Decadence of the Mughals - I

The eighteenth century was a time of anarchy in the Mughal Empire. As the empire decayed and disintegrated, the chaos threw up intriguing regents, corrupt consorts and depraved Emperors. I shall write two articles on these self-indulgent emperors who were aware of the realm falling apart around them, and yet the only thing they seem to have cared for was personal gratification. This first article is about a queen of the 12th Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangila, and in tracing her life story one depicts the social conditions of the era. It must be stated here that this emperor held this exalted title for twenty-eight-and-a-half years, yet to call him a Mughal Emperor might almost feel like something of an insult to the memory of first six rulers – from Babur to Aurangzeb – of this dynasty. He is perhaps best described by his penname of Rangila that translates as ‘colourful’ but refers to being ‘fun loving’.

Knowing his weakness for women, one of the ladies of a noble family introduced the lascivious Emperor to a pretty dancing girl. Rangila was enamoured by her and took her into his harem. This girl, Udham Bai, knew well how to hold the Emperor’s attention. A year later, when she was expecting his child, she was raised to the status of a queen. A boy was born in 1725 and was named Ahmed Shah, the only male child that was born to Rangila. Being neglected when it came to a serious princely education and training, the child grew up to be a frivolous youth.

After the death of Rangila, Ahmed Shah was crowned Emperor in 1748 at the age of 23 years, thereby elevating his mother to the position of Queen Mother and regent.

Udham Bai became regent with the title of Qudsia Begum and was the real power behind the throne of her son. Her role during over two decades in the harem of her husband had been limited to alcohol-fuelled parties and sensual pursuits. She was, as such, fairly unsuited to play the role of a powerful regent – and appears to have persisted in the sort of activities that made her rise possible.

Udham Bai used her son’s elevation to assert her importance at the Court and for enriching herself. She had fallen under imperial disfavour for her conduct during the latter days of her wedded life, and now took her revenge by heaping scorn, humiliation and poverty upon her former rivals: the nobly born widows of Muhammad Shah, Malika-i-Zamani and Sahiba Mahal, who were universally honoured in Delhi society.

Udham Bai spent two crore (20 million) rupees in celebrating her birthday. She was successively given the titles of Bai-ji Sahiba, Nawab Qudsia, Sahiba-uz-Zamani, Sahib-ji Sahiba, Hazrat and Qibla-i-Alam. The mansab of commanding 500,000 horse (a nominal rank, in case the reader is wondering) was conferred upon her

She lacked the capacity to choose competent advisors and govern through them, but thought of rivalling Nur Jahan – the legendary Empress from the reign of Emperor Jahangir – by transacting dtate business in person. Imperial officials used to sit down at her porch (deorhi) daily and she would hold discussions with them from behind a screen or through the medium of eunuchs. All petitions of the realm and closed envelopes were read out to her and she would pass orders on them without consulting anyone. A court historian once lamented, “Oh God! That the affairs of Hindustan should be conducted by a woman as foolish as this...”

At a time when the soldiers were daily mutinying for their long overdue pay and the Court could not raise even two hundred thousand rupees for this purpose, Udham Bai spent two crore (20 million) rupees in celebrating her birthday. She was successively given the titles of Bai-ji Sahiba, Nawab Qudsia, Sahiba-uz-Zamani, Sahib-ji Sahiba, Hazrat and Qibla-i-Alam. The mansab of commanding 500,000 horse (a nominal rank, in case the reader is wondering) was conferred upon her, and her birthday was celebrated with greater pomp than that of the Emperor himself.

Her brother, Man Khan, a vagabond haunting the lanes and occasionally following the profession of a male dancer in a supporting role for singing girls, was created a mansabdar of 6,000 – with the title of Mutaqad-ud-Daulah Bahadur.

However, what outraged public sentiment and lowered the imperial prestige the most was her intimacy with the eunuch Javaid Khan. Javaid is reported to have been a “handsome eunuch of youthful age and robust personality.” His relationship with Udham Bai was no secret as he even went so far as to pass his nights in the imperial harem, in defiance of longstanding palace rules. The scandal became so notorious that the palace guards, whose salaries were unpaid for more than a year, at last staged a scene. They tied up a young ass and a bitch at the palace gate and when the nobles and other courtiers came to attend the court, they audaciously urged them, “First make your bow to these. This one (the ass) is the Nawab Bahadur, and that (the bitch) is Hazrat Qudsia.”

Javaid Khan had been an assistant controller of the harem servants and manager of the Begums’ estates during the previous reign. He had established complete sway over Udham Bai even before her husband’s death. Now at the accession of her son, Javaid’s advance was rapid and boundless. He was at once created a 6-hazari (mansabdar of 6,000) and appointed superintendent of the Diwan-e-Khas or the Principal Secretary.

By virtue of this office, audience with the Emperor rested entirely in his hands, and he could perpetuate his sway over his master by shutting out honest counsellors. He continued to amass further power by taking charge of the intelligence department, the imperial elephants, the confirmation of grants and appointments, the estates of the Begums and Emperor’s privy purse.

All power passed into this eunuch’s hands as the Emperor sank deeper and deeper into vice and indolence. The youthful Emperor would publicly refer all state questions to Javaid Khan for a decision, while he himself took refuge in the harem. The eunuch was given the title of Nawab Bahadur and rewarded with the highest possible insignia of honour, namely the mahi-o-maratib, standard, banner, kettledrums and a royal palki. No eunuch had ever been so exalted before, and no noble had been given the title of Nawab at Court.

A Delhi historian of the time reflected the view popular amongst the nobility: “Never since Timur’s time had a eunuch exercised such power in the State; hence the Government became unsettled. The hereditary peers felt humiliated by having to make their petitions through a slave and to pay court to him before any affair of State could be transacted.”

Fifty years old, Javaid Khan was absolutely illiterate and had never held any administrative charge, nor seen a battle in all his life, yet he now began to decide all questions of war, peace, revenue and organisation as the supreme authority. In the past, Abyssinian and Turkish slaves had displayed the highest military and administrative capacity but Javaid was not of that type. His vulgar ambition was to acquire supreme influence by pandering to the Emperor’s vices and humouring the Queen Mother. He assigned to himself the most lucrative lands and also appropriated the revenue that ought to have gone to feed the treasury. His good word in the Emperor’s ears was purchased by suitors for lakhs of rupees.

The nobles of the realm were up in arms and ministers felt insulted when the Emperor referred them to this man for orders on their official business. They stood aloof from him in aristocratic contempt. Javaid Khan returned their hate by heaping neglect and scorn on them, and promoting middle-grade nobles to dignity and high office. The result was a complete breach between the inexperienced Emperor and the hereditary supporters of the throne.

Then the wheel of fortune took a cruel turn for this regime in June 1754. Javaid Khan had fanned hatred between his own ‘Irani’ faction and that of the Nizam of Hyderabad, the ‘Turani’ faction. In this tussle, the latter faction, headed by Ghaziuddin III, emerged victorious. Javaid Khan was apprehended and killed. The operatives of Ghaziuddin went to the salatin quarters of the Red Fort, where all princes lived as prisoners, and brought out a 55-year-old prince to crown him emperor as Alamgir II. Ahmed Shah and Udham Bai went into hiding.

The new Emperor immediately ordered his predecessor to be arrested. One of the commanders entered the harem and discovered Ahmad Shah and his mother Udham Bai hiding in a small garden. The soldiers first seized the ex-Emperor and then, throwing a cloth to cover his mother’s face, dragged them into prison. The fallen monarch cried out for water in the agony of thirst and mental anguish. A soldier held up to his lips some water put in the shard of a broken earthen pot lying in the dust, and the King of Kings of an hour ago was glad to drink from it.

One of the first victims of new monarch’s displeasure were the siblings of Udham Bai and their children, who had been raised to princely wealth and rank. Their properties were confiscated and they were deprived of their cash and jewels.

About three weeks later, Ahmed Shah and Udham Bai were blinded and thrown into prison. While Ahmed Shah died in 1775 and was buried in a side chamber of Humayun’s Tomb, Udham Bai died in obscurity and her burial place is not known. However, she lives in the buildings that she commissioned.

Udham Bai had a strange love for architecture that contrasted with her general behaviour. She built a magnificent garden cum palace complex, called Qudsia Garden, located along the right bank of the river Yamuna. It is situated north of the old city. Formerly a splendid palace, it fell into disrepair and large parts were destroyed during the Indian rebellion of 1857. Today only an entrance gate, a damaged mosque and stables remain in its reduced area of 20 acres.

Sir Thomas Metcalfe, agent of the Company at the Mughal court in early 1800s, had prepared an elaborate sketch of the garden with its magnificent palace. The document survives in the British Library in London. In its heyday, the garden rivalled contemporary palace gardens in Europe with its imposing buildings, orchards, fountains and water channels—all essential elements of the Persian idea of paradise. The garden withered away with the Mughal Empire, especially during the English retribution of 1857 when it suffered heavy damage due to artillery fire. By the time India became independent, the garden had shrunk to less than 50 acres. Urban growth over the last 70 years has swallowed another 30 acres—most of it going into the construction of an Inter State Bus Terminal and the road running along it.

Udham Bai also constructed the Golden Mosque outside the Delhi Gate of the Red Fort. The Sunehri Masjid (there are two mosques by this name in Delhi), in a grove of trees, is made of a light salmon-coloured stone not usually used for building mosques, which gives the building a singular and picturesque appearance. The mosque survives today and its central arch bears an inscription about the builder of the mosque, reminding the visitors of a sombre time in the history of Mughal Empire.

In the words of Allama Iqbal,

wa’ay nakami mata-e-karwan jata raha

karwan kay dil say ehsas-e-zian jata raha

“What a failure!

Not only that the assets of the caravan are lost,

The caravan is not even conscious of this loss” 

Parvez Mahmood retired as a Group Captain from PAF and is now a software engineer. He lives in Islamabad and writes on social and historical issues. He can be reached at parvezmahmood53@gmail.com