The last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.
The Mughal Sultanate was limited to the Red Fort of Delhi. The pension received from the British was a support. But the maids and chobdars were still there. Before the arrival of Bahadur Shah Zafar in the court, Bandi’s voice echoed – Smart, keeping an eye on etiquette. Then the cook would repeat it. Amirs, ministers and courtiers all had their heads bowed and their hands tied. As soon as the Emperor ascended the throne, the Chobdar would call out, “Jilleilahi has recovered from the court with great respect.” One by one, the frightened nobles and courtiers would stand at the designated place. They would blow the Cornish thrice. They would repeat something in the Emperor’s honour. Read some stories from the last days of the Mughal Sultanate.
The kingdom had been snatched away. It was ruled by the East India Company. Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was a Sufi by temperament. He was also considered an accomplished pir. There were many disciples. Had immense passion for poetry. The court was decorated. There was nothing special to do or say. Obviously the conversation revolved around the king. Khwaja Hasan Nizami got the opportunity to hear and record the stories of many people from the emperor’s court.
According to Nizami, as soon as he sat in the court, the king would say that he had written a ghazal today. Irshad’s voice resonated. Then, as soon as he read the first couplet, a rich man would get up from his place in fear. With his head bowed, he would say, “Subhanallah Kalamulmlook Malukulaklam (The king’s words are not possible for anyone else). Then the same sequence of chanting on every couplet would continue.
The last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Far away from the colors and luxuries of kingship, Zafar remained engrossed in that Sufi love, which believed in uniting man with God. This thinking believes that God’s place is not in the sky but in the hearts of people. The desire of a Sufi poet like Zafar to erase his own personality and merge it with that of his beloved freed him from the rigid principles of the religion. Zafar considered himself the protector of the Hindu people and the king who treated the atrocities of fanatic Muslims and scholars. In his poetry there is mention of Hindu and Muslim religions being one soul. There was a lot of emphasis on Hindu-Muslim unity in the court of Zafar, who was a fan of Ganga-Jamuni culture.
Peer also with the king
One is the king and then the peer. It is said that God has given him special blessings. He had a large number of admirers. As soon as one became a murid (disciple), it was decided to receive five rupees every month from the king. Because of this also, the line of people who wanted to become followers of the emperor remained long. Bahadur Shah was placed in the lap of Maulana Fakhar in his childhood. After the death of Maulana, Bahadurshah Zafar learned a lot in religious matters from his son Mian Qutubuddin. The king had given one of his daughters in marriage to Mian Naseeruddin of the third generation.
Bahadur Shah Zafar liked the company of sages and fakirs very much. The king remained engrossed in the world of spirituality. The Delhi Urdu newspaper of that period wrote that he was a recognized pir of his time, who was blessed by God. There is a lot of mention in the Darbar Diary about his visiting the Sufi shrines of Delhi and generously treating the Mujabirs when they came to his court. They lived with extreme simplicity like dervishes. Used to live a simple life. This lifestyle of his had been going on since his youth days before ascending the throne. Major Archer had written about him in 1828, “He is a thin, simple man, who wears very simple clothes and looks like a poor clerk or teacher.”
Before being exiled, Bahadur Shah Zafar was living in the Red Fort.
She was living a peaceful life due to pension, but the rebels made her helpless.
Of course the kingdom did not survive. But thanks to the pension of one lakh per month received from the East India Company, the old king was living a comfortable life. But the date of 11 May 1857 brought a storm in his life. On this day, the rebel Indian soldiers of the British army from Meerut had entered the Red Fort in the hope that the King would welcome them safely. The scene there was opposite.
Seeing no hope, a rebel soldier pointed a pistol at the stomach of Shahi Khwajasra Mehboob Ali Khan and said, give us food grains. Mehboob said when we have nothing, then how can we give it? Hakim Ahsanullah Khan supported him and said, “Badshah Salamat himself has said that we do not have money. He himself is leading the life of a beggar. We have only one month’s grain for the horses in the stable. Take it if you want. But maybe that will suffice for all of you for one day?”
were not ready to lead the rebellion
The rebel soldiers were not ready to return. On the contrary, the number kept increasing. Amidst the noise of these soldiers gathered in front of Diwan-Khas, King Zafar was forced to come out. The soldiers told them that they had come to seek shelter after killing the British. “If you will not support us, then we will do whatever we can for ourselves.”
The scenes which were never seen in the court were present in the court. The rebels were adamant. Badshah was heard saying, “Why is an old man being treated so disrespectfully? The sun is setting on our lives. These are our last days. We just want peace and solitude.” The king expressed his helplessness, “We neither have an army, nor weapons, nor treasure, how can we help you?” The rebels were not ready to listen, “We will fill your treasury with taxes. We just need your patronage.”
The old king had taken command of the rebellion out of compulsion.
I am the last Mughal on the throne!
The old king had taken command of the rebellion out of compulsion. After initial success, the rebels proved weak in front of the power of the British. The king had become hopeless. Leaving the Red Fort, they reached Dargah Nizamuddin. Drowned in despair. Face down. Beard covered with dust. Ghulam Hasan Chishti got the news of the king’s arrival at the Dargah. Saw that the king was sitting at the head of the tomb, leaning against the door. Chishti asked about his well-being. Even in that sad atmosphere, he laughed and said, “I had already said that these unfortunate rebel soldiers are acting arbitrarily. They will drown themselves. They will also drown me. In the end, the same thing happened. Everyone ran away. My forefathers faced even more difficult times but did not lose courage. But I can see tomorrow. There is no doubt that I am the last Mughal on the throne. The lamp is about to be extinguished. Our rule lasted for hundreds of years. Now it is the time of others. No problem.” No. We too had established our home by destroying others.
Nizamuddin Dargah of. Photo: Getty Images
How unlucky is Jafar?
The king had a small box, which he handed over to Ghulam Hasan Chishti and said, “Now it is in your custody. This priceless gift was received when Taimur conquered Constantinople. It contains five hairs of the beard of the Prophet, who has been showing mercy to our race. Now I have no place anywhere in the world. Now this is your trust.” Didn’t eat anything. If there was anything ready at home, the king drank water.
Saying thanks, he left for Humayun’s tomb. Then the arrest took place from there itself. The Red Fort from where many generations of Mughals ruled the country and where no one sat without his permission even amidst Zafar’s poverty, he presented himself as a prisoner. The case went on. Was sentenced to exile. In his last moments in the loneliness of Rangoon, Zafar is so unlucky, he did not get two yards of land for burial, he left this world writing in Ku-e-yaar.
Also read: What did the Mughals build in the Red Fort of Delhi? From mosque to water canal, these are the specialties
