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Bahadur Shah Zafar |
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The following are some sites I found on the
internet. They are not necessarily the only or the best ones, just the
ones I found. An attempt has
been made not to include any sites with a political slant, bias or any sites which
advocate any forms of racial or religious hatred. Unfortunately there are some sites on the internet which
distort use Bahadur Shah Zafar’s history for their own nefarious purposes. Where ever possible I have used words
within the site to describe it, this is to avoid any bias in describing it. Some of the sites do not contain a lot of material
but are still useful in that for a researcher they give rare clues to where
they can look for additional information. A lot of the sites deal with the War of Independence or the Sepoy Mutiny as the British wanted to describe it. Yet other Indian sites appear to indicate that the struggle of Bahadur Shah Zafar was only for the ruling classes and for the Mughal Dynasty. It is not for me to make any judgements. |
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Urdunetwork/message/3
Ghalib's Delhi by Kaleem
Khaja is an article contained in message 3 on Urdunetwork. It gives an excellent
picture of Delhi during the time of Bahadur Shah Zafar. |
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http://www.harappa.com/engr/mughal.html
A picture from the illustrated London
News and a Letter to the Times Daily from that period.
http://www.goindiago.com/history/medieval.htm
A very nice picture of Bahadur
Shah Zafar, together with a brief account of his times with reference to the
Bhakti movement.
http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/20010218/iin18008.html http://www.indianexpress.com/ie20010519/int2.html
Mentions the fact that some people
now consider Bahadur Shah Zafar to be a saint.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/2185082.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2185082.stm http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/09/12/stories/2002091200120300.htm http://www.weeklyholiday.net/011102/cul.html
The above sites refer to a recent
short film. The half-an-hour documentary film traces the family history of
the Moghuls after the exile of Bahadur Shah Zafar to Burma in 1857 by the
British.
http://www.dawn.com/2002/08/23/int12.htm
The descendants of the country's
grand Mughal rulers are today a forgotten family , living miles from the
capital's imposing sandstone fort in a little, rented house near the southern
city of Hyderabad.
http://www.urdupoetry.com/zafar.html
Contains some poems by Bahadur
Shah Zafar, these are in the Roman Script.
http://www.panjab.org.uk/english/genesis.html
Contains extracts from the Farmans
of Bahadur Shah Zafar where he asked the people of India to unite for the
good of the country.
http://www.shayaranamusic.com/../adab/Bahadurshahzafar.htm
A short but useful summary about
the life and achievements of Bahadur Shah Zafar.
http://www.thedelhicity.com/../DelhiGuide/Dgu_mem/zafar_mahal.htm
Zafar Mahal , as the name
indicates was added by the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar.
http://www.thehindu.com/2002/12/17/stories/2002121706710400.htm
Tucked away in the narrow by-lanes
of the bustling Mehrauli village here is Zafar Mahal, the palace of the last
Moghul.
http://www.makar-records.com/sitefrench/framedisquef.html
This site is in French. Refers to the Court Singer of Bahadur
Shah Zafar. La lignée à laquelle il appartient
est celle des "Qawwal Bacche". Il est l’aîné des descendants de Tan Ras Khan Dasnewala,
premier chanteur à la cour de Bahadur Shah Zafar, le dernier empereur moghol.
http://www.pakistanimusic.com/articles/habibwali_rareasacenturyflower.html
Habib Wali Mohammad had sung
Bahadur Shah Zafar's immortal ghazal: 'Lagta ... Ja kahio unsay
naseem-e-sahar
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/03/25/stories/2002032500290200.htm
THE LAST Moghul Emperor Bahadur Shah
Zafar allowed his Hindu ministers to smear his forehead with gulal on Holi
every year. He believed that his religion would not be affected by this
social ritual and was sure that God would redeem him for he had not broken
the heart of his subjects.
http://www.dawn.com/2001/11/14/fea.htm#2
Mirza Ehtashamuddin Chaghtai read
out a paper which was plaintive in tone. He said that the government had not,
as yet, fulfilled its pledge to bring the remains of Zafar to Pakistan and
give it a proper burial in Lahore, alongside emperor Jehangir.
http://www.rebound88.net/sp/ngb/sindia11.html
In death, Bahadur Shah Zafar has
become a saint. But in Mandalay, the ancient capital of Myanmar kings and the
next big city after Yangon, King Thebaw's descendants grieve for the last
King.
http://www.delhi123.com/history/britishindia.php3
While the foundation to the new
city was being laid out, the flames of freedom movement had engulfed Delhi
http://www.newsindia-times.com/2002/11/01/opinion1.html
Proof of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s
involvement in Diwali is furnished by Hakeem Mam Chand Arora of Chandni Chowk
Katra Neel’s Surbhi Trading Company, who claims that the pooja samagri
(prayer material) at the durbar was sent by his forefathers.
http://www.indianvisit.com/fair-festivals/festivals_of_india/phool_walonki_sair.html http://www.thedelhicity.com/DelhiGuide/Dgu_mem/hauz_i_shamsi.htm
How did the Phoolwalon-ki-Sair
begin? The popularity of the festival reached its peak during Bahadur Shah
Zafar’s reign.
http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01082001/newsmakers.htm
The verses penned by his great
grandfather, Bahadur Shah Zafar in his Rangoon cell continue to haunt the
nation. His descendant MASIHUDDIN TUCY shares the pain the exiled emperor
experienced, but the ITC food consultant hides it well.
http://www.indiaprofile.com/religion-culture/ghalibacademy.htm
Ghalib Academy. Its walls are
arrayed with old but beautifully framed photographs and paintings of the
great contemporary poets, such as, Zauq the court poet of Bahadur Shah Zafar,
http://www.milchar.com/Sept2002/11.html
Urdu literature. The climax came
in 1857 AD which today we call first battle of Indian Independence (then
called Mutiny), Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Moghul king, himself a poet of
some significance, was imprisoned and banished to Burma
http://www.swordoftruth.com/swordoftruth/archives/oldarchives/tsogfoml.html
A very intriguing account about
the theory that the Nehru family was related to Bahadur Shah Zafar. I have no idea about the validity of
this just an intriguing idea. How
far it is historically correct is not for me to comment. “Our readers! If you can, please
read up all references made in the memoirs of Jawahar Lal and Krishna
Hutheesingh on Ganga Dhar. True to the last whisker, the picture portrayed on
our web-site, does represent a Mogul nobleman,” http://www.nehruplay.com/bloodline.shtml
Bahadurshah Zafar was the reigning
Moghul King at this time. East India Company had established itself during
this time. Laxminarayan was working, as an advocate, for East India Company.
Laxminarayan’s son Pundit Gangadhar Nehru was the kotwal in the employ of
East India Company....... Gangadhar used to patronize a singing girl named
Husna Begum. He had two sons: Banshidhar Nehru and Nandlal Nehru. During
1857, when the Britishers tried to swallow Bahadur Shah Zafar Indians reacted
strongly and attacked the firangis and even their Indian staff and well
wishers.
http://www.indiaheritage.com/creative/litra/zafar.htm
He was skilled in calligraphy and
himself wrote out passages from the Quran for the important mosques of Delhi.
http://www.desistore.com/kulyatzafar.html
'Kulyat-e-Zafar' contains the
complete works of the last of the Mughal Greats- Bahadur Shah Zafar. US $44.50.
http://www.bengalweb.com/calcutta/history/history2.htm
THE FIRST
WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1857); CALCUTTA BECOMES THE IMPERIAL CAPITAL:
http://www.soofie.org.za/memorial/moulana.html "I
am a devotee of Qutbudeen And dust
at the feet of Fakhrudeen. A king I
may be But a
lowly servant of Fakhrudeen I seem."
http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/15062001/25.htm There are
two great Indian fighters of the war of independence who devoted their entire
lives for the freedom of the country but after their death they could not get
even two yards of land for burial in their beloved country. The first name
among such unfortunate persons is that of the hero of India’s first war of
independence Bahadur Shah Zafar and the second name of the same period is
that of the great warrior lady Begum Hazrat Mahal who took an active part in
India’s first war of independence of 1857. http://www.sulekha.com/column.asp?cid=99489 A bulk of
[Zafar's] poetry is built around his personal experience of loss, defeat and
despair." As a matter of historical fact, however, this widespread
opinion is plainly false. http://www.katha.org/Children/The%20Magic%20Raindrop.html Damri,” .
A famous kite. It belonged to Prince Yavar Bakht, the best kite‑flyer in the
court of Bahadur Shah Zafar, a kite‑flyer himself!” http://ignca.nic.in/aud_0002.htm JUNGU
KHAN 1791 - 1852 (Period of Bahadur
Shah Zafar), reference to a court singer http://nationalarchives.nic.in/museum.html Amongst a
list of items at the National Archives the following is listed. Proposed
Plan of the Masoleum of Bahadur Shah Zafar at Rangoon. http://www.studio-systems.com/Playback&Fastforward/PlayBack/1986/August/August17.htm 'Karavan-e-Ghazal'
(alternate title: Dastaan-e-Ghazal) is a serial in 13 parts on the history
and origin of the ghazal' beginning with Amir Khusro in the 13 th Century and
ending with Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The serial records the contributions of poets
like Quli Qutub Shah, Waris Shah, Siraj Aurangabadi, Arzoo, Anand Ram
Mukhlis, Abdul Hai Taban, Jafar Zalalli, Meer Taqi Meer, Mus Hafi, Nazeer
Akbarabadi, Ghalib, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Dagh, lqbal, Josh and Bismil.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/may/30spec.htm
Further down you find what was
once a majestic old house, Nahar Wali Haveli. It had belonged to a wazir
[prime minister] of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar who held
court in the 18th century. Today it houses two Hindu families from Pakistan.
Munshi Raziuddin has been working
in the field of Qawwali for more than 65 years. He belongs to the Delhi
Gharana (house-hold) of "Ustad Tan Ras Khan Sahab" who was a
teacher of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. Ustad Tan Ras Khan was
awarded the "Chandni Mehal" in Dehli by Emperor "Bahadur Shah Zafar"
for his contribution to the field of Traditional Music.
http://www.biblio-india.com/articles/JA02_ar17.asp?mp=JA02
Mehrauli by Charles Lewis. It was from here that the last
Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar watched the Phoolwalon ki Sair procession as it
wound its way through the lanes of Mehrauli to the Jog Maya temple and the
Haus Shamsi. Lewis quotes a contemporary description.
http://www.mumbai-central.com/nukkad/aug2002/msg00391.html
In fact one of the great grandsons
of Bahadur Shah Zafar was living as a dhobi (washerman) in Delhi till
recently. So there's nothing much we can do for Shah except weep",
laments Azad.
http://www.flonnet.com/fl1815/18150640.htm
Picture of the “The house within
the King's Palace in which King Bahadur Shah was confined by the British
forces.” http://oudh.tripod.com/bq/pastmast.htm
The news
of the coronation of Birjis Qadr had actually been sent to the Delhi emperor
whose approval was promptly received. This was followed by a letter from the
boy king to Bahadur Shah Zafar:
The leadership vacuum was then filled by Begum Hazrat Mahal, the
herioc consort of Wajid Ali Shah, whose valorous exploits at the crucial time
easily made her the Muslim counterpart of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi http://tah.freeyellow.com/zafar.html He was a
profilic writer and the four volume he wrote before his depotion had abour
36000 coupltes. Its sad that his improved
pain-soaked mature couplets of Rangoon period are not available. http://niazi.com/Neurons/a_brief_history_of_urdu_poetry.htm History
of Urdu. Whereas the 18th
century produced remarkable literature in Urdu, it was often lost, since only
when the poets reached fame were their writings collected and published. The
writings of one of the greatest poet, Nazir, were collected 80 years after
his death and even the works of Zauq, the teacher of King Bahadur Shah Zafar,
were destroyed during the mutiny of 1857. Some of the poems written by the
King, Bahadur Shah Zafar, in exile were also lost. http://www.upperstall.com/people/ashok.html In the
1980s, Ashok Kumar cut down his work and apart from films, was seen
occassionally on Television anchoring the vastly popular soap Hum Log or
playing the title role in Bahadur Shah Zafar. http://oudh.tripod.com/paq/sirjohn.htm Reception
given at the MAUSOLEUM OF THE LAST TWO KINGS OF OUDH, AND OF THE GRAND-DAUGHTER
OF THE LAST EMPEROR OF INDIA http://www.samachar.com/features/17021-literature.html Muslims
becoming blood brothers as they fought and died in the defence of their common
national sovereign, Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1857”. Who said
this? Few will guess correctly . The writer is Vinayak Damodar Savarkar http://www.indiagov.org/special/cabinet/Primeminister/1999ID_PM_Speech.html P r i m
e M i n i s t e r V a j p a y e e's Independence Day
address to the Nation. This Red
Fort and its world-renowned ramparts are not merely a geographical spot. The
very heartbeat of India’s freedom struggle is linked to this fort and its
ramparts. In the First War of Independence of 1857, this is where Bahadur
Shah Zafar was held a prisoner. http://www.lexicorps.com/sepoy.htm The Sepoy
Mutiny — India, 1857 , The Western view summary, The Indian view summary . http://www.santabanta.com/newsmaker.asp?select=263&catname=Interesting%20Read The
Kohinoor diamond is not the only treasure that still remains in the hands of
the British Crown. The Crystal throne of the Last Moghal, Bahadur Shah
Zafar, his gold crown, and the jewelled `Huma` bird which adorned the
throne of Tipu Sultan are yet to be returned to their rightful place, the
Indian authorities claim. The Moghul spoon of gold studded with priceless
rubies, Emperor Shah Jahan`s jade wine cup, the Padishahnama of Shah Jahan
are among other priceless artefact in Britain. http://www.themusicmagazine.com/kaifisatyu.html Kaifi
Saab wrote a play called Aakhri Shama about the last mushaira held in the
Moghul Empire under Bahadur Shah Zafar. It later became very famous. Ghalib
was one of the main characters in it. http://wind.prohosting.com/rajarao/family.html Emperor
Bahadur Shah II (Zafar) & he supported the Raos'. Raos' in turn sent
their military to join the revolteers at Delhi, Meerut & Ambala. But with
the end of the revolt & arrest of Emperor Zafar, when Delhi fell to
British on September 20 1857, the fierce BATTLE OF NARNAUL (3RD ANGLO-AHIR
WAR) WAS FOUGHT ON NOVEMBER 16 1857.
http://www.pakpost.gov.pk/philately/stamps2001/khawaja_farid.html Khawaja
Ghulam Farid rendered numerous services for spreading Islam and left behind
disciples in Lacs. His most notable disciples are noted below:- ......................... Mirza Ahmad Akhtar, the grand son of
Bahadur Shah Zafar. http://allaboutsikhs.com/events/mutiny.htm Gives a
different angle to the War of Independence. Explains why Punjab took the side of the British. http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MUGHAL/DECLINE.HTM By June,
nearly 90,000, or 70 percent of the Bengal Army's Sepoy force had joined the
mutiny. During the early stages of the revolt, the British were unable to
repond effectively to the widespread uprising, and suffered heavy casualties.
After major losses at the Kanpur garrison and Lucknow, the British Army,
along with loyal Sikh and Gurkha forces, were able to regroup and put down
the rebellion. http://www.sadarang.com/Mehdi%20hassan.htm One of
Bahadur Shah Zafar’s poems sung by Mehdi Hasan is on this site. Baat
Karni mujhay mushkil: Raag Pahadi Poet:
Bahadur Shah Zafar Composition: Mehdi Hassan http://garysullivan.blogspot.com/2002_12_22_garysullivan_archive.html Sohrab
Modi's "Mizra Ghalib" (1954, Hindi), about the Urdu court poet
Ghalib, appointed by the last Mughal King Bahadur Shah Zafar, featured Murad
as the King and Bharat Bhushan as Ghalib. http://www.ektaramusic.com/sqalam/ghalib.html This does
not relate to Bahadur Shah Zafar except for the reference below, nevertheless
it is a good indicator of the enlightened times of Bahadur Shah Zafar when
there seemed to be very little communal conflict. It can be
argued that Ghalib's radical views were not fully mirrored by the man on the
street. But it would not have been possible for him to openly declare his
views and practice them or achieve the tremendous following he had, except in
an age somewhat in tune with his beliefs. In a time of fundamental
discordance with his views, it may not have been possible for a Hindu, Munshi
Hargopal Tufta to become Ghalib's foremost Shagird and closest friend. Not
would it have been possible for Ghalib to declare another Hindu- Shivji Ram
Brahman- to be like a son to him; or for the Mughal emperor of his age,
Bahadur Shah Zafar to appoint a Hindu convert of Christianity- Dr. Chaman Lal
as his personal physician. (Courtesy:
Penguin Books, India Pavan
Verma, Ghalib, the Man and the Times)
http://www.india-seminar.com/2002/515/515%20satish%20jacob.htm Describes
what remains of the Delhi as it
was at the time of Bahadur Shah Zafar. The
haveli where Zeenat Mahal, the favourite queen of the last Mughal emperor,
Bahadur Shah Zafar, lived, is now being used as a big iron market; some
families have also built their homes there. The old opulence has gone. The
haveli belonging to the Englishman, James Skinner, in Gali Qasim Jaan had a
courtyard in which he kept elephants and horses. Mirza Ghalib lived in Gali
Qasim Jaan and so did Shamsuddin http://www.reachouthyderabad.com/nizam/dyan.htm AFZAL-UD-DAULA-ASAF
JAH V (1857-1869) Mir
Tahniath Ali Khan Afzal-ud-Daula was born on October 11, 1827. He was the eldest
son of Nawab Nasir-ud-Daula. He ascended the throne on May 18, 1857 and the
great Indian Mutiny (First war of Independence) was started on July 17, 1857.
On January 27, 1858, Sir John Lawrence, the Chief Commissioner of Punjab,
ordered an enquiry against Bahadur Shah Zafar and with the help of false
witnesses exiled him to Rangoon. http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/users/gae/NCOLR/saalgmins.htm British
Library’s collections. Dividing
the Indian visitors into three main types – official, academic and practical
– she concentrated on one representative, which she found particularly
special, from each of the three groups.
She started with an Urdu manuscript, Siyahat Namah, and explored the
ways in which Karim Khan, an envoy from Bahadur Shah Zafar to the East India
Company, combined Persian and Urdu literary techniques with European location
and contacts to paint a picture of the social and formal London of the early
1840s http://www.biblio-india.com/articles/MA01_ar8.asp?mp=MA01 Photographs
of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s Delhi as Beato photographed it. Because Beato arrived in India well
after the Uprising’s major battles were over, he captured the important
locations of the re-conquest, the key points of which had become hallowed
martrys’ memorials. The knowledge of the British victory thus informs the way
the photographs are viewed. Beato’s photographs of Delhi are a record of the
re-establishment of British control of India, http://rewari.nic.in/history.htm During
the rule of Mughla Rewari was the part of Delhi territory. In the
SAVTANTRTA-SANGRAM of 1857 “Rao Tula Ram & Krishan Gopal “ of Rewari
fought aggressively against the British rule with the help of “Samrat Bahadur
Shah Zafar” and there was a movement when they brought the British rule to an
end in Rewari. http://www.screenindia.com/feb27/cover2.htm The idea
of Aakhri Mughal came to me from Taj (Tajdar Amrohi). He was talking to me
one day about the film his father Kamal Amrohi was planning in the early '70s
— on the last Moghul emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, and his son Mirza Moghul http://www.anu.edu.au/asianstudies/biogs.html Dr Barz
is currently working on a distance education package for introductory Hindi
as part of the Australian government's National Asian Languages Project. He
is also working on a biography of Bahadur Shah II 'Zafar' with translation
of, and commentary on, his Urdu poetry. http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Alley/5443/indmut3.htm The
following day Hodson rode back to the tomb and arrested the king's three
sons, Mizra Moghul, Mizra Khizr Sultan and Mizra Abu Bakr. Just before
reaching the walls of Delhi, he ordered them out of the bullock cart they
were riding in, stripped off their clothes and with his own hand shot the
three of them dead....... Whatever the reason for Hodson's action, his
behaviour that day was disgraceful and can only be described as murder. http://www215.pair.com/sacoins/public_html/mughal/mughal_54_bahshah2.html Coins Bahadur Shah II: 1253 - 1273 AH; 1837
- 1857 AD ,
Denomination: Nazarana
Rupee http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/10/21/stories/2002102100620200.htm Bahadur
Shah, whose famous queen, Zeenat Mahal, several decades younger, did not appeal
to him only because of her tomboyish charm as she caught floating paper kites
on the terrace of her haveli in Lal Kuan. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/08/05/stories/2002080500810200.htm Traders of Chandni Chowk gathered here to petition the king about the increasing debts of the members of the royal family and during the reign of Bahadur Shah Zafar, it was here that the merchants decided to offer financial help for the upkeep of the so-called rebels in 1857.
This is the site of Prince Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy who resides in Hyderabad , India and has appealed to the Indian Government to recognise the greatness of Bahadur Shah Zafar and to posthumously award the title of Bharat Ratna to him. |
