“Why shouldn’t Chanda be proud, O Ali, in both worlds?
Mah Laqa Bai
At home with you, she eternally astounds with dance.”
Mah Laqa Bai Tomb, Hyderabad, India
Half a kilometre down the Maula Ali hillock, in a nondescript location, the doyenne of published Urdu poetry rests in peace. The first woman to have a Sahib-e-Diwan (Anthology of Poetry) Chanda Bibi was born to a courtesan mother, Raj Kunwar in 1768. She grew up in the aristocratic household of Nawab Rukn-ud-Daula, who was Prime Minister to the Nizam Of Hyderabad.
With access to resources through nobility, she grew up to be a master of horse riding and martial arts. Her command over Urdu and the court language Persian gave wings to her poetic abilities. Her lineage gave her a fine grasp of music and Kathak dance form. With these accomplishments, Chanda became the favourite of the Nizam Of Hyderabad and many other noblemen.
Flair and Fame
After displaying her prowess in the javelin in two battles along with the Nizam Mir Nizam Ali Khan, he conferred upon Chanda Bibi the title of ‘Mah Laqa’ Bai (Visage of the Moon). Groomed on the art of diplomacy and matters of state policy, Mah Laqa Bai remained the confidante of two successive Nizams and gained the status of senior Umrah (Noble). This accorded land rights, honorary guards, noble’s palanquin, and drummers to announce her arrival.
Courtesy master musician Khushhal Khan’s training, Chanda’s understanding of music developed, and she became renowned for composing a ghazal (a poem or ode) and sher (couplet). In 1798, she became the first Urdu poetess to publish an anthology (Sahib-e-Diwan) of her works titled Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa. 39 Ghazals authored and calligraphed by her are a part of this collection. Love, faithfulness, intrigue, and enmity are the themes she explored, besides others. Most of her poetry ends with an invocation of Maula Ali, reflecting her piety despite being ‘a woman about town’.
The Legacy of Mah Laqa Bai
It wasn’t just poetry Chanda Bibi bequeathed to the world; she left behind monuments and buildings, including her mausoleum. A pavilion hall she built in the Maula Ali shrine’s courtyard. She used one of her palaces, Khassa Rang Mahal, as a training centre for courtesans.
She also built a Baradari (ornamented pavilion) in a walled garden that had a Sarai (accommodation) and two baoli (step-well). The pavilion housed the grave of Raj Kunwar Bai when she built it in 1793-94. It later became a convenient facility for the pilgrims who came to visit the Maula Ali shrine. In 1824, Mah Laqa Bai died, and her grave sits next to her mother’s.
Architecture
Nizam’s era saw an amalgamation of many styles of architecture in the buildings of the period. Mah Laqa Bai’s tomb is also one such, with Mughal and Rajasthani elements woven in. The ceremonial gateway carved in teakwood has poetic inscriptions on them.
There are five constructs within the complex. The pavilion, two dalans (halls), a water pool and a mosque. Overlooking a Moghul style garden, the Baradari is a vision in white with curved arches on its exterior. Round tapered pillars support the arches.
The interior is signature Qutb-Shahi architecture with pointed Deccan arches. And the facade has intricate jaali (lattice) work and carvings.
Most striking is the roof – a decorative screen creates an impression of another storey where none exists. Neither is there a dome. That is because only royalty or saints commanded that respect.
The two halls to each side of the pavilion are rectangular, bearing five arches. The number five is important to Shiite Muslims. Within this community, only the Prophet’s family of five (panj-tan-i pak) is revered, excluding all others. As a pious person, Mah Laqa Bai also constructed a mosque within the garden tomb complex.
For a woman in the 18th century to have reached such heights of power, it must have required a lot more than beauty and brains. The grit, resilience, and generosity shown by Mah Laqa Bai ‘Chand’ distinguishes her.
