Queen of Takht-e-Lahore

This is the story of Rani Gul Bahar Begum, one of the two Muslim wives of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The tale is interesting and relevant because three separate localities – a ‘Kucha’, a residential area and a garden – in Lahore bear her name to this day.

That is testimony to her significance in the sunset years of the Maharaja.

Having lived my formative years in the truly old parts of Lahore in the Gowalmandi - Gumti Bazaar nexus, I must have passed by Kucha Gul Bahar Begum off Bazaar Sadakaran in the Rang Mahal Chowk area scores of times without evincing any interest in the origin of its name. However, by living in an area where each stone has aroma of history, one becomes part of – and hence immune to – its significance.

Having developed a passion for history in my youth, and having moved away from walled city, I was intrigued by hearing this name again as a residential address in Miani Sahib. A relative of mine informed me, by way of explaining the route to her home, that she lived in Bagh Gul Bahar on the ‘Naalay Wali Sarak’ in Samanabad area. My inquisitiveness led me to the discovery of an interesting tale.

The major sources for this article are Umdat-ut-Twarikh by Sohan Lal Suri, the Sikh court diarist who wrote in Persian, and Tareekh-e-Lahore (1882) by Kunhyya Lal Kapoor, a civil engineer of the Public Works Department Lahore in the very initial days of British rule in the Punjab, who wrote in Persianized Urdu.

Sohan Lal states that after observing Lord Bentick hold the hand of his wife to help her disembark from a boat, Ranjit Singh told the people around him that it indicated a deep love between the English ‘Nawab Sahib’ and the ‘Begum Sahiba’

Gul Begum, as she was known before her marriage, was introduced to Ranjit on a historic occasion. From the 25th of October to the 2nd of November 1831, Lord Bentinck, the Governor General of British India and Ranjit Singh, the Maharaja of Punjab, met at a special Durbar at Ropar (now Rupnagar) on the Sutlej River. The river served as the boundary between the two states throughout the era of the independent Sikh State. The occasion was accompanied by seven days of parleys, troop maneuvers, formal inspections and merry making. A couple of days before the Treaty of 1831 was concluded between the two domains on the 31st of October, an evening of entertainment was arranged by the Maharaja for the British guests. In the words of Colonel Skinner, who was member of the British entourage, “His [the Maharaja’s] troop of females was likewise present and danced before the company.”

One of the professional dancing girls from Amritsar who performed on the occasion was a young Kashmiri girl by the name of Gul Begum. Ranjit saw her dance and was smitten by her beauty. She is stated to have had the finest figure, the fairest hair and the darkest eyes. Ranjit Singh admitted Gul to his already teeming Harem. He didn’t bring her to Lahore but kept her at Amritsar. Over the course of the year, this relationship grew beyond physical attraction. Their affair, for want of a better word, continued for about one year.

Ranjit Singh was as ‘secular’ in his life as can be expected from an illiterate man of war in a rough cut-throat period of history. He had one Muslim and many Hindu wives, besides some Sikh consorts – but allowed them to practice their own religions. His favourite wife at that time was another Muslim woman by name of Mai Mohran. She, too, had been a dancing girl whom Ranjit married at the age of 21 years when he became the sole ruler of Punjab in 1799. He developed immense love for Mohran and came to rely on her for advice.

At the same Darbar, the morning after he had been infatuated by Gul Begum, he had publicly expressed his love for Mohran.

Sohan Lal states that after observing Lord Bentick hold the hand of his wife to help her disembark from a boat, he told the people around him that it indicated a deep love between the English ‘Nawab Sahib’ and the ‘Begum Sahiba’. He then added that he had same kind of love for Mai Mohran and he couldn’t bear separation from her.

However, he was now ready to share his close company with yet another Muslim dancing girl, whose affection and her influence grew over the coming year. According to Sohan Lal, on the 14th of September 1832, the Maharaja, holding his Darbar at Amritsar, pardoned the sons of a certain Munshi Sheo Dayal on the intercession of Gul Begum though they had been punished only a day earlier on account of some crime. This amply indicates that the Maharaja had come to rely on Gul Begum for official business.

Ranjit Singh had by then decided, despite objections of Sikh religious leaders, to enter into a formal marriage with his love and had come to Amritsar for this purpose. He ordered that arrangements be made for a great celebration. He instructed his son Kharrak Singh, according to Sohan Lal, to proceed to Lahore to procure “brocade tents without poles, expensive and well-wrought canopies so that all the requisites of the happy gathering could be well arranged at Amritsar.” He distributed lavish funds for the festivities. The day of the marriage had been fixed for the 27th of September and Ranjit has been reported to be excited as the day drew near. Two days before the marriage, he dyed his hands in henna and styled them profusely.

To appease the Sikh religious leaders, the wily Maharaja appeared submissive to their angst. A day before the marriage, he rode out to the Darbar Sahib and listened to the hymns of Guru Granth Sahib. He then sought expiation of his sins from the Bhai Sahibs – the Sikh religious leaders – by making financial offerings. Having received their blessings and ensuring that his religious base was secure, Ranjit came back to his palace to receive the large number of civil and military leaders who had been invited for the marriage.

The marriage was solemnised in the noon of Thursday, the 27th of September. It has been reported by some unconfirmed reports that deferring to his bride’s wish, the Maharaja’s marriage was conducted according to Islamic traditions. The Maharaja decorated himself with ornaments and jewellery. Special tents, kanats and canopies around his royal house were setup. Dancing girls from Amritsar and Lahore had been brought for the occasion and were asked to be present in his house. Wine and refreshment were lavishly provided. Drum-beaters and musicians played music while a display of fireworks was arranged. Flower-sellers brought flowers of various kinds tied up in small bouquets. The officer of the household was ordered to ensure that none of the chieftains or the Khidmatgars be present in the palace.

Gul Begum, dressed in yellow garments, her hands and feet decorated with henna, and bedecked with jewelled gold ornaments from head to foot, was brought into the royal house. Then the Maharaja happily went in the palace and stayed with the bride for six hours till sunset. During this time, the dancing girls remained drawn in lines, making obscene jokes. Some of the close attendants of the Maharaja showered large sums of money over him as he came out, while music and dancing took place. Dancing girls were then dismissed with an award of Rs. 7,000.

Subsequently, the Maharaja took his seat in the Durbar in a chair and made Gul Begum sit in another next to him. It is reported that she did not cover her face. Garlands of roses interwoven with pearls were tied around the forehead of the Maharaja and a gold nose-ring with a pearl was fixed in the nose of Gul Begum. The notable persons offered congratulations. As the fireworks began, the Maharaja indulged in drinking wine. At about mid night, they went to Ram Bagh and Gul Begum was given the name of Gul Bahar Begum. Rs. 7,000 were given for the preparation of gardens in the neighbourhood of Amritsar. After that a royal order was issued to all government chiefs that, as the Maharaja was busy in pastime, none of them except Raja Dhyan Singh, the Prime Minister of the realm, should appear in his royal presence. Gold offerings were made to a number of Gurudwaras.

As is evident from the above eyewitness account of Sohan Lal, the marriage was conducted with pomp and revelry. The Maharaja was 51 years of age and had grown grandchildren but celebrated his last marriage in regal style.

Ranjit Singh left Amritsar a week later and took a tour of the Potohar region accompanied by Gul Bahar. He reached Lahore on the 11th of December and entered the city, led by the drum beaters, through Masti Gate. He rode an elephant and Gul Bahar sat beside him. The procession took a tour of the city through Moti Bazaar, Taxali Gate, Papar Mandi, Haveli Nau Nihal Singh, Said Mitha and finally stopped at Hazuri Bagh where a gun salute was given to the royal couple. Throughout the procession, gold coins were showered on the spectators.

In Lahore, Gul Bahar was granted a haveli by Ranjit Singh near Rang Mahal and that street is still known as Kucha Gul Bahar Begum as described in the opening paragraphs of this article. Gul Bahar remained the favoured wife of Ranjit Singh till his death in 1939. Gul Bahar Begum wept bitterly on his death and fell senseless on the ground. It is said that she, too, wanted to commit satti along with other wives but withdrew when she was reminded that it was prohibited in Islam. She continued to live in her haveli during the turbulent years following death of Ranjit Singh. Finally, peace prevailed when the British annexed Punjab in April 1849.

Gul Bahar was considered by the British as a legal heir of the Maharaja and granted a large pension of Rs. 1,200/- per month. The Rani had remained issueless and had adopted one Sardar Khan as his son. She then moved to the Miani Sahib area where she built a garden/park along with a mosque. She continued to live there till her death in 1863 and was buried there. Due to her fame and the respect accorded to her, the people of the area named the entire locality after her and it continues to bear her name.

Incidentally, Mai Mohran, the first Muslim wife of Ranjit Singh, lived in the Papar Mandi area between Shah Alam and Lohari gates after the death of the Maharaja. She built a mosque there in Mohallah Chiri Maran that came to be called ‘Tawaif ki masjid’ but is now known as Masjid Mohran. She died in 1862 and is buried in Miani Sahib.

Kanhyya Lal Kapoor, who must have come across the Rani during his posting to Lahore, has written about stone work and fruit trees in the Park. The park and the adjacent house can still be visited – though they are in a poor state of repair.

I hope Lahore’s city authorities pay attention to the upkeep of these structures.

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