . . 1 Mo a u , 3 5 A H , corresponding to 4th ’

A 1 2 2 . D . 1 8 1 . Novehmber , 9 , and 7 F W en this document was completed and the

was o f bond duly signed , a copy it was sent to the

British Agency . It was furthe r settled that whoever was b e ’ hm e d s trothed to Nawab Nazar Ma o m daughter

( Sikanda r Begum) should be r uler o f Bhopal . As however the daughter was a child it was decided that the Qudsi a Begum should act as Ruler and t o whomsoeve r she delegated her authority he should be obeyed by all . The little girl who was subsequently to become the THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 3 1 most far sighted and capable Lady Of her time was present at the gathering and Nawab Ghaus Mahd o f o mme Khan placed her in the arms Sha d a d o u t Hakim z Maseh and said carry the duties o f State and serve her as faithfully as ’ / yo u did the lat e Nawa b . He replied This is impossible for me as all my ambition was centred in the Nawab and has

Maho mme d died with him , Mian Karam Khan ’ must be her guardian .

This suggestion was hotly contested , and in the Mahomm d end it was decided that Karam e should supervise the administration , while Shahzad

Maseh promised to assist him . Both the State and its ruler deserve a thousand congratulations at having secured two such loyal , faithful and ﬁ self sacri cing men at this j uncture . This arrangement was approved by all the

ff c o m subj ects and O icials , and it was decided to m uni c at e the proposals to Maj or Henley the hs British Agent for i attestation onhis arr ival in

Bhopal . CHAPTER THE THIRD .

SELECTI O N O F A FUTURE HUSBAN D F O R

SI KAN DAR BEGUM . LETTER FRO M THE MAR

F . QUIS O HASTI N GS DI SSE N SI O N S .

TH E Political Agent arr ived a few days later

r and after being info med , pressed Hakim Shahzad Diwa nshi r Maseh to accept the p , but he efused , saying that although he intended to lead a private life and abstain from being p resent at the Court Maho mm e d he would obe y and assist Karam

Khan . Maj or Henley then advised the Qu dsi a Begum to select a b o y t o be the future husband o f

r o f Sikanda Begum and the Ruler the State , as it was likely t o p r ove inj u rious to the State to leave it without a r uler for a long pe r iod in such troublous times ; it seems probable that the desire o f Maj or Henle y and the leading members o f the State for a male Ruler instead of a female wa s due to consideration o f the weak o f ur ness the female nat e .

a hmm As Amir M o e d Khan was the nearest

r e so n hmme d Ma o elativ , his eldest Munir Khan was u udsi a selected , tho gh the consent Of Q

Begum wa s no t Obtained wi thout difﬁculty . S E KAN D A R BE G U M [ F ace f a g : 3 2

34 HAYAT- I - QUDSI assured that your State will be safe and protect ed by the grace o f God and by the good- will o f ’ the Co mpany s Government . Let your mind be at rest under every condition and later onin the letter he said I praise you r wisdom e r Maho mm and sagacity in s lecting Muni e d Khan a s r r r futu e ule Of the State , and appointing hm e d a s Ma o m Karam Khan manager . If Go d wills it there will be no dissension among the

r o f membe s the State , and Maj or Henley will

f r give hi s full attention to its af ai s . o f n The Marquis Hastings , Gover or General Of h of India sent a letter condolence in whic he exp ressed his satisfahction at the arrangement r is made and p omised help in the future . The letter was to the following effect

r a hb a S e My dea Begum , Your kind lette r informing me of the

sorrowful incident , that is the lamentable death Of you r husband Nawab Nazir- u d

d a ulahr Maho mm d Naza e Khan Bahadur

n 2 2nd Mo hr . o u r u m 1 2 . the 3 5, A H in Islam nager fort by the accident al discharge Of a

pistol has reached me . The same letter infor ms me that your r elatives and the Nobles o f the State when gathe r ed togethe r o nthe occasion o f the ’ deceased s Fateha to condole with you , unani THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 3 5 mo usl o u , y , agreed to obey y and your daughter t he and that you , thinking that administration cannot be carried o nwithout an intelligent

o f ruler suitable position , have adopted and h Ma ho me d placed on t e gadi Nawab Munir m o f Khan , nephew the late Nawab ; and have Mahom i appo nted during his minority, Karam o f ex er med Khan uncle the deceased , an p Y I e nc e d . o u administrator , to assist him have also written that you have made no changes in the Old ofﬁcers o f the State and look forward to receiving the kindness and favour o f the Government in the same manner e as heretofore , and you have express d your ﬁ A loyalty and delity to the Government “ s I have very highly esteemed the deceased Nawab for his faithfulness and loy alty to our nt Governme , this news has caused me acute has sorrow and my grief been doubled by o f e consideration yours , but as this unavoidabl calamity has been willed by God and eve ry t o one has tread the same path , I am con strained to submit with patience . I advise you to be patient clear the burden of a' nd this grief from your hea r t and to console O thers whom it affects . You have done well in adopting Nawab Maho m d m h i e s a hm on Munir K an and e ting 36 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

the gadi and in appointing the deceased’s uncle

to assist him . I know that the above arrange

ment is the result Of your wisdom and sagacity, and may Go d bless yo u and all your friends

and wellwishers . You m ay rest assured that the ofﬁcers of Government will not hesitate to protect and

fo r r r help the State , and will work its p ospe ity

and welfare in conj unction with you .

There is nothing more to write . Hoping to be favoured with a letter regarding your

welfare .

I remain , Your since r e friend and wellwisher

D S f HASTI N GS .

B e nni nO Di ssensi on gi g f . Only a few years passed after the adoption o f Munir Khan and commencement o f the new regime when Amir Khan began to show his hand and instigated Nawab Muni r Khan to act in f Opposition to the advice o his councillors . His his ﬁrst act was to lend support to one Jamal

ahmm e d r M o Khan who evolted and seized some terr itory . After this an attempt was made to mur der Hakim Shahzad Maseh . The circumstances we r e as follows — Hakim Shahzad Maseh was accustomed to accompany the Tazia o f one Mir m was o f h on Ghula Shah who the S ia Sect the THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 37

i f hrr um . t ho Mo u lo day This Tazia was cor ’ Ma ho mme d structed in Nawab Nazar Khan s mausoleum and was escorted by Sikandar B e ’ - gum s body guard . r egiment of Cavalry . The intention o f the mischief makers was t o cause a religious riot and with the assistance of a num o f ber Afghans of the army, whom they had gained over , to murder Shahzad Maseh , and

his after removal to seize the reins of Govern ment from the Begum . Both the Qudsi a Begum and Shahzad Maseh o f received information the plot , and the former

her sent daughter , Sikandar Begum , to Nawab ’ d f S M i Mahomme o r . o z Khan s palace afety Shahzad Maseh who was a brave and courageous ff his man decided to make no di erence in plans , but he directed his adopted so nImdad Maseh to kill all the females of his family to save their o f honour in the event his death . He then mounted his famous horse Mahboob and rode towards Munir Khan’s party and leaving his companions behind , advanced with a few mounted attendants , and ordered them to beat Munir Khan’s followers with the butts of their lances as they were t o o contemptible t o use arms on .

On 1v1n r Shahzad Maseh g g this o der , Munir ’ so Khan s party were confounded by his courage , 3 8 HAYAT—I - QUDSI

t he ' d s r d i e se that y p , and even Munir Khan took ’ Ma h o mme d shelter in Karam Khan s house . The Tazia was then conducted to the place Of immersion as usual and the incident ended . Munir Khan although only fourteen o r ﬁfteen years old then proceeded to interfere actively in the

o f ff y conduct a airs . and greatl to the annoyance Of udsi a hi w Q Begum surrounded mself ith a party Of unscrupulous and rebellious adventurers °

his r this coupled with ext avagant h abits resulted a r Ma hmm e d o in Mian K am Khan and Shahzad, n Maseh resigni g their posts , although urged by the Begum not to do so .

When. matters had reached a crisis , the Political Agent wrote to Shahzad Maseh and pointe d o u t that the Nawab was qu i te Ignorant Of the work

o f Of proper administration the State , and that as it was impossible to carry on the duties Of a u r ler without their help , if they left him to his o wndevices matter s would go from bad to worse and blame would attach to them . This had ff the required e ect and both resumed their work , ’ but were unable to restrain Munir Khan s udsi a u ext r avagant conduct . Although Q Beg m had insisted o nMunir Khan living near her d palace in or er to supervise and control him , she so ﬁ was unable to do , as he de ed her authority and caused her every possible trouble and anxiety, THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 39 both on account of the proposed union with her daughter and the fear that he would ruin the e State . Maj or Henley who had be n a staunch friend to the ruling family and of the State had udsi a e died , and Q Begum after matur considera tion decided to dissolve the betrothal between her daughter and Munir Khan . She therefore addressed a depressed and dej ected letter to Mr . at Maddock , that time Political Agent , which ran as follows The la te Nawab Nazar Mabom med Khan did his utmost t o maintain this State . It was he who saved the country from the depredations of the Mahrattas and through his efforts a treaty was concluded between him and i o f the Marqu s of Hastings , and from the date that treaty he left no stone unturned to pro ve t o his loyal adherence it . When he died the ruling family and nobles of the State acknowledged the rights o f myself and my daughter and agreed a nd ff to Obey us , an agreement to that e ect was signed and bears their signatures and is attested by the Kazis and Muftis . Hakim Shahzad Maseh Maho mme d and Karam Khan who were r e

' s p onsible for the agreement, considered that it would be advisable to select a future husband for so my daughter , and maintain the treaty with the British Government in perpetuity . The Ma or H enle late j _ y was present at the proceedings 40 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

awab M hd a omme and N Munir Khan was selected , though I obj ected to the choice as I knew both ’ his father s and his ownquarrelsome natur es and had no hope o f peace in the future . To remove my Obj ections an agreement was taken from hd ’ Munir Ma o mme Khan s father promising not

o f to interfere in the management the State , hi s and guaranteeing obedience to me , and this was attested by the Kazis and Muftis and my kinsmen . Ma homm e d Nawab Munir Khan was only four teen years Oi age and is devoid o f wisdom and sense and refuses to obey me , and is moreover heading u a revolt against my authority . I trust that o t o f regard for me and my daughter yo u will no t allow him to defy my authority and ruin the o n State and bring destruction this family, hi e on ﬁ o f w ch reli s the rst article the treaty which states that the friends and enemies o f o ne party shall be the friends and enemies o f the Ma d i . homme s other Jamal Khan , who an f Mahm d ﬁ o o m e adviser Munir Khan , rst em bezzled six or seven thousand rupees and then ‘

. he came to me for protection Subsequently Mahm r ebelled and is now encouraging Munir o med Khan t o r uin the State and using every effort to that end . For myself I put my trust in the ’ ” Company s Government and yourself .

CHAPTER THE FOURTH .

P . ATTEM P TS AT CO N CILIATIO N . A LOT FAILS A H M E D DISTURBAN CES . JAHAN GIR M O M KHA N ’ SELECTE D A S SI KA N D A R S HUSBAN D .

MR . MADD O C K sent his assistant Captain John stone to endeavour to settle the quarrel and if udsi a necessary to assist Q Begum , and he warned and remonstrated with Munir Khan . In one letter he wrote The Sirkar ( Qu dsi a Begum) is the ruler of the State and you must act according t o her advice and you cannot be per mitted to interfere in the Government of the Yo u State . have disobeyed and Opposed her commands and desire to make changes in the ’ management of the State without authority . ‘ In another he referred t o the agreements con ﬁ o f rming the Begum as ruler the State , and the promise o f Amir Khan his father to ab st aI nfrom

nr n o o ut i te ference , and later he pointed that his betrothal to the Sikandar Begum had not been mentioned in those agreements and that if continued to act contrary to her mother’s wishes the betrothal would be cancelled . 4 2 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

Mr . Maddock in referring to a letter from Cap “ tain Johnstone wrote to Munir Kha n : It is t he obvious that the Begum Sahiba has support fﬁ o f o u of the O cers the State , and that y have raised an army with the intention o f gaining possession o f the State by force . This is very bad and God only knows who the illomened person is who has given you such evil advice . Yo u should understand that any o ne interfering in State aff airs is the enemy o f the British

Government , and if hostilities ensue we shall be obliged t o assist the Begum . What j ustiﬁcation have you for enrolling a force Your people have attacked the fr ontier posts and forts for r ffi no eason , and if the Begum and her o cers had not acted with restraint troubles wo uld have resulted . Afterwa r ds he urged Munir Khan to dismiss hi s followers in another letter in which he re ferred to the treaty between Nawab Nazar Ma hd o mm e Khan and the British Government , and said that that Government would see that the provisions were observed to the Nawab’s

a a descendants generation by generation . N z r ’ Maho mmed Khan s only issue was his daughter

r the Sikandar Begum , and the Gove nment would

r support her . She would be uler and after her marriage her child would succeed . And he THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 43 further recommended Munir Khan t o consider

‘ i of the facts wh ch he was well aware , and if he had any representation t o make he should prefer it to Captain Johnstone . In a subsequent letter he wrote : The Nawab Begum has full authority over the State and you Should Obey “ v her . The British Go ernment will not permit t o you interfere and act contrary to her wishes , a copy Of the document signed bo th by the great and minor Ofﬁcials has been sent to you and you have seen the bond o f your father Amir

Khan . In that paper Obedience to the Begum is expressly stated and she has the power to forfeit your succession. Mr . Maddock further f ahd again reminded Munir Khan o Nazar M o mme ’ Khan s treaty with the British Government whose intention it was to see that the provisions

1 were carried out , and he refe red also to Sikandar ’

he I hi . Begum s rights and the rights of c ldren ’ In Spite of Munir Khan s outrageous conduct Qudsi a Begum proposed t hat he should Sign an agreement engaging not to quarrel with her , hi and if he dismissed s followers she would be prepared to ﬁx an allowance for his maintenance . These warnings had no effect onMuni r Khan who continued as before and succeeded in gaining f over a large number o faithless soldier s . He then gained possession o f the Fort o f Raisen by 44 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

a conspiracy, and was in touch with a number of di sloyal Jats who garrisoned the fort of

a Islamnagar , and a few persons within the w lls f o Bhopal were also favourable to his cause . Mahmme d He and Jamal o Khan next assembled their forces and made a progress through the City of Bhopal which ended at Munir Khan’s M e d . ahomm residence Jamal Khan Din Khan and Ibrahim Khan then gathered their sup porte r s together and s e t to work to make a plot . After much discussion it was arranged that the houses o f all the prominent supporters of Qu dsi a Begum Should be surr ounded some hours before day break , and that guards should be placed before dawn at the heads Of all the streets of the city, which might then be looted without fear of a surprise attack by the other party . The women were t o be dishonoured and the Ofﬁcials prevented from going to their duties or homes ,

wa s t o o ff water and food be cut , and it was hoped that the aff air would be settled in o ne day . News o f the plot and the plans of the con s pira t ors reached Hakim Shahzad Maseh after the evening prayer , and he summoned all the prominent Ofﬁcials and held a cons ultation

“ with them . The gener al opinion was that all should go to their houses and arrange t o dehfend Ma om them . At this j uncture Bakshi Bahadur THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 45

med Khan arrived and his advice was asked . He was strongly against the proposal to await the attack o f the insurgents and to allow them t o gain pOssessiono f the gates and important O f points in the city , and he was Opinion that if

r f an r this course we e ollowed , and if y gene al looting of the city took place, many men who were adherents of the Begum would j oin the rebels through fear o f their lives or with hope of partaking in the loot . He strongly urged that the gates Of the city and streets should be l guarded , and the insurgents shou d be boldly attacked before they secured any advantage . All agreed to this proposal and the carrying out

f hi r . o t s plan was left to his disc etion The Bakshi then asked all the nobles and prominent persons to assemble at Hakim Shahzad ’ ‘ Ma se hs house , and said that he would attack the rebels with the forces under his owncommand

r o n which he could ely , and he asked Shahzad Maseh to keep himself informed as to the course o f events s o that if necessa r y he might c o me t o his assistance with reinforcements . The Bak shi 1 0 o wn 2 0 then placed 5 men of his force , 5 Sikhs under a leader named Kan Singh and 1 50 Afghans at the Palace gate and furnished them with ammunition . After that he surrounded the s o f Maho mm d e hand house Mian Jamal K an 46 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

Maho mme d ul Din Khan so that they co d not come o ut and assist Munir Khan . Meanwhile a regiment of the bodyguard and some other ’ z Ma sehs men assembled at Shah ad and Karam ’ Maho m d m e Khan s houses , and the Bakshi with only 500 men o f his own command reached the Diwankh Ghariali gate o f the ana . At the time ’ 1 700 Afghans o f Munir Khan s force were asleep o r on at the gate with only two three men guard , s o the Bakshi directed a Havildar to go forward ,

. h and if challenged , to kill the sentry T is was done and the Bakshi fired a pistol to rouse the n ‘ Afgha s and immediately attacked them . The st r uggle did no t last long and those of the Afghans who r esisted were killed and the remainder who did no t escape were cap tured . During the fi i ght a man who had surrendered to the Baksh , and who had been orde red t o give up his arms fi and lie down with those who had fallen , red a ’ shot which grazed the Bakshi s head , and the

r latter p omptly cut him in two. with his sword , and went o nﬁghting without letting his men

. fih know that he had been wounded Desultory g t o nfor five fir ing went four or days , shots were ed ’ at the Begum s palace , and the guns in Fatehgarh

r r fo t were tu ned o nthe rebels . In the end Mahm hi s Munir o me d Khan and force were hard pressed for food and water and sent a

TH E NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 47

u dsia fo r piteous request to Q Begum relief , and she was merciful enough to send them supplies . Shortly after they surrendered , and Maho mm e d Munir Khan was brought into her p r esence . She took pity on him and treated him with clemency . She however banished Jamal Maho mme d Khan and the evil companions o f Munir Khan and despatched Kan Singh and his M ho m d Sikhs to turn Amir a me Khan out of the fort of Raisen . Onarrival there Kan Singh was r eceived with the ﬁr e o f the guns of the fort by Amir Khan and was obliged to retire and camp out of range o f r M hm a m on the banks a tank . Ka am o e d Khan however succeeded in inducing Amir Khan to evacuate the fort , and he escaped to Sironj and thence t o Tonk . Islamnagar fort was also surrendered by the Jats who begged for forgiveness and fo r a rr ea r s Mah mm o f pay due from Munir o e d Kha n .

Both petitions were granted , though their trucu lent r ingleader Budh Singh was banished . The egum then decided to dissolve the betrothal

n Munir Khan and her daughter , and he n ish obliged to r eli gu all claims to her hand

t o t o the State , and executed an agreement ff wa s b e ect . It then decided y the Begum her advisers to betroth Sikandar Begum to 48 HAYAT—I - QUDSI

Mahomme d Jahangir Khan , the younger brother

Mahomme d of Munir Khan , and after taking ’

Muni r s r . w itten approval, Mr Maddock was communicated with and he attested the docu Maho mme d ment . Jahangir Khan was then

dsi r formally adopted by the Qu a Begum . Ami

Ma ho mme d Khan and his wife also sent their “ consent in writing and the former stated : I Mahom d have given Jahangir me Khan to the Nawab Qu dsi a Begum t o be adopted by her o f w r my own free ill , and I have sur endered my r d si rights as his pa ent . He Should accept Qu a Begum as his r eal mother and he should make it

o f t o lﬁ the obj ect his life fu ll his duties to her . ” r She is his maste . The Qudsi a Begum also executed a bond “ which ran a s follows : As Sikandar Begum

r Mah omme d has been betrothed to Jahangi Khan ,

it s r the State , gove nment , and all the duties

r r t o pe taining thereto have been ent usted him , the refor e both m y child ren are owne rs of the is State . The best thing for him to please and obey me . The ce r emony o f marr iage will be ” rr ou t ca ied at a suitable time . Mahomm e d Amir Khan , however , again began fﬁ t o to make di culties and cause Obstruction , but owing to the inﬂuence of the Political Agent this new r n t ouble did ot come to anything. Mian THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 49

Ma hmme d Karam o Khan remained as Chief l o f as b e fore Minister the State , the betrothal Maho mme d rites we r e performed and Jahangir h - ud Khan received t e title of Nawab Nazir h” Da ula . As he was only eight or nine years Old suitable persons we re appointed as tutor s and

o r guardians , and the age of nineteen twenty was ﬁxed for investing him with full authority ove r

r the State . All these a r rangements were fo mally communicated to the Political Agent and the sanction of the Governor General was conveyed t hro u hMa o r , g , j Evans , Political Agent in the following terms .

r Maho mm e d When Jahangi Khan is married to Sikandar Begum his succession to the gadi will be carried o ut by the Nawab Qudsi a Begum ” and he will be recognised as Nawab o f Bhopal . Mahmm in Jahangir o e d Khan ﬁrst received struction in ordinary subj ects o f education and

r late on was taught administration of the State . Qu dsi a Begum also gave similar instruction to

r her daughte . The latter eventually held her

r o f t and Signed pape s State . Jahangir

o mme d e was Khan how ver , indolent and

' ling to learn , and caused his adopted

anxiety . The Political Agent also e n av ou r e d to infuse him with some energy and e i ' y hm a dv c . i e i now Jahang r was growing up , 59 HAYAT— I — QUDSI and if the former troubles were t o be avoided it was high time to impress o nhim a sense o f his l futur e r e S po nSibi it i e s . Both Mr . Maddock and Maj or Evans had been t r ansferred to other posts and Hakim Shahzad Maseh was dead .

The l d resu t was soon apparent and the Qu si a ’ s he Begum s anxieties increased , and took an

r Ma ho m m d agreement from Jahangi e Khan which She attempted t o have attested by the

British Agency . Mr . Wilkinson had only been appointed a few days previously, and Amir

Maho mm e d ho Khan and Asad Ali Khan w were fo r r r s o noted thei int igues , and had done much t o harm to the State , had been working secure o f the support the Political Agent , and the result ’ udsi a r wa was that Q Begum s equest s refused .

Mr a s . Wilkinson wrote follows Yo u should not expect the help o f the B ritish

r of Gove nment in, dealing with any action the Nawab during his minority as he was not re sponsible at the time for either good or bad

r deeds , and the Signatures to the ag eement

r o r a re o f whethe Obtained willingly unwillingly ‘ equal value . He cannot be held to be bound by

r ﬁ them , but any a rangements for his bene t ” r will be eadily accepted . ’ No doubt Qu dsi a Begum s action was due to ’ he r anxiety and the Political Agent s View was THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 51

correct . She hoped that Mr . Wilkinson would ’ e f h lp her as ormer Agent s had done , and the agreement would serve the purpose o f preventing friction in the future . CHAPTER THE FIFTH .

VI SIT O F JAHAN GIR MA H O M M E D KHAN To ’ K L O RD WILLIAM BE NTI N C K . SI AN DAR BEGUM S

B . MARRI AGE . TROUBLE S EGI N

I F Mr . Wilkinson had been more in sympathy with the Qudsi a Begum it is probable that he

he r l no t . wou d have refused request He however , M h gave his support to Nawab Jahangi r a o mme d Khan whose aims were those o f Asad Ali Khan

r o and othe s . It was his cust m to assist the hi m Nawab in every way , sometimes having to

him y r stay with at the Agenc in Seho e and at othe r s raising Obj ections to the method o f his education and the selection o f his tutors . Com plaints we r e also made about the insufﬁciency ’ o f o the Nawab s all wances , and these matters , small in themselves , tended towards a dangerous

r o r r situation . Th ee fou years passed in this wa y when infor mation o f the intended visit o f

r r r Lo d William Bentinck , the Gove no General ,

t o was r 1 8 2 . udsi a Saugor eceived in 3 Q Begum , r aho mm e d conside ing that Jahangir M Khan Wa s b e r to the future uler of Bhopal , and had 52

54 HAYAT- I - QUDSI ing that the Nawab at the time was only thirteen years Old it seems clear that he was put up t o make the request b y others who wished to obtain control over the State in his name , and oust the

Qud si a Begum . udsi a When the Nawab returned to Bhopal , Q

w Maho e d mm Begum , ell knowing that Amir his wa s o f Khan , father , at the bottom all the l past friction , decided that he shou d live apart Mahd mme hi s . o from parents Amir Khan was hi r orde red to take up s esidence at Raisen as before , and those persons suspected of intriguing and fomenting trouble were either imprisoned or exiled . She also surrounded him with trust wo rthy and respectable companions who never allowed him o ut o f their sight . It was further arranged that certain kinds o f cases should be him disposed of before and the usual daily orders is h . Should be issued in presence This did not ’ suit the Nawab s inclinations , and he made several complaints to the B ritish authorities .

Meanwhile Mr . Wilkinson had been reappointed

Political Agent in place of Maj or Evans , and a rumour became current that he was d esirs us o f r Mahom e d marrying Jahangi m Khan to some

r . other gi l He however , denied this in a letter in which he said Sidiq Ali Khan from Nagpur on approached me the subj ect , but I explained to THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 55

” him that the matter was impossible . This disposed of the rumour . Meanwhile the Nawab obj ected to the grant by Qudsia Begum o f j agirs to certain faithful f o ﬁcials for their services , and he addressed the Resident and the Governor General on the sub ec t o ut j , although the Political Agent pointed that the Begum as ruler o f the State was quite within her rights in rewarding either faithful subj ects o r members o f the army ; at the same time , however , he wrote to the Begum urging her to have the marriage celebrated at an early s a na ds date , and he suggested that the ( deeds) of the j agirs and rewards should bear the signature o f o f Maho m m d the Nawab as in the time Munir e

Khan . He subsequently wrote as follows Mahmme d Wazir o Khan and others were de sir o us of taking the N awab away with them and

s . rai ing dissensions in the State Measures , how

r ever , we e adopted , and both Sironj and Bhilsa

int en warned not to receive him , and their evil tions were frustrated . The Governor General

o was also informed , and he has instructed me t say that so long a s the ma rriage of the Nawab is ‘ h delayed there is no hope of any end to t ese dissensions . If the marriage is performed no is suspicion will remain , and surely it time for the Begum to accomplish it in order to allay any HAYAT- I - QUDSI

her suspicion which may exist as to motive s for postponing matters . I as your sincere friend desire the same , and trust that a date may be ﬁxed and the ceremony performed in a happy and ” r auspicious manner . Soon afte a letter to the s ame effect was received fr om the Resident at

Indore .

The Begum did not relish the advice , as her Obj ect in delaying the nuptials was the desire t o satisfy herself fully as t o the character o f the

Nawab . O t o R wing the pressure from the Agency , esi r r hi e den y and the Gove nor Gene al mself , the Begum at last decided that the marriage sho uld be performed a fe wdays after the receipt o f the

r . v not lette s referred to She , howe er , did look o nthe marriage a s an occasion for rej oicing and she decided that it should be a perfectly informal

o ne .

‘ hb d ar A C o ( mace bearer) was therefore sent to

r Maho e Nawab Jahangi mm d Khan t o request him to come to the Mosque and to tell him that the Nikah ( marriage) would be celebrated , and u dsi a her that the Q Begum and daughter we re a s a s proceeding there soon the latter was dressed . Onreaching the Mosque the Begum sent for

Khu shwa k t who r Raj a Rai , ar ived with his attendants and a regiment of the bodyguard .

THE NAWAB BE GUM QUDSI A 57

aho ed Nawab Moiz M mm Khan and Fauj dar Maho m e d m Khan were also summoned , together e with oth r leading men , and all were puzzled and could not imagine why they had been called . The Qudsia Begum was much incensed and hm Ma o reproachend both her daughter , Jahangir med Kha and all present , as the Nawab refused to come , and the party remained in the mosque from Zohar t o Isha prayers . Several requests were sent to him t o come and he replied : As my Sister is as yet unmarried it does not become ” me to marry before she does , and no other course remained but t o postpone the ceremony . fi now A new dif culty arose , as Sikandar Begum had reached an age when her consent to the marriage became very necessary according t o o f the tenets her religion , and she was unwilling , as She dreaded future troubles (which in fact She e occurred later) . Finally cons nted to the marriage on the condition that the Nawab executed an agreement with her deﬁning her position , and that the document be attested by

Mr . Wilkinson . He , however , refused to do t fi his as being opposed to of cial custom , and he continued to urge that the marriage should take place soon . M hm Nawab Jahangir a o me d Khan professed himself to be anxious for the marriage , and 58 HAYAT- I - QUDSI accused Qudsi a Begum o f delaying it under one or pretext another , and made as much as possible o f his grievance . Finally matters came t o a crisis , and Mr . Wilkinson proceeded to Bhopal and informed Qudsi a Begum that he would not return to Sehor e till he had heard the sound of ’ the drums proclaiming the Nawab s marriage . In addition to this he sent his Mir Munshi to udsi a e Q B gum to persuade her to agree , and to threaten her with the displeasure o f the Governor ﬁ General . She however remained rm in her Wi s o . refusal , Mr lkinson summoned Raj a Khush wa k t r Rai , and God knows what inst uctions he gave him . The result was that he remonstrated udsi a both with Q Begum and Sikandar , and warned them that they ran the risk of being f conﬁned in the Fort and o losing the State . Sikandar Begum then drew out an agreement between the Nawab and herself and requested i Qu dsi a Begum to Sign and attest it . Qu ds a

she Begum told her that would be her companion both in grief and j oy and agreed to attest the bond . Qudsi a Begum throughout had no t been Op posed to the marriage , and her action in delaying it had been due to a desi r e to ensure the happiness

o f both of the Nawab and her daughter , and to prevent quarrels and misunderstandings .

60 HAYAT- I -QUDSI

late Nawab and that o f Hakim Shahzad Maseh . Mahom e d Nawab Jahangir m Khan signed and sealed a bond in which he undertook to act in ’ udsia subordination to Q Begum s wishes, both onbehalf o f himself and his adherents . The contents o f the bond were as follows The Nawab Qu d sia Begum has shown her r egard fo r me from the time that I was eight years o f age by appointing instructors for my guidance she he r and s has b ought me up from that time , and

nw. s h extends her favour to me o Ashe Observed Signs o f ability and wisdom in me s e is desirous she hof giving me her daughter in marriage , but as as certain doubts in her heart I write the follow ing lines o f my own free will and without co n not straint from anybody , that I will take any other woman t o wife when I have married her daughter , neither will I ever mention such a

t r r thing . I will y to ca ry out all her orders and wishes and I will not permit anyone to oppose

he r . I consider it advisable that my parents

r l a s and elatives Shou d reside at Raisen fort before , and I will only permit them to visit Bhopal as ' r . r o dinary guests I take the Begum as my mothe , and as I have attained to this high position owing to my marriage with her daughter , I will give her my hearty obedience always . I p r ay

God to be my witness to the above promises , THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 6 1 a nd if I depart from the c ondi t I OnS of this agreement I trust that the ofﬁcers o f the exalted ( British) Government may consider that I am ” false . Futur e events showed that the conditions o f the bond were not obse rved a nd that the docu ment was worthless . t The marriage had hardly been \ comple ed hme d a Ma o m when Jahangir Khan , c sting aside nd all ideas of right and wrong a family feeling , t o and carried away by ambition , was induced j oin in a plot against the lives of the Begums and for the destruction of the family . On o f r the occasion a festival , armed soldie s were hidden in the city , and an attackin g party

O f were kept outside , while another body soldiers ’ were at the Nawab s residence . Fortunately news r eached Quds i a Begum and she cleve rly frustrated the plans o f the plotters . Saadullah Khan o ne of the leaders was pursued till he escaped from the State , and the Nawab was put under supervision till the Political Agent e n

r quired in to the matter . He w ote to the Nawab his r saying that after wa nings and plans he had o been in hopes that things would g smoothly , but this affair had taken place and it would have r h been bette r if Jahangi Ma o mm e d Khan had T . he exercised patience a little longer Nawab 62 HAYAT- I -QUDSI

o f hi s . placed version the affair before Mr Wilkin u t sonand made o that he was the inj ured party . ’ Even Mr . W ilkinson s warnings and threats to the Nawab were couched in such te r ms that they gave the impression that he sympathised with

no was s o a s him , and this doubt the case far f hi s the struggle or rights was concerned . As a desc r iption of each event would be very lengthy and take much Space it will be better to give extracts o f the correspondence which took place at the time between Qu dsia Begum and the

r B r itish autho ities . udsi a ﬁ Q Begum , nding that she could get no suppor t fr om the Political Agent in keeping

r Mahmm d o t o f Jahangi o e Khan u his powers as

r r Rule , thought that if the Gove nor General wa s made aware of all the facts some favourable

r t o she ar angements could be come ; therefore r r L add essed a long lette to ord Aukland , then

r o f Governo General , and the gist it was as follows

r hmme d The t eaty made by Nawab Nazar Ma o Khan with the B ritish Government made no f h o r Ma o mm e d mention Wazi Khan , but it was stipulated that the succession t o the Gadi o f Bhopal Should go to the lineal descendants o f the

r Maho mm d Nawab Naza e Khan . When he

wa r o e . t h d s n e ied his only issue daughte , viz , THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 63

Begum Sikandar . The third day after his death hi m all s relatives and the leading enof the State bound themselves to Obey me and my rule , and the bond was drawn and attested by the Kazis and Muftis . Further o nreferring to the adoption of Munir

Maho mme d Khan , its sanction by the Governor

General and its disastrous consequences , she o f Maho mm e d mentioned the betrothal Jahangir

‘ t o Khan her daughter , and his succession to the Gadi and his petition t o the Governor General at

r r Saugor that his ma riage might be perfo med .

This was approved by the Governor General , and both Maj or Evans and Mr . Wilkinson gave her both advice and warnings which she replied t o by saying that the Nawab neither desired the marriage nor had reached a suitable age . Next she urged that the Nawab’s relations wished to o f get control the State , and the marriage was

r she simply a pretext , so to defeat thei intrigues asked that a bond which Should bear the authority of the Governohr General excluding them from all interference , S ould be taken from them . This was not approved, and the Nawab grew up and for udsi a pressed the marriage , so Q Begum took a bond from him and again endeavoured but without success t o obtain the attestat ion and

a t e l. The hv pproval of Go ernor Genera marriage 64 HAYAT- I - QUD SI

u dsi a then took place , and Q Begum was in hopes

t he r that Jahangir would act in subordination o and in accordance with the bond promising

whch . he r i wa s to obey he had given This ,

r howeve , not the case , and nothing but trouble

ud si a t ensued . Q Begum then kept quie and the

Mr Nawab visited . Wilkinson at Seho r e in

t e r connection with ma t rs elating to his education , and while there collected a numbe r o f seditious and disaffected pe rsons r ound him and with some twelve or fou r teen hund red horsemen and infantry

t r prepared to take mili a y action . She , however , fi s Mr . sent some leading of ciahl to Wilkinson , and he tactfully per suaded t e N awab to dismiss the

r r r o f r r g eate pa t the gathering , eassu ing him at

Mr the same time . . Wilkinson and the Nawab then went t o Bhopal and sta y ed the r e for ﬁfteen

y r Mr . da s , and while the e the Nawab through Wilkinson u rged that he might be g r anted f ull

f u d si a powers as Ruler o the State . Q Begum r eplied that She would sur r ende r the power s to h t wa s t ﬁ was ﬁt o him when s e sa is ed that he h r e t t t e exe cis them , and She s a ed that if Political

wa s ﬁ r him Agent satis ed with him he might g ant

r r r r the powe s . Afte wa ds a rangements were made hto p rovide the Nawab with su ffi cient funds for is nd f r hi a r o s expenses , tuto s instruction and a

e y u r wa s . l mount d bod g a d appointed Judicia , THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 65 cases were sent to him for disposal every third wa s day , and a bond Signed at the instance of the Political Agent both by him and the leading men ﬁ o f the State de ning his and their positions . An agreement was also signed by the N awab e ngagmg not to j oin in plots against the lives of Qudsia or

Sikandar Begum , and a similar agreement was f Signed by them . In Spite o the grant of funds and other arrangements for his comfort fourteen days later he made a plot to murder the Begums , and summoned a body of evil men who actually camped outside the city , and he distributed armed Afghans disguised as travellers throughout f . o the city The plot was abortive , as news it udsi a reached Q Begum , and the state troops dispersed the gathering and arrested some of the o f leaders . Some these were under arrest still and others had been banished . The Political Agent was informed and requested to take steps

r : through Government to rest ain the Nawab , and induce him to dismiss certain mischief

who . makers were with him The Political

Agent however , replied that the Nawab refused ti) be guided by his advice , and he suggested that Qudsi a Begum should warn and remonstrate with him . This was done , and she even provided him with funds for the travelling expenses of

t he o t o f. men to be g rid The Nawab , however , 66 HAYAT—I - QUDSI

r did nothing , and the Begum now equested that the B r itish Government should take action

he r against the Nawab who by plotting against Go d life had sinned against and the Prophet , and Offi he . s asked that three English cers like Mr Maddock and sev e r al persons acquainted with the

f he administr ation o t State might be sent to hold

r an impartial investigation into matte s . She p r ofessed to be ready to abide by the orders o f the Gover nor General o nthe results o f their

r enqui y, and ended by saying It is a thousand times bette r to die with a good name than t o live ” with a bad one .

This lette r wa s sent t o . the Political Agent with the r equest that it might be fo rwa r ded t o the .

r r er al. so Gove no Gen He agreed to do , but at h‘ the same time pointed out t o er that he saw no ‘ hope o f any peace between them ; as She com ’ a a i t t he pl ined ga ns Nawab s intentions towards ' h r a s e e t o nt hm the r t i her , and refus d , g igh s which wa ﬁ i c laim i a he s j usti ed n ng. He stated th t she

t f he r had no af ixed Signatur e t o the agreement with the Nawab , and that his companions put this down t o her unmotherly sentiments towards

r him . It was t ue that he had sent fo r Saidulla

r Khan and othe s to assist him , but had since dis missed them . The Political Agent asked Qudsi a K h hu wa kht Begum to send Raj a s Rai and Saiyid

CHAPTER THE SI' TH .

’ VVI L K I N S O N S To P MR . EFFORTS COM OSE THE DIFFERE N CES BETWEE N QU D S I A BEGUM AN D MA H M M E D TH NAWAB JAHAN GIR O KHAN . E

LATTER RAISES A FORCE .

’ I T seems clear that Qu dsi a Begum s obj ect in r r wa s sh petitioning the Gove nor Gene al that e believed that the Nawab had Secu r ed the support f she f o o the Political Agent , and that despaired

r hi s gaining her ends th ough assistance , and She ff wrote to him to this e ect . Subsequently,

r though disappointed p eviously , she applied

fo r again to the Political Agent assistance . In this letter She r efe r r ed to her having ruled the State satisfacto rily and quietly for the past seven teen y ears and to Mr . Wilkinson having been at r fo r si x r sh e Seho e yea s , and his knowledge that alway s car r ied o u t the wishes of the sup r eme ’ Gove r nment ; She r efe r red to the Nawab s violent action in collecting evil disposed persons his a ahnd to plot gainst her life , and said that as S e was informed that the Nawab had sent his * t o sh agents Indore and Agra e had been obliged

* r r - r at r at t he T ti he Gove no Gene al was Ag a me . THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 69

~ d . to do so also . She begge Mr Wilkinson to take m ea sufes to prevent the Nawab from plot ting , and asked him to protect her life , and again quoted the words o f a section o f the treaty with the Government that the friends or enemies o f ” one party are the same for the other , and she afﬁrmed her readiness to abide by the orders of

Government .

t o . In reply this , Mr Wilkinson in a letter dated

2 2nd 1 8 6 : November , 3 , said When I was propos ed for the appointment of Political Agent at Bhopal , I visited the Governor General , and he told me that he was informed that the a dminis t ra t i ono f the State was superior to that of other

Native States , and that it was in the hands of

fﬁ . capable , reliable and faithful o cials I also dur ing the past s ix years have observed that j ustice o ut fﬁ rs is meted by the o ce of the State , and I am well aware of your benevolent and high character . I also am of opinion that the Govern ment o f the State has been superior t o that in

a other States , and I h ve informed the Governor ” General in detail of this .

' Aft e rwa i‘ ds t h expressing his sorrow at e dis putes between the pa r ties and their failure to act he d on his advice eclared that although the

Nawab was impatient and hasty , the root of the hi s hi s . matter was demand for rights Describing 79 HAYAT- I - QUD SI

' : a conver sation with Hakim Bakar Ali he wrote 7 If yo u will only consider the matter fully you ills e e \ a wa b ha s no i that the other Obj ect but

to demand his rights . Yo u have seated the Nawab o nthe gadi with the s a nc t i ono f the a supreme Government , and h ve executed a bond t o hand over the rule o f the State to him when he

a e o f . hav e reached the g nineteen You received a

o f robe honour for him from the Governor General ,

now ha s t he 1 r a and that he attained equi ed g s se t o ut ho w and demand the rights in the bonds can he be refused The Nawab as he could not Obtain his rights has raised disturbances and

acted in an undesirable and improper manner , but you have promised to act according to the

o f s views the upreme Government , and it is to be hoped that there will be no disturbance and

o f intriguers will be rest r ained . A copy your e lett r has been sent to the Nawab , and he has

his r no informed me through epresentative that ” trouble will be caused by him fo r the present .

Mr . Wilkinson after some fu r ther advice ended

his r letter by saying The matte is in your hands ” — a act s you deem ﬁt .

Mr . Wilkinson at the same time addressed the ’ Nawab and sent him a Copy o f the Begum s

letter . He advised the Nawab to be guided by ’ the Begum s advice and wishes , and recommended THE NAWAB BEGUMj ijQUDSI A 71

f v ‘ ld a d fait hful o fﬁce rs o f him to treat the O n the

State with kindness and consideration . He hi ﬁnd said that if t s was done he would the Begum t to be well disposed owards him and his friend , but if both sides p r actised deceit and treachery

o wn ﬁ owing to their sel sh aims and motives , they would earn a bad name before the world and the displeasure of God . He asked the Nawab to inform him which course he intended to take . Qudsi a Begum next requested that the dispute might b e settled by Mr . Wilkinson and Mr .

Carnac the Resident at Indore , and requested the latter to visit Bhopal . He , however , regretted

a wa s t o th t he unable come , urging pressure t o of work , and saying that he did not desire he 1 s lf intervene in quarrels between e and her r s elative , moreover he had little hope that even if he did visit Bhopal he would be able to set tle the matter . Seeing no hope o f inducing the Residency at

o r Indore Agent at Bhopal to intervene , the Begum decided to approach the Governor General again . No doubt the leading meno f the State made a mistake when after the death of Nawab Nazar ahd ff M omme they e ected the arrangement by which the future husband of Sikandar Begum

. h was to be ruler of Bhopal They, owever , HAYhAT- I - QUD SI were actuated by onest motives and in their ﬁ o f view they acted for the bene t the State , and

was it a mistake which even loyal , farsighted , and hf r fait ul men were likely to make conside ing the condition of the times . The Nawab felt obliged to press for his rights and in this he had the sup port of Mr . Wilkinson . The Begum , there r fore , in add essing the Governor General pointed out that in her opinion , Mr . Wilkinson had exceeded his powers in the measur es taken to c i r support the Nawab , and she detailed the c umst anc es at length . The gist of her letter was that the British Governm e nt was desirous o f preventi ng rebellions in the tributary States and appointed Residents for that purpose .

wa s In this State the policy not followed , as plots against the lives both of the rulers and l ru ed were permitted , and the Political Agent Maho mm e d had summoned Nawab Jahangir Khan to Sehore o nthe plea o f superintending his education , and that while there the Nawab was

r encouraged to cause trouble . Fu ther that , although the appointment o f a Political Agent ’ c f he was or the purpose o f suppressing trouble had failed t o control mischief makers . Further he had no t dispersed a rebellious gathering which

o f had collected at Sehore , and that two the ’ Must a a b Nawab s servants , j Khan and Sume

74 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

sa fisf l conduct , and to y themse ves as to her admin i st r at iono f the State during the past seventeen l o f years . She was ready to abide by the ru ing Government after they had considered the rights Mahd omme of her late husband , Nawab Nazar

Khan .

’' r Ma ho m Meanwhile the Nawab s father , Ami Mah o mme d med Khan , his brother Munir Khan ,

* r r his t and Asad Ali we e wo king in interest a

ll e Sehore , and had co ected sev ral hundred r t o mounted and foot soldiers , and wo d was sent t t o the Nawab in Bhopal o come Sehore . He started in disguise o nfoot and met the me s se nge rs at the tomb o f Moulvi Zi a u uddin( a short distance outside Bhopal) and mounting his

r horse rode in to Seho e , arriving there about midnight . Onthe Political Agent being informed

o f u wa s ﬁ a salute eleven g ns red , and next day he addressed a letter t o Qu dsi a Begum . In this letter he informed her that he had

r he r fo warded letter to the Resident at Indore requesting him and the Political Agent to come i . hs to Bhopal He had given Opinion before and

a r n He r he gain epeated it , that the quarrel betwee and the Nawab could be settled by themselves . He had inst r ucted the Nawab t o be patient and to allow the Begum to carry o ut the administration

* A d Ali was i t t all B sa Ch ef of a small S a e c ed asod a . TH E NAWAB BE GUM QUDSI A 75 for a few d ays longer , and he asked her to send her Khushwakht t o trustworthy agent , Raj a Rai , l arrange mat t er s . Meanwhile the Nawab began to collect an army at Sehore , and borrowed money from the bankers there , and the Begum complained to the Political

Agent . He wrote to her saying that he was

she ha d aware that been told that Sadullah Khan and other r ebellious persons had gathered in wl jSehor e with the kno edge and countenance o f t he Political Agent , but he trusted that She would

r rd all such untrue repo ts . He had to the Nawab in the matter and he had m that the people had co e at his request , wa s s no doubt inaccurate , and he had ed on t he Nawab that he would obtain i ht s g if he exercis ed patience , as the Begum pledged her word to the Government that

r would grant them . Furthe he informed Begum that the Nawab seemed inclined to

she erse the gathering , and that if would send

hus wa t t K hkh o t Rai reason wi h him and ure him he felt sure that the Nawa b would

only get rid of his following , but would to Bhopal and make his peace with her urged the Begum not to delay in sending the ’ a as the numbers o f the Nawab s adherents fﬁ were increasing daily, and it would be di cult HAYAT- I - QUDSI to get rid of them without ﬁghting unless im mediate action we r e taken . He was of opinion that it would be necessary fo r the State to pay the members o f the gathering a certain amount to cover thei r expenses in r eturning t o thei r a s homes , and he had the true interests of the State at heart he urged her to take early action o nthe lines he suggested .

Mr . Wilkinson then told the Nawab that he could not be permitted to collect armed forces r t o s o in Seho e , and that if he continued do he ’ must leave the Cantonment . The Nawab s wa s reply to this to attack and capture Doraha , Devipura and Jha r khe r a ( places within a radius

ﬁ . of about fteen miles from Sehore) Mr . Wilkin

o r son again pressed the Nawab to dismiss his f ces , and wr ote to Qud si a Begum upbraiding her with her failure to fulﬁl her promise to hand over the government of the state to the Nawab .

r hu hwa K s kht He also w ote to Raj a Rai and suggested that he should visit Sehore and take t o steps arrange matters with the Nawab , and pointed o ut that as the Raj a wa s the leading Ofﬁcial in the State the discredit o f any bloodshed which might ensue would attach t o him if he did no t do his utmost in preventing the parties from coming to blows . Mr . Wilkinson pointed out that he wa s precluded from active inter TH E NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 77 ference by the orders and policy of the Supreme

Government , but that if the Begum resigned her powers and applied for the grant o f a j agir for her maintenance , and for a promise of protection to

r r h S e her life and fai and respectful t eatment , ff should send a petition to this e ect , and the Government would be prepared to guar antee this

r to her . He added that neithe the Raj a nor

o ne any else could command victory , and that ’ a s the issue o f the struggle w in God s hands . Personally he had left no stone unturned to

t o compose the dispute , he had written strongly Asad Ali Khan ; and he ended by saying that if the Raj a thought that there was no other way o u t o f the difﬁculty he was prepar ed t o a sk the

Supreme Government to admonish both parties . Although the Qu dsi a Begum had suffi cient military forces to cr ush the dis t urbers of the peace yet she was desirous if possible t o effect her obj ect without bloodshed , and both She and a kht shw d Khu Raj a Rai accepted the a vice of the Political Agent and negotiations with the

Nawab were Opened . The Begum deputed Raj a kht Khushwa Rai and Hakim Ghulam Hussain t o represent her , and the Nawab chose Asad Ali ’ r Khan and Mir Wasil Ali . The Begum s epr e sent at iv e s urged that the powers of State should o t o t he awab o h er f be anded v N after a period t en 7s HAYAT- I —QUDSI w ’ years , while the Na ab s party pressed that the period should be th ree year s . A deadlock ensued and the Begum wrote asking the Resident at

Indore to come down and settle it . H e r letter

she o n r r repeated what had said fo me occasions , and stated that in Spite o f the nego tiations

Mr . inaugur ated. b y Wilkinson the Nawab was

l o n r sti l bent causing t ouble , and She trusted that the Resident would come and s e e for himself

he as s hi w m which side to blame , as trusted as an imparti al j udge . The Resident r eplied that he r egr etted his inability to come as he had reported the affairs in detail to the Impe r ial Gove r nment and awaited

r r . r r uds i a thei di ections Sho tly after , a eply to Q ’ Begum s lette r to the Governo r General asking for his wa r s intervention eceived , and after an

o f r r o f f r expression so ow at the state af ai s , the Governo r Gene r al wr ote that it was an old

fo r t he r established custom B itish Government

r r to abstain from inte ference in such matte s ,

r d o r eithe irectly through its agents , and hence

fa r s o . no action had been taken If, however ,

r r the matters continued in thei p esent state

Government would be constrained to interfere , and he warned the Begum that such action could not be favourable to her as that would mean the ’ o f Mahmme d extincti n o Nawab Jahangir o Khan s THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 79

j ust rights . The Begum had undertaken and executed a bond t o surrender the rule o f the State to the Nawab on his attaining the age

fo r of nineteen , and it was hardly necessary him to say that the br eaking o f such a p r omise was a crime against the Government , religion , and the

r public at la ge . He added that although he desired to abstain from active interference , still it was the Opinion of the Company’s Government the that the Nawab was rightful heir to the gadi and that it became her to surrender the

o f . rule the State to him If she did so , it was p r obable that the Nawab would be glad t o pro

he r y vide for liberall , and he trusted that she would accept the advi ce o f the Government and act accordingly . CHAPTER THE SEVENTH .

K BATTLE O F ASHTA . SI AN DAR J OI N S HER

HUS BAN D THERE . I NTERVE NTI O N B Y TH E

G OVERNM ENT .

WHILE this cor r espondence was going o nthe Nawab succeeded in winning over some o f the

r r a i r da rs impo tant land owne s , J g and Priests , and he sent Asad Ali Khan with a for ce to take

r Chowki rh r 2 a ( I) Ba i , ( ) Jaitha i and ( 3) g , and he

r r o f ente ed the fo t ( 4) Ashta without resistance ,

ll d a r o f hh as the Ki e ( Captain the Fort) S a a ma t

r hi s Khan went ove to party , although he had

n t he r h r rt t e t ( I ) B a . This i s headqua e of Tehsil i n Sou he n

i nc I s S t t ri r r 2 r t he r i l D st t i v M , i w , and ua ed on e a na 5 m les f om a ay

t t r . s a ion , Sem i 2 t r I S t he rt r i u I t he ( ) Jai ha i This headq a e s of a Tehs l n E r D 1 st nct 2 0 r t hr i i e i i t , w t t as e n and s m les f om a l ay s a on ,

G a d e r wa r a .

Chowki a r h rt a Chwk i r SI u t e . t o a hi t a d t he g The fo g s on mi t t he N rt r r t 0 t i I Di t i I i sum of a moun a n n o he n s c , and s 5 m les fr om B hop al t 1 t r B t . 3 i Ash a This own 4 7 miles wes f om hopal , and s srt u at e t he n r P ar b a t M ho mmed ti D a d on ve . os Khan had 1 I t t rt r t rt hr 1 1 A . i D i he u t he bu l a fo e e n 7 5 s headq a e s of r r West e n Dist ict . l - D r . i i i 1 i rt w t B o aha Th s s a v lage 4 m les no h es of hopal . 80

HAYAT- I - QUDSI to have been written with a View to compromise a the recipients . The Begum ws greatly enraged and was about to punish the persons addressed , hshwak t K u h when Raj a Rai represented that this wa s no time for anger and that friends and foes would be easily r ecognised when the operations commenced . The Begum accepted his advice and it i s stated wa s anxious to p r oceed with her force to Ashta and take command of it . The

fi he r r Raj a , however , with dif culty dissuaded f om

r s s e t o ff this cou se , and him elf in command o f 000 r en 4 horse and foot and fou guns , and a r Ma hli camped the village of g ( a few miles n d r o 2 2n 1 8 . f om Ashta) June the , 3 7 The his r Nawab accompanied by fathe assembled his

r force , and befo e hostilities commenced sent

Khha kht a messenger to Raj a u s w Rai asking him t o p r o ff e encam fa ther at a village call d Kotri , andhp ossibly an arrangement could be come to wit out bloodshed . The Raj a replied that he wa s acting unde r the orders o f the Begum and not o could g back , and he suggested that the

r r t Nawab should eti e o Ashta . Meanwhile some ’ rr fi a hd a ows were red by the Nawab s men fi ghting commenced . At first fortune favoured the Nawab — Baks ’ I r a d at Khan o ne o f the Begum s leaders w slightly wounded by Nana Kan Singh D U L H A N S A H E EA W I F E O F H A KI M S H A H zA D MAS E H ,

M A D A M E BO U R B O N

[ F a c e p ag e 8 2

84 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

Meanwhile the Begum sent a force to capture Bari and Jaithari which Asad Ali Khan had o n r occupied , and he hea ing that the Nawab was sur r ounded at Asht a evacuated them and n t o . h ﬂed Basoda O earing this the Nawab sent wor d to Asad Ali Kha n to go to the Political

a s k his a Agent and for ssistance in the righteous

T e o f . h cause Begum then gained possession

a r rhi G r , Do aha , Devipura , Jharkhera and Sehore , ’ afte r some ﬁghting with the Nawab s troops * r nea Naz a rga nj .

Se v e n o f ho st ili days afte r the commencement ﬁ ties at Ashta ghting was resumed there , but before any result wa s obtained by either pa rty

r r the Gove nor General inte rvened and di ected Mr .

Wilkinson t o put a stop t o the ﬁghting . He K s t o his hu hwa kht obliged Raj a Rai withdraw r r a fo ceshf om Ashta , and he summoned the Naw b and i s followe r s t o Sehore and appointed a

r r o f r Gove no the Ashta Fo t . He also called up ’ the Company s 68t hRegiment and stationed it at

Gunga .

r r he b t wa s ulhnSa a h D a e The w ite told by ,

o f a b wife Hakim Shahz d Maseh , that when Nawa r Ma h Jahangi o mm e d Khan wa s surrounded in Asht a For t afte r the ﬁr st engagement the Political

u d si he r Agent told Q a Begum that although

* A r t z r ahmme b N M o d ma ke place , founded y Nawab a a Khan . THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 85

forces had been victorious , the quarrel was between members of the same family , and the

Government highly disapproved of it , and that as she was the senior and the Nawab was ashamed it and anxious for a reconciliation , would be becoming and advisable if she held out the olive branch to him . He suggested that either Qu dsia Begum should go herself to Ashta or send her daughter Sikandar Begum to bring her husband back to Bhopal . Qu dsi a Begum agreed to this and despatched Dulhan Sahe b a Sikandar Begum together with and some nobles , and they were received into the

Fort by the Nawab . The party remained there for twenty- four hours and then returned with the Nawab to Bhopal . After this Qudsi a Begum was clearly informed by the Governor General in a letter dated the 2 t hO 1 8 7 ctober , 3 7, that She must dismiss the fore i gners enrolled I nher army ; it was pointed ' she t t hat o f o u had disobeyed the clear orders

Government and had disregarded its advice . The letter reminded her o f her promise to hand O o f ver the control the State to the Nawab , and said , that this must now be done even though the

t o hr . transfer o f authority might lead a m The Governor General further stated that if Qudsi a

’ ‘ B egum was no t satisﬁed with the Nawab s bond 86 HAYAT- I - QUDSI t o arrange for her maintenance and security without the guarantee of the British Government this would be granted , as the comfort and welfare of the Begum was desired by Govern ment . In forwarding this letter to the Begum the Political Agent informed her that She would have ’ to defray the expenses o f the Company s regiment she at Gunga till complied with the wishes of the

Gove r nor General . was f d a This a critical time o r Qu si Begum . She was aware that her forces had defeated

o f the Nawab , She knew that the people Bhopal r w t he and the a my ere in her favour , and under

Maho mme d treaty Nawab Nazar Khan and the

East India Company, her daughter was the

r She rightful hei to the throne , further considered

she that had acted in accordance with all treaties and bonds , yet She was mindful of the failure

f a ha o ( I) Bej a Bai S e b in a neighbouring State when She had acted somewhat similarly against her adopted son some three o r four years pre viousl she e 2 B e m y , and r ﬂected that ) Badshah gq had failed when she Opposed Mr . Low , the Resi

a t o r dent Lucknow , only two three months r befo e . and she feared that the result would be the same in her case . She also was proud of the distinction that Bhopal wa s the only State which

88 HAYAT- I - QUD SI

Ali t t h M mme o e t he aho d i i t ook Shah Palace n m ddle of t he ni ght and int er viewed B adshah B egum I t appear s t hat some l S r ult M r w I C OI C il w i w i . L o J g e e go ng on hen some one ns ed , r r t he B r t he and he pr omp ly o d e ed egum and follower s t o leave t he W it i ﬁt i t A s t ai l t o palace h n f een m nu es hey f ed do so , r t he B W t he r t he palace was bomba ded and egum i h follower s ' e d M ahmme Ali S T wi d a o d w ut t he t r he follo ng y hah as p on h one , and B adshah B egum and Munna Jan we r e ar r est ed and deport ed t o B enar es Qudsi a Begum therefore decided to withdraw her claims and expressed herself willing to hand over the State o nbeing given a Jagir for her maintenance . The Political Agent signed a bond guaranteeing this and agreements were signed both b v Qu dsi a Begum and Nawab ahomme d Jahangir M Khan and sent to the f r Governor General o ratiﬁcation . CHAPTE R THE EIGHTH .

’ AGREEME NTS AF TER QU D S I A B E GU M s

AB DICATI O N .

’ TH E ﬁrst was in the vernacular and it s gist was as follows d O 2nd 1 8 A letter ated , ctober , 37, has been

. Mc Na u ht e n received from Mr g , Secretary to the o f Government India , regarding the dissension between the Nawab Quds i a Begum and Nawab aho mme d M Jahangir Khan , and pointing out that it was advisable that the Begum should dismiss those persons who had recently been appointed to her service , and that she should entrust the full powers of the State to the Nawab . ’ Onher doing this the H onble the East India Company would be responsible for her life and honour and would guarantee the continuance to her of her Jagir . This letter was communicated

a cc e to the Begum , and she has expressed her p o f tance of the directions the Government . She has discharged many new employees and when she has made over the administrat ion o f the State with full powers to the Nawab the following for fewwords are written her comfort . 89 90 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

‘ Firstly— that the Jagir o f the Begum with customs rights will remain in her possession as before . The Fort and lands o f Islamnagar whi ch had o f been part her Jagir , with the income thereof amounting t o some seventeen o r eighteen thou sand rupees per annum , will remain in her pos session acco r ding to her request . of o f The district Bari , with the town that

e r name , whose net revenue is about Rs p hr t o e annum will be added j agir , with the proviso that a sum o f Rs : formerly allotted fo the expenses of religious devotees and traveller will be resumed by the State .

The Palace in which she resides , the r o f t h o of Baghpu , the shops the mosque and buildings in N a z a rga nge will remain her pro pe r t “ It i s stipulated that the Qu dsi a Begum w no t interfere in matters of State whatever action the Nawab may take , and will not conspire ’ against the Nawab s life o r the safety o f the

State . It is further stipulated that the Nawab will not interfere in any way with the above

o f no r j agirs during the life the Begum , will allow anyone to conspire against the life of the Begum or t o interfere in the management o f her property or affairs . The British Govern ment hereby guarantees the fulfilment o f the

92 HAYAT- I - QUD SI

l r e t he r r her t r l ff ti i nu i i mo he y a ec on . and w l e co ag h m n pe fo mance W r r r t r t o t he of good deeds whi ch ill b ing p ospe i y and welfa e t ﬁt t o t he N he u St t in w a e , and be ca se of happ ess and bene a ab

he r . and t o name The agreement entered into by the Qudsi a Begum and submitted for attestation by the Governor General in Council i s a s follows Whereas the Right Honourable the Governor

o f General India in council , upon learning the existence of the dissensions which had arisen between me and my beloved so nthe Nawab

— d - a ula h r Ma ho d Nazir u D Jahangi mm e Khan

hi s . addressed orders through Mr Secretary

a ha . M c Na u t n i g to Mr Lancelot Wilk nson , t o Agent at Bhopal , in regard the bestowal by His Lor dship o f the guarantee of the Government of India for the security of my life and of my p r ivate Jagir o nmy consigning the r eins of Government o f Bhopal State t o the Nawab and Whereas the Agent duly t he communicated above in a Kharita t o my address and Whereas it was ever my heartfelt aim to obey the orders o f the British Gover n r c o n ment in every respect , I have therefo e signed the whole management o f the affairs ( ff the Bhopal State into the hands of my so nthe

r Nawab . My o iginal Jagir including the Saya r t he duties attached thereto and fort and land of Islamnagar which are estimated to yield THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 93

about Rs : or Rs : per annum f will remain in my possession . The lands o the Bari Pargana now r emaining Khalsa yielding about Rs per annum together Cusb a with the town of Baree , have been

allotted to me in addition as a new Jagir . The garden and sacred tomb (of my late

husband) , with the lands originally attached fo r to them their due maintenance , yielding : about Rs per annum , together with

my present residence , the Baoli Bagh , the ’ nd Naz a r a n do okha ns . a z g j , , my mosque , etc , the Poora called by my name will also continue

r in my possession . The Nawab is to efrain from interfering in any way with my possession and o f i control th s Jagir , and from seeking to

o do inj ury t my life in any way . I in like manner engage to refr ain from all inte r ference with the a ffairs of the State and the direct ion thereof by the Nawab and fr om seeking to do any inj ury to his life , the Government of India holding either party r esponsible for i s any breach o f these engagements . It requested that the signatu r e of His Lor dship be attached to the deeds o f Agreements o f ﬁ r both parties in rati cation the eof , that they

may prove , if required , a full assurance on

any future occasion . I Will show every con 94 HAYAT- I - QUD SI

sideration and the most cordial affection t o the

Nawab due to him as my son . ’ K D I A U S s . Sd . By the BEGUM MARK

Agreement o f the Nawab Nuz zu r- u d - dowlah r Ma ho mm e d the Nawab Jahangi Khan , Nawab o f of Bhopal , submitted for the ratification the Right Honourable the Governor General o f

India in Council .

Whereas the Right Honourable the Governor

r r Gene al of India in Council , upon lea ning the existence of the dissensions which had arisen udsia between me and the Begum Q , my

r r espected mother , addressed o ders to the ’ effect that onthe Begum s consigning the

o f ff r f t he entire management the a ai s o State

His r into my hands , Lo dship would grant the gua r antee o f the B ritish Government for the ’ o f a nd security the Begum s life , whereas the Beg um signifi ed her acquiescence in these

r o ders in a Kha rita add r essed to Mr . Lancelot

Wilkinson , Political Agent at Bhopal , and as the Agent desired that a suitable provision b e

o f r fo r made by way Jagi the Begum , and

ha s whereas the Begum consigned into my hands the sole management o f the affairs o f the h ro State , I therefore , have , wit a view of p

96 HAYAT—I —QUDSI

transgressing these agr eements in any respect

responsible . It is hoped that His Lor dship will be pleased t o attach his signatu r e to this

r ﬁ r m ay agreement in ati cation the eof , that it prove o na ny futu r e occasion i f n e cessa r y a full a r e w assu rance . I sh ll eve se k ith hea rt and soul to p reserve the ﬁli al r e spect due t o the

Begum a s my moth e r .

2 t h r Dated 9 Shaban of the yea 1 2 53 Hejira 2 t h r r 1 8 . co responding with 9 Novembe , 37 B Sd . y the NAWAB JAHAN GIR MA H OM M E D

KHA N .

These engagements we r e ratiﬁed b y the Gover

n1 h r 1 o t 8 8. nor General 5 Janua y , 3

98 HAYAT - I - QUDSI

ﬂed t o rule and the claim of the Nawab to the State under the agr eement might have been

y disregarded , it was considered politicall ex pe di e nt at the time that the r eins of Government o f should be in the hands a man , and seeing that the r e wa s no likelihood of peace and tran qu ilit y in the State it would no doubt have been danger ous to appoint a woman t o guide its destinies .

r r has Even in Eu ope the e been a prej udice against women as Rulers so it is not to be won de r ed at that a similar p rej udice exi sted in

r o f r India . The th one Hanover , forme ly united t o that o f Great Britain wa s separated from it

o f r a s at the accession Queen Victo ia , the Salic

Law exists in Hanover .

The writer feels su r e that Mr . Wilkinson

r t o sha ed the prej udice , as he once declared Qu d si a Begum that histo r y did not support the contention that wom e n could be satisfacto r y

r r ule rs . When eminded by Qud si a Begum that a g reat lady had j ust ascended the throne of hi r England he gave the astonis ng eply that wa s Hi s female rule not allowed in Islam . a r gument being that Fatima did not succeed to the Caliphate o nthe death o f the Prophet ’ ( may peace and God s blessing be upon him) . r ha s No doubt histo y mostly been silent about THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 99

Eastern women rulers , and no clear account o f s o r them has far been w itten , probably from the same reasons as in England , namely , that their rule was no t generally approved . It was thought that women have very little political and administrative capacity and that if they did possess it they we r e incapable of using it . That their physical weakness and merciful natures prevented them from fulﬁlling the

r . duties of a Ruler satisfacto ily . There are , however , many examples both in the world and

ho f e . in istory splendid Queens , g

Queen Mary ,

Queen Elizabeth ,

Queen Mary II ,

Queen Anne , and others . To English readers it is u nec e ssa ry to desc r ibe hi s o f the tories these English Queens , but there

' ha e also v been celebrated Mahommedan Queens

r though less well known to the world in gene al .

hara t - u d—d a r For instance S uj the last ruling Queen of the Aiyubiya dynasty in Egy pt which li— u d hr wa s founded by Sultan Sala deen a e o

h r . of t he 6t century of the Hej i a The chief result of her reign was the peace which existed after the series of wars during the ' pr eceding reigns o f that dynasty . When she ascended the throne t he Ai ubi a s y y dyna ty was decaying and 1 00 HAYAT- I - QUDSI she was obliged to call in the help of other

was y r e nations , but it due to her that Eg pt mained with an independent government till it was shattered by the Sultan Salim .

Then there was Razia Sultanah , d aughter ish t a m y wh of Al o v Sultan , the onl woman e er occ u pied the throne of Delhi . Generally when there is no male hei r to a ruling family a daughter succeeds , but Razia Sultanah had ahbrother , she i s ist or and the only instance in the v of Islam in which a woman succeeded in preference to a male heir . She was brave and courageous and had commanded the army with great cour age

- i — in many battles . Ibn Batata , the famous travel

r ah M omme d ler and write , who visited India in ’ Ta hla s r o u o n : t g q eign , writes Razia comes

r s r she a ho seback dressed a soldie , constantly takes the ﬁeld he rself to suppress the insurrections

r o t Of r ebellious ofﬁce rs . She ca ries u the a dmini s t ra t i o no f the count r y s o well that even a s s a r Al hr e tate m nlike rule l i ke Sult a n t a ms p ” e r r o hs f ed the daughter t i sons . f m Next comes Ummul Maj d o the Vila dynasty .

r f Mahmii d o She was a contempo ary the Sultan ,

a r who ende voured to conquer her count y , but wa s r frust ated by the clever plans of the lady , and it wa s no t till after her death that Sultan

Mahmud succeeded in over running the country .

HAYAT- I - QUDSI

In the second part of this book my readers will ’ see that the Begum Qudsi a s rule wa s a blessing in awa b ah comparison with that of N Jahangir M o m

e . med . Events obliged ev n Mr Wi lkinson to admit that the people o f the State lived in o peace and comfort in the time f Qudsi a Beg um . During o u r o wntimes our beloved Queen

r a nd Victo ia the Nawab Sikandar Begum , a greatly respected lady in Indi a and in the Islamic

r wo ld , have proved that the female sex may have administrative qualities , and that such women are born both in Europe and Asia pos sessed both of enlightenment , tact , and the many other quali ties inherent in a good ruler .

o f r ha s The history Queen Victo ia been the theme o f many wr iters and excites wonder and admi r ation in every one . Although a biography o f ha s y e t the Begum Sikandar not been written , he s has been mentioned many times in the

r Of histo ies of India , and one her descendants Nawa b za da Haﬁz General Ob a id ulla Khan is

r r hr . at p esent engaged in w iting e life of The writer , from a study of the histories the world and from her knowledge o f her 0

ha s dynasty , come to the conclusion that ad St ra t iv e capacit y is more inherent in wome

than in men , and that nature specially intende

them for rulers . THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 03

Men are given bodily strength t o earn their fi living and to enable them to ght in batt les . Women have been granted the qualities of fi firm mercy, sympathy , toleration , delity and s ness . These render them specially suitable a rulers of kingdoms though no doubt educaron and careful upbringing are necessary for both

. t sexes Given hese , women are superior to men . CHAPTER THE TENTH .

QU D S I A BEGUM ABAN DO N S THE VEIL . TH E T E ADMI N ISTRATI O N OF THE STATE . H BH O P AL

CO NTI N GE NT .

FROM her infancy Qu dsi a Begum had been in Purdah and up to and after her marriage She

Observed the rules of Purdah very strictly .

a Ma ho m Hakim Shazad M sih and Mian Karam med Khan were her chief advisers . They were both advanced in years and although the former wa s of wa s his another faith (he a Bourbon)

Ma hmm e d valuable services to Nawabs Wazir o Ma homm d Khan and Nazar e Khan made him the most distinguished among the ofﬁcials o f

. a hd the State Mian Karam M omm e Khan had ’ r r u dsi a s also endered faithful se vice , and Q w administration a s carried o nunder their advice .

o f r Each held the post Ministe successively , and the Begum held their advice in such regard that she would not visit the house o f a relative without their permission. She even went S O far a s t o consult them befor e going for a walk in her garden which she was fond of doing .

1 0 4.

1 0 6 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

fi she ffi the Of cers of State , then allowed the o cers of her household to come into her p resence a nd gave them their orders ; after that she sent fo r Fatehj ang Khan the Commander o f the Fort and took lessons in riding from him with her grooms in attendance . Later on she summoned her Minister and he presented his homage to her and subsequently allher offi cers appeared before her and within twenty days she had issued orde r s that any of her subj ects who wished to present a petition to her should be admitted . Her idea evidently was that it was diffi cult to u rule from behind the Purdah , partic larly when the recognised rules o f Purdah exceeded the directions laid down by her religion . She also compelled her daughter Sikandar to abandon Purdah a s she was under the ﬁrm

she ne . conviction that would rule the State o day

o f Ma hmme d Before the time Nawab Nazar o

Khan , owing to constant wars disorders and i m smanagement , the whole receipts of Bhopal no did t exceed one lakh and a quarter of rupees . During his r eign by the grace o f God the State o f a the country improved , and the East Indi Company granted the Nawab ﬁv e districts and the Fort Of Islamnagar in return for the assistance rendered by him to General Adams , and the State came under the protection of the British THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 07

Government with a treaty of alliance and friend ship . Peace was restored thr oughout the country a nd the method of collecting revenue and the general administration was revised . The pro gress was so marked that the revenue rose to ten f lakhs o rupees during the four years o f his reign . Details of the methods o f the government o f ’ r r Ma h s the count y du ing Nazar o mme d reign

. udsi a are not forthcoming , and even during Q ’ Begum s rule it is not possible to stat e exactly . O nly this can be said for certain , her orders were practically all oral ones ; the people were simple and there was an absence of cunning and craft among them and this system appears to have worked well . Sikandar Begum has given an account of the administration in her time when her husband was in power with Fauj dar

aho mme d . M Khan as Minister A civil war had been going on for many years and the times were barbarous . Civilization and enlightenment wer e unknown and there was no distinction between the civil and criminal courts . The account shows that in* some divisions there was a ’civil Ofﬁcial called a Tehsildar whose duty it was to collect the revenue and deal with civil dis

N ote b Tra nslator — T r se t r B i lu i y he p e n evenue of hopal , nc d ng ’ r o r B f r he r i t ri t t t i d u o lo alt i nt h a d s c g an ed S kan a eg m y y e r : Mut i i b ut 6 0 l . A k ny , s a o akhs la h 1 08 HAYAT—I - QUDSI

putes and a Thannadar who looked after crime .

In some divisions , however , there was only a wa s a W ho . Th nnadar did everything There must confusion over revenue matters and no

r fﬁ r . egular o ces we e maintained It appears ,

r howeve , that disorders did not occur and the State wa s no t in ﬁnancial diffi culty during the ’ nineteen yea r s of Qu dsi a Begum s rei gn . Af terwa r ds when general disorders broke ou t Mahmme d during the time of Nawab Jahangir o i e ﬁ . c h Khan , Mr Wilkinson , who had been y instrumental in eff ecting the transfer o f powe r

r f om the Begum to the Nawab , paid a tribute to the peace and good order which had prevailed ’ during the Begum s time .

t he n In a letter to Nawab Asad Ali Khan .

r Minister , cautioning him to pay g eater attention to the disturbed state o f the country he wrote as follows The public of Bhopal are openly declaring that the y lived inpeace and comfort under the protection o f Q ud si a Begum and that there was

r neither fear no danger during her wise reign . She gave Jagirs and generous rewards to those

r she who se ved her faithfully , made good arrange ments fo r the supply of foo d and warlike stores for the army , and spent money on the treatment o f wounded soldiers and gave sums o f money to ” r of the hei s those who were killed .

I 1 0 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

This force wa s stationed at Sehore Canton ment under the o r ders of the Political Agent and was paid by the State . During Qu dsi a ’ Begum s time the annual cost o f its upkeep wa s ﬁxed at Rs :

t — t t he r t he B hs N o e Subseq uen ly fo ce became p al contingent ’ r B r t fﬁ r t r i n r i t r t i t unde i ish o ce s , and la e , Lo d K chene s ime , r r r i t t he r r t h became a egula eg men of Indian A my unde e name of t he I ' B t r r t ti t i t b s hopal Infan y , and gained g ea dis nc ion y Af l s t t I nF r 1 1 . t e o m t B ri ti gallan conduc ance , in 9 5 p g eigh een sh fﬁ r t he r t r rt i t s f t t e r hi t wa s o ce s and g ea e pa of e fec ives , eg men m r i 1 1 6 r t t o t t . sen Mesopo a ia , whe e is now ( 9 ) se ving CHAPTE R THE ELEVENTH .

’ P D TH E BH O AL ARMY I N QU S I A BEGUM S D AY .

’ As r udsia rega ds the army of Q Begum s day , it can be said that it was sufficient fo r the ne c es s sities o f the time . It was enlisted from the various divisions of the Stat e ; there is no infor ma tion as to its dress and quarters beyond that o f r most the men lived in the fo ts in Bhopal , and a rathe r interesting account o f it is given in the repor t of an offi cial describing the meeting of Maho mm e d Nawab Jahangir Khan and Lord

r William Bentinck at Saugo . It ran as follows Saiyid Anwar Ali was the commander of the advance guard o f cavalry with the dr ums and

r standard , then followed the a tillery , the Afghan

ﬂag bearers , the infantry , the sepoys in black r r e Fu t t eh unifo m , the A ab soldi rs with the

o f r Mura t ib Nishan (flag victo y) , then the Mahi (the insignia o f the or der o f the Fish p r esented to a former Nawab o f the Bhopal by the Nizam h ’ o f Ma o mme d Hyderabad) , then Khan s horse men and bodyguard troopers followed by gaily ’ r capa isoned horses , palanquins , drums , men m bearing trays of food , standard and ace bearers . th After all this came e elephant carrying Nawab I I I I 1 2 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

Mahomme d 0 Jahangir Khan , surrounded by 5 o n o f li other elephants , some which were Eng sh offi cers . Then came the regiment of Nana

r r Kan Singh , the ho semen of the household , ho se men clad in coats of mail and Mian Karam Maho m me d Khan was r iding with the procession ’ lc hd s o f Moo a n Seth soldiers both horse and foot , men from Mewa r and runne r s . Last of all

a i r d a rs of came the J g (landed gentry) the State . The bright howdahs and Aft abi s ( drinking vessels) we re shining in the sunlight and truly it

one was a wonderful sight . Every praised the army .

d h . Maho mme Bakshi K an commanded the ’ u dsi a was Q Begum s forces , he a tactful com d r r . u si a mander , and a b ave and loyal soldie Q

r r Begum was famed fo her cha ity and liberality . All relatives o f the reigning family we r e assisted by grants o f mone y and in spite o f this the r e is no evidence to show that the Begum had t o

r bo r ow mone y o r contracted a ny debts . After

r hmm e d wards Nawab Jahangi Ma o Khan and his minister Fauj da r Maho mme d Khan lai d a r r o f o n g eat bu den debt the State , although he was no t confronted with such strenuous times

. ha s as the Begum Mention already been made o f the unmethodical method in which the dis t ri c t s wa s were managed , there , however , a head

THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 1 3

Daftar ( offi ce) . The contracts for the collection of the revenue were given in a formal manner , and in the case o f the grant of Jagirs and Ma fi s ( revenue fr ee gr ants of land) regular documents were engr ossed . A store o f corn was kept in

r r eve y fort , and the fa mers and tenants received advances o f seed grain when the y required it . F r om all that has been written above there can be no doubt that Qudsi a Begum carried o n the administration o f the State for nineteen years t o the beneﬁt o f her subj ects and the she State , and had been favoured with more peaceful times her good qualities would have been more evident . of aho mme d After the death Nawab Jahangir M Khan she wrote to the Governor General that when her daughter Sikanda r Begum was only ’ o ne — - a — and half years old , her Father s heritage o n had been bestowed her , and that during her minority she ( Qudsia) had carried o ut the duties f No w o the State Opposed by no one . that Maho mme d Jahangir had died , Sikandar Begum who had been carefully educated and trained by her and was possessed of wisdom and sagacity

Should succeed as ruler of the State .

r r r This lette was not fo wa ded by the Agency , but Shows that Qu dsi a Begum had trained and educated her daughter . PART II .

CHAPTER THE TWELFTH .

EVE NTS AFTER THE ACCESSI O N O F NAWAB

JAHAN GIR MA H O M M E D KHAN .

As related in p r evious chapters the disputes and famil y st rife which had lasted for seventeen years had at last been settled . All the agreements

r ﬁ r had been ati ed by the Gove nor General , and Na wab Sikandar Begum had been to Ashta and r r t o etu ned with her husband Bhopal , and they

r we e living together in his palace . ’ u dsi a r Q Begum s t oubles , however , were not at an end, as the Nawab and his supporters were no t even ne w content although he had gained possession of the State .

wa s Sikandar Begum e xpecting an heir , and

a s S he as no as long lived there w hope of the

r hmm e d State going to the family of Ami Ma o

Khan . Several abortive attempts o nthe lives o f the Beg ums were attempted ; Sikanda r Begum who had given up Pur dah wa s constrained by ﬁ u dsia her husband to adopt it again , and nally Q 1 1 4

I 1 6 HAYAT—I - QUDSI

the streets and bazars o f the city without y fear of interference , and the even lay hands on the females of noble houses besides the

women o f the cit y . The people even intend t o leave the city and go to some place where

they will be safe . The people o f Bhopal say that they lived in peace and comfort under the p r otection o f

u dsi a the Nawab Q Begum who was a widow ,

but under the present Nawab , who is a man ,

li r r they v e in te ror and mise y . They further ’ complain against the office rs of the Ho nble

East India Company , and declare that they have been ent r usted b y them to the charge

o f r r a ty ant . Many bankers and trade s , who inhabitants of other cities , but have b r anches o r shops in Bhopal a r e in danger o f their places being plundered and have

complained to me . My dear f riend,last yea r there wer e abun

o f y e a r . r . dance thieves , but this it is far wo se Yo u and the Nawab know how t o deal with

o . them . but have taken no steps t that end So much so that the city people sa y that the Nawab wishes t o dest roy Bhopal i n order t his new hat the people may go to live in o f r city Jahangirabad , and has encou aged

t hi e e v the b, and they say that such a State THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 1 7

of affairs could not exist without his c o n

niv a nc e . It is a matter for regret that the bestowal o f powers o nthe Nawab has resulted in the stainless skirt o f j ustice of the British Govern ment being polluted by tyranny and the

a / Oppression o f the people . They re c e rt ainly j ustiﬁed in their complaints . During the reign o f Qudsi a Begum and her ministers Ma s hMi a n e Ma ho m Hakim Shahzad , Karam Khushwa kht med and Raj a Rai , such a number r of thieves was never hea d o f .

' Both ancient and present Kings a nd Rulers have considere d the comfort and ease o f their who subj ects are obedient and have been given into their charge by Go d as of more importance

n y than their ow luxur and pleasures . It is surprising that Singing and dancing continue in the palace of the Ruler while his subj ects are oppressed and in misery . How can the ruler and his m i n i ster expect the blessing o f

God . r h Yo u are awa e t at the Government is o f o f informed the state things every week , and the daily thefts and the absence of any attempt to suppres s them are reported . I expect from your friendship that speedy a s o t he measures will be t ken that creatures 1 I 8 HAYAT— I - QUD SI

of Go d r of h may be elieved misery worse t an a dangerous disease whi ch endanger s life

y onl , but these thieves are a curse to life , f p r opert y and the honour o women . I shall be greatly obliged if y o u will s e e that the sighs o f the people and their complaints ” fi r against the of cials do not each heaven . Qudsi a Begum then wrote a long letter to the Governor General stating that She had honestly car ried o u t his inst r uctions and that she and Sikandar Begum had left no stone untu r ned t o please the Nawab and the Political Agent . She now asked fo r j ustice and for the p unish f she o ment the Nawab , and pressed her claims and those o f Sikandar to the State and begged that the tyrants might be ej ected so that the people might live in peace and comfort . Re c e v inno she i g reply to this , despatched Mirza Amj ad Beg and Moulvi Jamal- ud - din to Simla

o n to wait the Governor General , and the latter

o f t he v wrote the following account inter iew I and Mirza Amj ad Beg went to the Governor ’ Gene r al s lodge at 4 p m . The Guard of Honour was drawn up and saluted us . The Secretary came to receive us at the door and gave the lette r which had come t wo da y s before t o Mirza Amj ad Beg t o present to the Governor General

who . h was sitting on a gold chair T ere was a

1 20 HAYAT— I - QUDSI

given t o Mirza Amj ad Beg and an ornamental

nhis . tur ban was placed o head He saluted the Governor General and with the garments in his

hi s . hand expressed thanks Afterwards another

r t ay was brought , a turban was placed on my

wo r I ' head and t garments we e given me . also ” s aluted and expressed my gratitude for them . ’ Although both of Qudsi a Begum s r ep rese n t a t iv e s were introduced to the Governor General ’ and had an opportunity o f pressing the Begum s

al claims , one of them viz Mirza Amj ad Beg , t t o hough under great obligations her , was

faithless , and took no advantage of the good Opportunity of layi ng her grievances before Lord

Auckland . These men were sent not only to present the Begum’s letter which could quite

well have gone by post , but to plead her cause . Moulvi Jamal — u d - din being under the orders of sa the Mirza could y nothing , and the Mirza wasted all the time in formal and ceremonial

talk . After the interview the Deputies returned

t o their lodging with the usual ceremonies . Two o r three days later they waited o nthe his t he Foreign Secretary at house and discussed

- d- him . u on matter with Moulvi Jamal din this occasion spoke very freely and removed any

doubts which the Secretary may have had , but it was decided that the affair should be settled THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 2 1

Mr . r when Wilkinson visited Agra , and they we e ’ told to attend at that place . Qudsi a Begum s obj ect in sending this letter to Lord Auckland wa s that it wa s rumoured that the Nawab was always giving o u t that the misunderstanding between himself and Sikandar were caused by u dsi a Q Begum , and he wished to prove that she had lost her reason and ﬁx a pension in cash on her instead of allowing her to hold a Jagir . ’ The Governor General replied t o Qudsi a Begum s letter and a translation of his Kharita ( polite letter in Persian) is as follows v Letter from Lord George Auckland , Go ernor f o 1 O 1 8 . General India dated the 7th ctober , 39 I re ceived your letter through your deputies Mirza Amj ad Beg and Munshi Jamaluddin of Khan . I was informed every thing written in the letter and also verbally by your de

p ut i e s in my presence . I am very s orry

to know that the quarrel between yourself , your daughter and the Nawab o f Bhopal is i still go ng on ; and you , instead of relying f and trusting upon the friendship o Mr . Wilkinson whose sympathy and regard for

your family has been proved by experience , and particularly by his untiring zeal and energy for the we lfare and prosperity of the o o f ha i Bhopal State , are suspici us s ctions I 22 HAYAT- I — QUDSI

r t and think that he is pa tial o the Nawab . I therefore infor m you fo r your satisfaction o u and in order to convince y , that the Political Agent has alwa y s written to me all the stor ies about the distressing incidents between yourself and the Nawab correctly ; and a detailed account of every matter has

reached me from him . Onexamining the papers presented by a s r your deputies . I , a f iend , think it advisable t o write my conclusions on the subject to the

Poli tical Agent . Accordingly he will describe

fully my views to yo u . As the correspondence o nthese important problems should all be carried o nthrough the Political Agent in i s o ur Bhopal , who representative there , his

interventionis necessa ry . I believe that he

his o u i has proved sincerity , in the meantime should bear in mind that unless he i s inter

r viewed that matte can in no wise be settled . I have accordingly directed your represem t a t ive s to leave my presence and to carry o n all corr espondence in future through the

Political Agent . He ping always to be regarded as your friend and well wisher and t o receive your conﬁdence f and news o your welfare .

There is nothing further t o write .

1 24 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

of Maho m ruler , and about the rules and customs madan marriages . Correspondence continued and Qudsi a Begum next asked that the State might be divided into two parts , the Nawab taking Raisen as his head quarters while She and Sikandar had Bhopal . She u rged that Bhopal wa s her birthplace a nd that she had embellished it with palaces , gardens

ﬁne no t ﬁ and a mosque , yet nished , and that she had expended large sums o nthe religious and secular education of the people , further that her husband had been a faithful ally o f the British Gove rnment and that to remove her from Bhopal would be a great hardship .

This request was tendered to Mr . Maddock ,

r r t o Sec eta y the Governor General at Gwalior , and emissaries from the Nawa b also waited o n, him aht the same time . Mr . Maddock , however , t e told messenger , Kazi Ahmad Ali , that the ’ Begum s r equest could not be entertained and that the previous arrangement could not be

r wa . alte ed . This s unexpected as Mr Maddock had always supported the claims of Qudsia

Begum .

No doubt the decision was right , as had the Begum’s request been granted the State would have been split up into t wo s mall States and the f o f ahd ef orts Nawab Jahangir M omme Khan SHAH JAHAN B EG U M

[ Face [ Sag e 1 2 4

1 26 HAYAT-I - QUDS I feelings between Sika ndar Begum and her hus band had softened , and although the former lived at Isl a mnagar and the Nawab at Bhopal the y used to meet sometimes in their walks

r . r r e ab oad The Nawab , howeve , was never c oncile d udsi a 1 8 to Q Begum , and died in 44 , after

six r r is a r . h h ving eigned only yea s Afte death

a nhis w o a s ut As d Ali Kha , minister , turned by o f the Government India , and Shahj ahan was acknowledged as Begum and ruler of Bhopal ,

r Ma ho mm e d t with Fouj da Khan her grea uncle

a s e . dsi a R gent Qu Begum wa s a t last happy . She a nd Sikand a r moved into Bhopal a month r o f t he afte the death Nawab and they lived si togethe r in g reat happiness . Qud a Begum attempted a gain to secure the recognition of r a s o f Sikanda Begum Ruler Bhopal , and even t u ally afte r some years a s Regent Sikandar was recognised by the Gove r nment . Qu dsia B e gum had attained her desires 2 7 y a r r o f hr s he e s afte the death e husband and spent the r emainde r o f her long life in acts of

r y fo r r cha it the public good . Sikanda Begum was a devoted daughter and always t r eated her

r mother with the g eatest res p ect and love . CHAPTER THE THI RTEENTH .

’ TH E B E CU M S JA e i R AN D I TS ADMI N ISTRATI O N . ’ CEREM O N IAL VISITS AN D THE BEGUM S

DARB ARS .

’ TH E Begum s Jagir consisted of a large number of villages and much land Situated in several o f r parts of the State . The customs the g ants o f j agirs vary conside r ably in diff erent States a s

r well as in British India , but the general ule is that a Jagir means the gr ant t o some person of the revenues of a ce rtain village or a piece o f land and those revenues had alrea dy been

ﬁxed by the State or British authorities . So

r h long as the cultivato s paid t eir land revenue and whatever other taxes the r e might be to the holder o f the Jagir the latter had no autho rity f d si a . o u over them In the case Q Begum ,

nr y however , the Jagir mea t ve much more , and was nothing less than a small State o r la rge r p ivate property over which she had full control . The whole amounted to many square miles with a revenue of Rs per annum . The Jagir was divided into seven subdivisions with ﬁfteen 1 27 I 2 8 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

l . Po ice posts There was a forest department , ffi fi Public works o ce , Judicial courts . Head of ce , r y r for r Treasu , Stables and a depa tment cha itable

r fi obj ects as well as va ious other Of ces , and the Begum suppo r ted a small force of horse and foot soldie rs and a regiment of Arabs . All these

r r Depa tments were under the cont ol of an Agent , r s b y o f called Kamda , a sisted a committee

ds r r advisers . Qu i a Begum hea d all the eports and petitions and issued o rde rs o nall of them and She was read y t o listen to the personal

r f a y o f o r r g ievances o n her subj ects se vants . All lette r s addressed to the Agency o r to O fi b y u British f cers were signed the Beg m , and she kept an Agent at Seho r e fo r communicating with the Political Agent o nunimportant matt er s . All r r t he r letters or o de s except above we e not signed by the Begum but bore the wo rds From ” o f and r the presence the Begum , we e taken as

y having been Signed b her . The Begum also

r f he r had two t usty of i cials always with who s carried o ut her verb al inst r uction . Gr ain was distributed daily to indigent pe rsons

r o f hr t in the ga den containing the tomb e la e husband . None o f the lands held b y the Begum had r was no t been su veyed , and it till Sikandar Begum c aus ed a general revenue settlement t o be made

I 30 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

Annual cont ribut ion for pur chase of rai l w t a y s ock 5 o O r t 1 Se van s , 3 O The expenses of P alace and kit chen 4 9

These expenses include the pay of her private

wa s 2 - - servants which only Rs 2 8 0 . This she ﬁv e o r shows that had only six such servants . It was no t su r p rising that with an Impe rium

r r r in Impe io like this , f iction should a ise ‘ between the offi cials o f the Jagir and those of the

r Bhopal State , and attempts we e made both in

f r hr the time o Sikanda and e daughter Shahj ahan Begum to deprive Qudsi a Begum o f such extensive ’ r r powe rs . In the forme s eign it was decided

he ni ou s f r that certain of ences occur ing in the ’ Qu dsi a Begum s Jagi r should be t ried in the

r o f State Cou ts , and the services a trusted ffi Fa k r— u d- o cial , named Munshi din , were lent at her request by the British Gove rnment to f assist her in the management o her prope rty .

r r f he r r No fu rthe cu tailment o powe s took place ’ h o f r S a hha s r in j a n eign in spite conside able

r a s r no r t ouble , neithe the Political Agent , the

r r who wa s t o Gove nor Gene al applied , would o agr ee t o anything calculated to hu rt or a nnoy u dsi Q a Begum . Befor e Qu dsi a Begum abandoned the Purdah when receiving B ritish Offi cers she used to si t hi ’ ffi be nd a curtain o f broad cloth . The o cers THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 3 1

ﬁ f m a arrival was noti ed by her e ale ttendants , and their sa la ms and enquirie s after her health and welfare were conveyed to her through Hakim m Maho mme d Shahzad Maseh and Mian Kara

Khan who also brought her replies . All impor tant matters were settled through these two men , less important ones being dealt with by l the Vakil . If the Political Agent he d a consul t at ion ff with the State o icials , the Minister replied fo r the Begum who received reports o f what the British Offi cers said and the reply made to him . The Begum oftenheld Da r bars o r receptions in fi Purdah , and as the of cials or others came up to the cur tain thei r names were announce d by personal attendants and their salutes and compli

r ments listened to . The Da bar then ended and pan and betul nut were distributed . The strict rules o f Purdah which were observed by Mahommedan ladies of that time we r e in

r a nd accordance with the custom then p evalent , purdah is still observed in India and has certain t o advantages owing the condition of the country .

i s o r It , however , not prescribed either by God the Prophet , and religious doctrine does not enj oin such rigid adherence t o the r ules which have nowbecome the custom . . For instance it is nowhere laid down that women must not 1 3 2 HAYAT~ I ~ QUDSI

Speak so that their voices are heard by strange men , and there are many other austerities which have no foundation in religion . This is not a suitable place to di scuss this u r q estion , but thehautho hopes to write a book hi r in w ch the w ole question of the o igin of re r y r Purdah , its asons , the seve it ought into it

r t o a s f om time time , and Purdah it was enj oined by Islam will be fully discussed .

I 34 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

old of an Hindoo temple called the Sabha Mandal , and round the basement are a number o f shops whose rent form part of the endowment o f the l . r i r hrn mosque There is an insc iption on the o t e

° gate which translated , runs as follows The construction of the Jama Musj id was commenced

f . A. . in the beginning o the year 1 248 A H . ( 1 8 3 2 D ) 1 2 0 b y correspondin g to 4 the Fasli calender , by the generous and vi r tuous Nawab Gauha r

Sa he b a o f Begum , daughter Nawab Ghous Maho mm d e Khan , wife of the late Nawab

Na zi ru dd a ula ah u . hM o mme d Nazar Khan Bahad r It was fi nished in the end of the year 1 273

. . D . 1 2 . A H ( 1 8 57 A. ) corresponding to 64 Fasli Eminent architects have given it st r ength and beauty, and by the careful management of honest persons it cost ﬁve hundred and Sixty ﬁve thousand rupees two annas and nine pies . This r a ho mme d o f M insc iption is by the hand Abbas , ”

Shirw . a ni

The old ruined Hindoo Temple , Sabha Mandal , which it succeeded had an interest i ng inscription o nit which gave the following particulars

o f lt Rani Salmali , wife Raj a Vidia Dat , bui a great stone temple named Sabha Mandal near * the for t . It was commenced in thenSambat y e a r 1 20 8 1 1 1 A. D . ﬁ o , ( 5 ) and nished Monday

* r Hindoo c alende . THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 3 ;

' the 3 r d day of the month Katik Badi 1 24 1 a Sambat ( 1 1 84 A D . ) The Rani and Raj a p pointed 500 Brahmins t o carry o nworship i n V e da s s the temple and to teach the four , six

Shastras , eighteen Puranas and Prosody and other branches of learning in the Sanskrit tongue . Bhopal had always depended for its water

y suppl on wells , and as the site is mostly rocky the wells were few and far between and the supply scanty , people having to pay as much as four annas for a leather skinful .

udsi a t o ﬁ Q Begum , ever ready bene t the o f people , conceived the idea giving them a supply of pure drinking water from the upper lake , and spent between ﬁve or six lakhs of rupees in

N ata — T ur d r r itt b H i B e a s he fo Ve as we e w en y ak m y , and a re called Sam Ved Ri g Ved Art ur Ved Y aj ur Ved

r a r e the Th ix Sh t ix h l il h ar e e s as as s sc oo s of ph osop y , and st yled ( I ) Sankhy a 1 L ogi c ( 2 ) Ny ay a (3 ) Y oga hi (4) Vaishes ka Concent r at ion (5) P ar va Mi ma ns (6 ) Ut t ar a Mi m a nsa or Vedant a Philosophy T t ur t I co me r t h o be q ui e acc a e ( ) and (4 ) unde e Vedangas (3 ) r t he t r 2 r r t i n . a d (5) unde Shas as , and ( ) unde Sm i s ‘ 1 8 P r Th , B v t Git Shi v P r n t h r ar e e u anas hag a a , a u a , and o e s r t r t b t he i i H i l i . t he books held n g ea vene a on y indoos P nga a s a t r Chha r u nd as o r ho of P osody . 1 39 HAYAT - i - QUDSI erecting a pumping station and a system o f

r pipes throughout the City . This was car ied out o by a Scotch Engineer named David Co k , and

She r placed a sum of three lakhs with the B itish Government to be a perpetual endowment for T . h the upkeep of the water works e system is

r wo king well up to the present day and the supply , o f pu r e water has been responsible fo r stamping o u t the ravages o f cholera which wa s common in former y ears . Qu dsi a also intended to bring a water channel

t o to her mosque , but gave up the idea owing the number of houses which would have had to be demolished .

Sir Henry Daly , Agent to the Governor General for r Cent al India , was much distressed at the terrible loss of life during the famine and cholera ff year of 1 869 . Although strenuous e orts were made it wa s found impossible to bring grain into f the a ﬂicted districts fast enough to save life , and he therefore urged o nthe Government of India the necessit y of a Railway through Bhopal and Central India and was instrumental in getting the Indian Midland Railway co n

r structed , which connected up the G eat Indian Peninsula Railway at Khandwa with the Railways f o Northern India at Agra . This Railway passed through the territories of the Maharaj a H olkar

THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 37 of Indore , Bhopal State , and for a long distance through Gwalior territory . It was therefore , arranged that these three Chiefs should contribute

t he towards cost of the portion through their udsi a States . As Q Begum knew that her subj ects would beneﬁt she contributed a sum of Rs

fr om her private p urse . This sum

r had to be paid in instalments over four yea s , ari d an agreement was made with the British Government that if any sum remained t o be paid after her death it would be made good by the

Bhopal State . Similarly as regards interest , it was agreed that Qudsi a Begum should receive it during her life and after that it was t o go t o n the Ruler o f the State . Only o e out of the four i instalments had been paid when she d ed , and the other three wer e paid subsequently from the income o f her Jagir . It i s hardly necessary to mention that this link between Bombay and the North o f India has proved o f the utmost value not only t o hb B opal u t to India generally . R CHAPTE THE FIFTEENTH .

’ I B G U D S A E U M s . TH E MUTI N Y . Q TRAVELS

N 1 8 - 8 udsi a DURI G the mutiny of 57 5 , Q Begum did all in her power t o prevent trouble in Bhopal . Her daughter Sikandar wa s then Regent and Qu dsi a had no part in the government but when signs o f discontent a r ose among the Bhopal troops , and times were very critical , owing to their having demanded double pay and there was no t sufficient money in the State Treasury to meet the demand , she came forward and paid them o ut o f her ownfunds . She was all in favour o f satisfying the demands o f the army and o letting any man g who wished to , keeping only those who were willing to serve . In this way she gave most valuable help to her daughter ; She had full conﬁdence in the sepoys who were r f she esidents o Bhopal and recommended only she mild measures , and urged that Nawab ‘ r Fa t t ha n r Um ao Doola and e j g Khan the leade s o f the a rmy should be fully satisﬁed and kept

r ﬁ in a good tempe . She also had full con dence

in God and commended her daughter to his care . Sikandar Begum onher part constantly con 1 38

1 49 HAYAT- I - QUD SI

— P . S . r Colonel Du and , Agent to the Governor

ha s i Ali General , asked Qazi Saiy d Gohar for an elephant for his convey ance . The Qazi has given his elephant . It will shortly be returned to ” Bhopal . r i s o n Although the e not much record , the few ’ hi r letters w ch emain Show that the Begum s services to the B r itish cause during the mutiny

r wa s we e appreciated , and that the Government g r ateful to her . In the dispute during the last da y s of her life between the State and herself r egarding the proposal to limit her authority in her Jagir , Mr . Eden , Political Agent , while refer

r o f ring to a memo andum the Government , r y 1 880 w ote to Shah Jahan Begum in Februar , Nawab Qu dsi a Begum had been lo a lly attached to the Government o f India during the

r he r days of t ouble , and generosity and kindness are well known and deserve respect . She is in the last stage o f her life and it is o f the utmost importance no t t o disturb her peace and comfort o f o t in any wa y . The Government India does n approve o f the diminution o f her past authority and honou r . r Si r ffi Simila ly , Lepel Gri n , Agent to the

r r o f Governo Gene al , in his letter condolence on 1 88 1 her death in , wrote She was a friend of Grit i sh nd the Government a her intentions were ’ goodf THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 4 1

Qudsia Begum does not seem t o have travelled 1 862 outside the Bhopal State until , when she Visited Jubbulpu r and Allahabad and was present ’ at Lor d Canning s famous Durbars held after the ubb ul u r i mutiny . At J p Sikandar Begum rece ved the g r ant of the B ai ra si a dist rict togethe r with a udsi a robe o f honour from the Government . Q

r t he Begum received also a robe of honou at same time .

She also Visited Benares , Lucknow , Faiza No . v bad , Agra and other Cities Then in

r 1 86 o n r t o embe , 3 , she started a pilg image a Mecca . After travelling to Bomb y by Stage she o n and railway embarked the Steamer

r 1 86 . Indore and eached Jeddah in January , 4 She proceeded thence to Mecca by caravan for and remained there four months . While She i r there v sited the Sha if and was received with y him r great honour b and late she Visited the Turkish Pasha and was called on by everyone Of H e r importance . intention was to have gone

o nt o . Medina , but she was dissuaded from doing so owing to the danger of the route and her

e fo r . r putation wealth Shortly before , a rich man fr om Oudh had been captured by the Bedouin and was no t released till he p aid a lakh of rupees . he h i S t erefore , postponed her Visit and return ng 1 42 HAYAT- I - QUDSI vi a Jeddah to India , made a Short stay at Poona ,

O 1 86 . and arrived in Bhopal in ctober , 4 1 8 1 In 7 , she again attempted to visit Medina t o and wrote the Political Agent , Colonel Wil lo u hb O r g y sbo ne , asking him to obtain a passport she t o y for her , and sa ing that intended tour

he r t o r about in Estate imp ove her health and

f r o . gain Strength the j ourney She , however , found that with advancing age she was incapable o f standing the fatigue o f the j our ney and gave up the idea .

1 44 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

o f udSI a Empress India , Q Begum was granted of n the order the Crown of I dia , and the grant was made known to her in an offi cial letter which was brought to Bhopal by Colonel William

. r r Kincaid , Political Agent He held a Du ba and made the following speech I have much pleasure and happiness in making ove r the distinguished title and insignia of the Crown o f India to the Nawab Begum t he Qu dsi a Sahiba which the Honourable Gover

has o f r nor General sent as a token Her Impe ial ’ Majesty s regard fo r her loyalty and honour . Throughout the Bhopal State she is remem bered with love and reverence fo r many generous deeds o f cha r ity . Those deeds and alms to the poor and needy were done fo r the sake o f

o d r fo r G and not from a desi e fame , and I will abstain fr om describing all of them at this of gathering as those present are fully aware them . M ff y r r y audience , do you not o er ou p ayers in the great mosque which was built at the b he r expenditu re Of great sums y ' Do you no t know how many poor and needy persons are a nd enabled to pe rform the pilgrimage to Mecca Medina thr ough grants of money made by the ﬁ Begum , and thus ful l a duty laid upon them by Go d which even many persons of moderate means are no t able to perfor m 3 Yo u also know Q U D S I A B EG U M

[ F a ce ﬁag e 1 4 4

1 46 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

u dsi a o f Q Begum , and if the members the ruling family of the Bhopal State which is so well known fo r i t s loyalty t o the British Gover nment could che rish love and union among themselves as is the case in the family o f Her Maj esty the Queen ” of England . ’ In this connection Lord Ripon s Opinion o f

Qu d si a Begum is o f interest . Hi s Excellenc y

r 1 880 w ote as follows in a letter dated July , , to Shah Jahan Beguhm It should also be bo r n in mind that not ing Should come to pass which

r he r hr e may t ouble in the last few years of life ,

she as is loved and respected since long by b ne fit t e d he r everyone who has e by generosity . I firmly believe that such an enlightened r uler as yourself will not be aff ected by the words o f selfish persons who have taken advantage of the old fir o f y o ur age and in mity grandmother , the

u dsi a t o Nawab Q Begum , entertain evil designs ”

hr . against e Although up to the time of her death Qudsi a

love d r - Begum her g and daughter Shah Jahan , ’ the latte r s second marriage with Siddiq Hasan

he r o r was Khan without knowledge approval the cause o f conside r able friction between them . Qu dsi a in common with most people at that

r time was against the remar iage of widows , and although in a discussion with the Chief THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 47

Qazi she was reminded that the daughters of the

Prophet married a second time , she replied that what was permitted to them was not right for more sinful mortals . Besides this she was of Opinion that Shah Jahan if she wished t o r e marry should have married into her own family , and not have taken one who was her own de fI s pendant . E OI t were made by Shah Jahan to conciliate her grandmother and to persuade her to receive her husband , but without success , and the author has described all that happened in this unhappy a ffai r in a book called Tuzuk ”

t o . Sultani , and it is painful to refer it Even t ually Qudsia and Shahj ahan were reconciled ffi through the o ces of the Political Agent , but Qu dsia lived only about a year after the diff e re nc e s had been settled . CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH .

H E R . H E R H E R DEATH . CHARACTER WILLS

AN D HABITS .

QU D S I A BEGUM died after a sho rt illness o nthe

1 r 1 88 1 ﬁ r r 7th Decembe , , fteen yea s afte the

' death o f her daughter S ikanda r . She had suffe red eve ry kind o f g rief and enj oyed eve ry

r he r ﬁ pleasu e , while devoting life to the bene t

r s of othe r s and wo rshipping Go d . H e body wa ’ rr r he r ca ied in so rowful silence to husband s ga r den whe r e a grave had been p r epa red for a

- ﬁll long time , and it had been her custom to the g rave eve ry yea r with co r n and then dis tribute the co r n with an equal weight of silve r t o the poo r . A g reat concou r se of people of every sect and religion assembled and j oined in the

r r fune al ce emonies and prayers . The shops and

fi fo r of ces were closed three days , and Shahjahan Begum dist ributed thousands o f maunds ( 86

— : _ I lbs maund) of corn to the poo r as alms . The ﬂag at the Agency at Sehore was also lowered to half mast and the she ps of the Cantonment were also closed as a mark of respect . 1 48

1 50 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

' c onst a nt ly walke d fo r hours either in her Pal ace o r gardens elsewhere , sometimes even she would enter the houses of poor people in the city and enquire about thei r condition and stay chatting with them . It was her custom only to eat two simple meals

y a day , though man rich dishes were cooked in her kitchen and afterwards sent either to the Mosques o r to the poor . Some near relations o r distin

uishe d . g persons dined with her

o o f Maho mme Her dress c nsisted the narrow dan trousers , a long shirt to the knee , and a head dress after the Ar abian fashion . At times the material was sumptuous and at Others quite r o f simple , and in the latter yea s her life she wore garments o f quite coarse mate rial and a head

f - a s dress o ochre coloured long cloth . As far

she e the author remembers seldom if ever w re o n t h ornaments except the 9 of the month o f Zilhi f t e o h j in honour the day of Haj pilgrimage , sh o ff a s but e soon took them they were irksome

r to her . She had been fond of iding and always owned valuable and well bred horses as well as

. W she d elephants and carriages hen touring use o r an elephant palanquin , and later in her life , a sort of sedan chair She was very fond o f giving parties and banquets both to European and on n Indian ladies , and these occasio s there was THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 51

Singing and music both by professional Singers

and by the Begum herself . Onone occasion she had a well sunk in the Nazar Bagh (garden) and when the water a p pe ar e d She was so pleased that She summoned the of t he courtiers and a number poor and made them drink the water ; afterwards they were

regaled with sweetmeats . Onanother She gave a party at the Aish Bagh where the * Jamun fruit she was ripe , and the author remembers when was only ﬁve years old being given a Jamun

u dsi a fruit by Q Begum , and not knowing what it hi dsi e t . On u a was , g frightened t s Q Begum got angry and told her daughter Sikandar that children ought to be brought up to eat anything and not Go d only bread and meat , as only knew what they would get in the future . After this a party was held whenever any particular fruit got ripe t and the author and her Sister used o attend them . So much has been said already about her liberality that it is scarcely necessary t o refer to it again , but the following story is worth ov e r mentioning . When She gave the reins o f Maho me d government to Jahangir m Khan she was obliged to reduce her establishment as her r income of course was g eatly reduced . Her servants , however , all came to her and insisted *A k i d lu n of p m . 1 52 HAYAT- I - QUDSI o nr emaining in her ser vice o na thi r d of the pay

. she they had been getting This agreed to , but some year s later they attempted to take f he r advantage o good nature by saying that she would be held responsible fo r the reduction o f

r o f thei salaries at the day j udgment . This she s o affected her that had a calculation made o f all they had lost and began paying the amounts o ut due . When she had paid about a lakh o f r h rupees Sikandar Begum hea d w at was taking place and went and persuaded her that there was no call to pay anything more . After consulting u dsi a the Qazi and Mufti , Q desisted . Qu dsi a was most regular at her devotions

r which she performed very ea nestly . Besides

ﬁve r sh the praye s laid down in the Qoran e off ered others and went s o far a s to rise a t two in the morning and remained engaged in p r ayer and in reciting the Qoran till eight a m . She

o n r also insisted her servants offe ing prayers t o o .

r Her own sleeping apartment was well fu nished , but there was a small room attached to it with nothing onthe ﬂoor except stones and she often spent whole nights in prayer in this place . The author remembers so many acts o f gener osit y o f Qudsia Begum that to mention them a ll

u ﬁll she wo ld a large book ; among others bestowed j agirs from her ownEstate to learned and godly

1 54 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

for the service of the holy Mosque , and built a caravanserai there and a house at Medina for the use of pilgrims . of According to her accounts , out an income of seven lakhs per annum nearly two lakhs were spent oncharitable o r religious obj ects . Her

o t reputation for wealth , however , sometimes g her into diffi culties when travelling o na camel to Mecca , some twenty Bedouin tried to lead her w y camel a ay from the rest , evidentl with the

o f purpose robbing her ; a slave however , whom she ﬁ o f had freed , ung himself on the neck the

fo r camel and shouted help , with the result that her armed escort came up and drove o ff the

Bedouin . ﬁ Qudsi a Begum made t wo wills . The rst was

. wa s 1 . sh executed in 2 86 A H when e in great despair over the death o f her daughter . The

y r she second was twelve ea s later and died the l fo lowing year . The ﬁrst will translated r a na s follows The ﬁrst letter asking about my welfa r e reached me in the morning by the hand o f a camel rider who had travelled all night ' I was indisposed in temper and could not reply o n T - r the instant . o day I received three lette s fr om you infor ming me of your and Sultan ’ Jahan Bibi s welfare and enquiring after mine . THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 55

May God bless you and Sultan Jahan with properity , long life and dignity . What is there t o be said about my welfare I am not in normal ﬁ condition , my old age and in rmity are increasing .

My strength is failing . Life seems far away and death is approaching . Hence I entrust yo u and your daughter to God and write the following few lines as a will . You should act upon them as you are Virtuous .

O d bey/ Go and his Prophet and do not ‘ deviate from their commands . This line comprises all the word s of advice

written below . You should help the people although

God helps everyone . Always keep to the union with the re i gn i ng

power , that is the English Government , and consider their wishes prior to your

own. You should personally hear the complaints who of those are oppressed and you

should do them j ustice . Abstain from

oppressing the people . You should dismiss cruel officers under y ou as you will be held responsible r fo r their ty anny . You should pay regard to your relatives 1 56 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

t o and the citizens , as their prosperity adds to the Splendour o f the city and ' thei r lives a nd pro pe rt y will be at your

service .

Be moderate in everything . ’ Take ca re o f the needy and beneﬁt God s

creatu r es . May God keep yo u from undesirable

deeds . Do not be troubled and resign t o o f yourself the will God , and be

patient and thankful . You should settle all cases as far as

possible according to religious law . Trust more to old servants than new

ones . The allowances o f Sultan Jahan Bibi

Maho m and her husband , Miyan Yasin

Mo iz Ma ho mm e d med Khan , Khan and

Ya r Mahomme d Khan , who are your relations and who are young and without

experience of the world , should be

continued to them . Think of the result before commencing i ’ anything . You should take counsel in all matters and never depend onyour ownj udg

ment . All the servants whether literate or

1 58 HAYAT- I -QUDSI

You are wise enough not t o require

any more wr i t i ng . According t o a statement made by the Moiz Maho m d Nawab me Khan during his lifetime it appears that we received Rs : f rom him o nthe occasion of the battle o f Ashta as a loan o na

l r verba promise to epay it . Out o f this Rs : 4000 according to him was

repaid through Diwan Sikandar Quli , 6000 m f and Rs re ained due . O this I

Rs : 000 Maho mme d gave 3 to Yasin

wa s r fo r Khan when he p essed money .

The balance should be paid up . B e sides this some money due from me o n of the allowance Amna Bibi , daughter o f the deceased Nawab , has been partly

t o r paid her du ing her lifetime , and a

s he r part wa spent on daughter Chandni ’ Begum s marriage . The remainder

should be paid . t his I Besides all will send a paper for you r signature promising t o continue my ’ r dist rib ut iofi cont ibutions to charity , of

r food , d esses and funds to pilgrims

r and othe s . Please send me your sanc tion so that I may send the above two

paper s for your signature . THE NAWAB BEGUM QUDSI A 1 59

hi a Zil The second will was as follows , dated j f . O 1 2 86 A . H wing to old age I suf er much from ﬁ Go d we akness and in rmity . No one except can live always . As long as I am alive I am the owner o f my property in whole and in part .

' I m a kin y o u my Afterwards , g the owner of Whole property without exception o f anything wr ite the following few lines as a will to be carried out in perpetuity . ( 1 ) The expenses of my works of cha rity o f and alms , Sada Barat , the garden

d . the mausoleum , the Juma Masj i , etc ,

should be maintained as before . ( 2) A table showing the names o f my se r vants and those of the Mausoleum and Bakshi t heif giri with present salaries is attached

r d herewith . Afte my eath all these servants should receive the pe nsfons

ﬁ r xed by me according to their me its . They Should receive your favour and

mercy . ( 3) I have deposited a sum of money with the British Government fo r the perpetual

r maintenance of the wate supply system , on the understanding that no tax should

o n sint he u be levied any one g water . ' The system should always be maintained o f from the income this sum . 1 60 HAYAT- I - QUDSI

All three wills which I have executed with the full possession o f my senses should be car r ied c o o f out . I have sent a py this will t o the ” Political Agent .

These interesting wills were a ﬁt conclusion to the life of a great and charitable woman of Indi a .

THE END .

u t u m nI N R E A I N H E P RE S S T U AY . a G T B R I TA N AT I n; D I V Q S I K , o

S lt a J ahB u n an e gan Hay a t - i - Qud s i

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