Mah Laqa Bai

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{{Short description|Indian Poet}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Mah Laqa Bai

| image = Hyderabad Mah Laqa Bhai 17710 600w.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Portrait of Mah Laqa Bai
| pseudonym = Chanda
| birth_date = 7 April 1768
| birth_place = [[Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh|Hyderabad]], [[India]]
| death_date = {{death year and age|1824|1768|8}}
| death_place = Hyderabad, India
| occupation = [[poet]]
| period = [[Nizam of Hyderabad]]
| genre = [[Ghazal]]
| subject = [[Love]], [[philosophy]]
| movement =
| signature =
| website =
}}

'''Mah Laqa Bai''' (7 April 1768 – August 1824), born '''Chanda Bai''', and sometimes referred to as '''Mah Laqa Chanda''', was an Indian 18th century [[Urdu language|Urdu]] [[Urdu poetry|poet]], [[courtesan]] and philanthropist based in [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]. In 1824, she became the first female poet to have a [[Diwan (poetry)|diwan]] (collection of poems) of her work, a compilation of Urdu [[Ghazal]]s named ''Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa'', published posthumously. She lived in a period when [[Dakhini]] (a version of Urdu) was making its transition into the highly [[Persian and Urdu|Persianized Urdu]]. Her literary contributions provide insight on such linguistic transformations in [[southern India]].

Mah Laqa Bai was an influential female courtesan of the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]]; the [[Nizam]], ruler of Hyderabad, appointed her to the ''omarah'' (the highest nobility), and as a close affiliate at the court, she was discussed on state policies and accomplished assigned diplomatic engagements. An expert in [[spear throw]], [[Tent pegging]] and [[archery]] she accompanied with the [[Nizam Ali Khan, Asaf Jah II|Nizam II]] in three battles, hunting expeditions and camping. She moved in [[palanquin]] with guards and drummers announcing her arrival.

In 2010, her memorial in Hyderabad, that houses her tomb, [[caravanserai]] and a mosque was restored using funds donated by the [[Federal government of the United States]].

==Life==
Born as Chanda Bibi on 7 April 1768 in [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]] in the present-day [[Maharashtra]].<ref name="toi-mobil">{{cite news|title=MNC to help restore Chanda tomb charm|url=http://mobilepaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=4&sectid=edid=&edlabel=TOIH&mydateHid=20-08-2010&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Hyderabad&edname=&articleid=Ar00402&publabel=TOI|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715005035/http://mobilepaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=4&sectid=edid=&edlabel=TOIH&mydateHid=20-08-2010&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Hyderabad&edname=&articleid=Ar00402&publabel=TOI|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 July 2014|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=20 August 2010|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref><ref name="susie&ke">{{cite book|title=Women Writing in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u297RJP9gvwC|publisher=[[The Feminist Press]]|last1=Tharu|first1=Susie J|last2=Lalita|first2=ke|year=1991|location=New York|isbn=978-1-55861-027-9}}</ref>{{rp|120}} Her mother was Raj Kunwar – a courtesan who migrated from [[Rajputana]],<ref name="toi-raj kunwar">{{cite news|title=The elite performer|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-30/hyderabad/36063042_1_courtesans-raj-kanwar-worthy-patrons|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216063347/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-30/hyderabad/36063042_1_courtesans-raj-kanwar-worthy-patrons|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 February 2013|last=Shahid|first=Sajjad|date=30 December 2012|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref> and father was Bahadur Khan, who served as a [[Mansabdar]] (military official) at [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Muhammad Shah]]'s court. Khan migrated from [[Delhi]] to Hyderabad Deccan where he met and married Raj Kunwar.<ref name="book">{{cite book|title=Forgotten|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3-SCyobP0koC|publisher=Penguin Books|last=Latif|first=Bilkees|year=2010|location=India|isbn=978-0-14-306454-1|access-date=5 April 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320121949/https://books.google.com/books?id=3-SCyobP0koC&|archive-date=20 March 2018}}</ref>{{rp|107}} Chanda Bibi was adopted by Kunwar's childless sister Mehtaab Ma who was the favored courtesan - almost a regular consort - of Nawab Rukn-ud-Daula, a [[List of prime ministers of Hyderabad State|Prime Minister]] of [[Nizam of Hyderabad]].<ref name="Hindustan">{{cite news|title=Latif's Forgotten salutes women|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Books/LiteraryBuzz/Latif-s-Forgotten-salutes-women/Article1-898811.aspx|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=8 March 2011|access-date=13 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608015702/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Books/LiteraryBuzz/Latif-s-Forgotten-salutes-women/Article1-898811.aspx|archive-date=8 June 2013}}</ref>

Nawab Rukn-ud-Daula took personal interest in Chanda Bibi's training and provided her with the best teachers. While growing up, she had access to a well-endowed library and was exposed to the vibrant [[Culture of Hyderabad, India|culture of Hyderabad]]. By the time she was 14, she excelled in [[horse riding]] and [[archery]].<ref name="Rajendra">{{cite news|title=Glimpse into Mah Laqa's life|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/glimpse-into-mah-laqas-life/article4631904.ece|last=Rajendra|first=Rajani|work=The Hindu|date=19 April 2013|access-date=23 May 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111232329/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/glimpse-into-mah-laqas-life/article4631904.ece|archive-date=11 November 2013}}</ref> It was second Nizam ([[Mir Nizam Ali Khan, Asaf Jah II|Mir Nizam Ali Khan]]) who conferred her the title "Mah Laqa Bai".<ref name="Tahera Aftab">{{cite book|title=Inscribing South Asian Muslim Women|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HIISikCITAgC|publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]]|last=Aftab|first=Tahera|year=2008|isbn=978-9-0-04-15849-8|access-date=20 February 2018}}</ref>{{rp|522}} Due to her skills, she accompanied the Nizam II in three wars; dressed in male attire, she was noted for [[Bow and arrow|bow]] and [[javelin]] skills in the wars. Owing to her contributions, the Nizams awarded her with [[Jagir]] (lands) on various occasions,<ref name="Rajendra"/><ref name="book"/>{{rp|81 & 124}}<ref name="white mughals">{{cite book|title=White Mughals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H7BCr-QIWGIC|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|last=Dalrymple|first=William|year=2002|isbn=978-0-14-303046-1|access-date=17 May 2013}}</ref>{{rp|172–3}}<ref name="KL">{{cite journal|title=Hindu temples in Hyderabad: state patronage and politics in South Asia|url=http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~kbleonar/bio/Karen%20Hindu%20temples%20in%20Hyderabad.pdf|year=2011|last=Leonard|first=Karen|journal=South Asian History and Culture|volume=2|issue=3|pages=352–373|doi=10.1080/19472498.2011.577568|s2cid=132551060|access-date=17 May 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111231546/http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~kbleonar/bio/Karen%20Hindu%20temples%20in%20Hyderabad.pdf|archive-date=11 November 2013}}</ref>{{rp|355–6}} that include the neighborhoods of [[Hyderguda]], [[Chanda Nagar]], [[Syedpally|Syed pally]] and [[Adikmet]].<ref name="Ironlady">{{cite news|title=Iron lady Mahlaqa Bai Chanda's haveli reduced to rubble|url=http://www.siasat.com/english/news/iron-lady-mahlaqa-bai-chanda%E2%80%99s-haveli-reduced-rubble|work=[[The Siasat Daily]]|date=18 April 2013|access-date=28 May 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111231646/http://www.siasat.com/english/news/iron-lady-mahlaqa-bai-chanda%E2%80%99s-haveli-reduced-rubble|archive-date=11 November 2013}}</ref> On one occasion, she was conferred the title of ''Mah Laqa'' — meaning "Visage of the Moon". Though she never married, she was in love with [[Raja Rambha Rao Bahadur|Raja Rao Rambha Rao]] (a Maratha military chief who led a cavalry of 600 army men, fought against [[Maratha Empire]] under the second Nizam and became his favourite), and used to admire [[John Malcolm|Captain Sir John Malcolm]] (an assistant of [[James Achilles Kirkpatrick]], the [[British Resident]] at Hyderabad).<ref name="book"/>{{rp|81 & 124}}<ref name="white mughals"/>{{rp|172–3}}<ref name="KL"/>{{rp|355–6}}<ref name="Govind">{{cite web|title=A poet called Moon|url=https://fountainink.in/reportage/a-poet-called-moon|last=V|first=Govind Krishnan|work=Fountain Ink|date=7 May 2013|access-date=5 June 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226032311/https://fountainink.in/reportage/a-poet-called-moon|archive-date=26 February 2018}}</ref>

She was an influential woman in the court of the [[Nizam of Hyderabad#List of Nizams of Hyderabad (1724–1948)|second and third Nizam]] of Hyderabad.<ref name="kugle_paper">{{cite journal|title=Mah Laqa Bai and Gender: The Language, Poetry, and Performance of a Courtesan in Hyderabad|url=http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/comparative_studies_of_south_asia_africa_and_the_middle_east/v030/30.3.kugle.pdf|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]|last=Scott|first=Kugle|journal=[[Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East]]|year=2010|volume=30|issue=3|issn=1548-226X|access-date=4 April 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111231830/http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=%2Fjournals%2Fcomparative_studies_of_south_asia_africa_and_the_middle_east%2Fv030%2F30.3.kugle.pdf|archive-date=11 November 2013}}</ref>{{rp|365–85}} At that time, she was the only woman to be given recognition publicly in Hyderabad State. In addition, she was appointed to the ''omarah'', the highest nobility. Mah Laqa was frequently consulted by the rulers of the state on policy matters.<ref name="book"/>{{rp|81}} As a pride among the nobility in those times, a [[battalion]] of 500 soldiers was reserved to [[Military step|march]] with her while she visits any official.<ref name="Serish">{{cite news|title=Rediscovering Mahalaqa Bai|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/02/22/stories/2010022250490100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111231859/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/02/22/stories/2010022250490100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 November 2013|last=Nanisetti|first=Serish|date=22 February 2013|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=28 May 2013}}</ref> She was also a [[courtesan]] while the Nizams held court.<ref name="PTI">{{cite news|title=US Consulate funds renovation of Mah Laqa Bai's tomb|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_us-consulate-funds-renovation-of-mah-laqa-bai-s-tomb_1425862|work=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|date=19 August 2010|access-date=19 September 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824051115/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_us-consulate-funds-renovation-of-mah-laqa-bai-s-tomb_1425862|archive-date=24 August 2010}}</ref> She was a [[Mistress (lover)|mistress]] of the Prime Ministers of the Nizams.<ref name="kugle_paper"/> She died in 1824 and bequeathed her properties that included land, gold, silver and diamond-studded jewellery to homeless women.<ref name="susie&ke"/> Her residence which was located in [[Nampally, Hyderabad]], today had been converted into a Government aided girls degree college.<ref name="Ironlady"/> Mah Laqa of [[South India|Deccan]] was the contemporary of renowned poets like [[Mir Taqi Mir]], [[Mirza Muhammad Rafi Sauda]] and [[Khwaja Mir Dard]] in [[North India]].<ref name="Rekha">{{cite journal|title=Women in the Hyderabad State in 19th and 20th centuries |url=http://www.jhss.org/archivearticleview.php?artid=143 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130704054137/http://www.jhss.org/archivearticleview.php?artid=143 |last=Pande |first=Rekha |volume=3 |issue=1 |year=2012 |issn=2229-5798 |access-date=13 April 2013 |archive-date=4 July 2013 |url-status=dead |journal=Journal of History & Social Sciences }}</ref> She died in Hyderabad in August 1824.<ref>{{cite book|title=Paimana-e-Ghazal|url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/paimana-e-ghazal-volume-001-mohammad-shamsul-haq-ebooks|language=Urdu|publisher=[[National Book Foundation]]|last=Haq|first=Mohammad Shamsul|year=2008|isbn=978-969-37-0278-1|access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>{{rp|178}}

==Accomplishments==
===Poetry===
[[File:The first page of Mah Laqa Chanda's deevan.jpg|thumb|The first page of Mah Laqa Chanda's Dewan]]
Mah Laqa was influenced by the literary work of mystic poet [[Siraj Aurangabadi]] (1715–1763),<ref name="susie&ke"/>{{rp|121}}<ref name="Mohan Lal">{{cite book|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian literature: sasay to zorgot (Volume 5 of Encyclopaedia of Indian literature)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnPoYxrRfc0C|publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]]|last=Lal|first=Mohan|year=1992|volume=5|isbn=978-81-260-1221-3|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723034450/https://books.google.com/books?id=KnPoYxrRfc0C#v=onepage&q&f=false|archive-date=2016-07-23}}</ref>{{rp|4109}} and learned poetry from [[Mir Alam Tank#History|Nawab Mir Alam]] who later became the [[Prime Minister of Hyderabad|Prime Minister of Hyderabad State]]. Her [[first language]] was [[Urdu]], and she was also fluent in [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]] languages.<ref name="book"/>{{rp|118 & 123}} She was the first woman poet to author a [[diwan (poetry)|diwan]], a complete collection of Urdu [[ghazal]]s. The collection, named ''Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa'', comprises 39 ghazals, and each ghazal consists of 5 couplets. The collection was published in 1824 after her death.<ref name="susie&ke"/>{{rp|121–2}}<ref name="liveming">{{cite news|title='Wah', once again please|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/5df92p4sSOWa3ZzS1MfxwO/8216Wah8217-once-again-please.html|work=[[Live Mint]]|date=29 April 2011|access-date=4 April 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111230907/http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/5df92p4sSOWa3ZzS1MfxwO/8216Wah8217-once-again-please.html|archive-date=11 November 2013}}</ref> The ''Diwan e Chanda'' is a manuscript collection of Mah Laqa's 125 Ghazals, compiled and calligraphed by her in 1798. It was signed and gifted to Captain Malcolm on 18 October 1799, during a dance performance at Mir Alam's residence. It is now preserved in the [[British Museum]].<ref name="TH-Mah">{{cite news|title=Towering blunder at Moula Ali dargah|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/08/04/stories/2009080450300100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111231936/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/08/04/stories/2009080450300100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 November 2013|work=[[The Hindu]]|last=Nanisetti|first=Serish|date=4 August 2009|access-date=5 April 2013}}</ref><ref name="Tahera">{{cite book|title=Inscribing South Asian Muslim Women: An Annotated Bibliography and Research Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HIISikCITAgC|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|last=Aftab|first=Tahera|year=2008|isbn=978-90-04-15849-8|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320121903/https://books.google.com/books?id=HIISikCITAgC&|archive-date=2018-03-20}}</ref>{{rp|521–2}}

Her [[pen name]] was Chanda. The Urdu words ''Bulbul'' ([[songbird]]), ''Gul'' (rosebud) and ''Saqi'' (one who serves wine) recurred as themes in her ghazals.<ref name="susie&ke"/>{{rp|121–2}}<ref name="liveming"/> Her popularity in reading poetry made her the first poetess of the region to participate and present her poetries in a [[mushaira]] (poetic symposium) which was earlier reserved for men. Along with her poetry, sometimes she sang the songs composed by the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah and [[Adil Shahi dynasty|Sultan of Bijapur]] [[Ibrahim Adil Shah II]].<ref name="book"/>{{rp|81 & 129}} From her Diwan of 39 Ghazal collection, one Ghazal "Hoping to blossom (one day) into a flower" translates as:

{|
|-
|
<div style="padding-left:2em;font-size:1.0em">
<poem>
Hoping to blossom (one day) into a flower,
Every bud sits, holding its soul in its fist.

Between the fear of the fowler and (approaching) autumn,
The ''bulbul’s'' life hangs by a thread.

Thy sly glance is more murderous than arrow or sword;
It has shed the blood of many lover.

How can I like a candle to thy (glowing) cheek?
The candle is blind with the fat in its eyes.

How can Chanda be dry-lipped. O ''Saqi'' of the heavenly wine!
She has drained the cup of thy love.<ref name="susie&ke"/>{{rp|121–2}}
</poem></div>
|}

===Singing and Dance===
[[File:Mah Laqa Bai dancing.jpg|right|thumb|Mah Laqa dancing in court]]
[[File:Mah Laqa Bai singing.jpg|right|thumb|Mah Laqa singing poetry]]
Mah Laqa learned singing and [[Indian classical music|classical Indian music]] specialising [[Thumri]] from [[Khushhal Khan]] a master musician of her time,<ref name="book2">{{cite book|title=Landmarks of the Deccan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wgo97XF0XuYC|publisher=[[Asian Educational Services]]|last=Bilgrami|first=Syed Ali Asgar|year=1992|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-206-0543-5}}</ref>{{rp|16}} and a great-grandson of the [[Tansen]], the maestro of Mughal court. She excelled in Ghazal singing in multiple [[raga]] ([[Mode (music)|melodic modes]]) and [[Taal (musical instrument)|Taal]] (rhythms); she was adept at the [[Yaman (raga)|Yaman]] raga and [[Tappa|Khayal Tappa]] which she use to sing at special occasions. Mah laqa preferred using [[Bhimpalasi]] raga in romantic Ghazals. When singing [[Sufi]] songs she used [[Dhrupad]] raga mixed with taal [[Ektal|chautala]] and [[Bhairavi (Hindustani)|raga Bhairavi]].<ref name="book"/>{{rp|118 & 128}}

Mah Laqa excelled in singing love lyrics accompanied by Deccani style of [[Kathak#Later court influences|Kathak]] dance which was popular and practised by courtesans in the courts of the [[Viceroy of the Deccan|viceroy's)]] under the [[Mughal emperors|later-Mughal]].<ref name="Ganesh">{{cite news|title=Mad and divine women from India celebrated|url=http://newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/article311816.ece?service=print|work=[[The New Indian Express]]|last=Ganesh|first=Prashanti|date=27 December 2011|access-date=14 April 2013}}</ref><ref name="narthaki">{{cite web|title=Mad and Divine women; mystic saint poets of India and beyond|url=http://www.narthaki.com/info/prv11/prv576a.html|publisher=Kartik Fine Arts|date=25 December 2011|access-date=14 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129023228/http://narthaki.com/info/prv11/prv576a.html|archive-date=29 January 2013}}</ref> According to Pallabi Chakravorty and Nilanjana Gupta suggests in their book ''Dance Matters Too''–(2018), there is no specific written work of Mah Laqa Bai’s dance form, various poses captured in her portraits, her miniature paintings and based on the modern research she practised Deccan style of [[Kathak]] dance form, which does not exist in present times. Mah Laqa Bai patronised and trained the new generation of courtesans in dance and music, she endowed an institute lead by her adopted daughter “Husn Laqa Bai” to continue a lineage of dance performers and courtesans to learn Deccan style of Kathak.<ref name="Pallabi&Nilanjana">{{cite book|title=Dance Matters Too: Markets, Memories, Identities|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dance_Matters_Too/3nRUDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT25|last1=Chakravorty|first1=Pallabi|last2=Gupta|first2=Nilanjana|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|year=2018|isbn=9781351116169|access-date=22 June 2021}}</ref>{{rp|25}} According to the miniature paintings exhibited and displayed by [[Salar Jung Museum]] at [[Google Arts & Culture]] in 2016, Mah Laqa Bai learned dance from master Panna Maharaj and Khushhal Khan.<ref name="SJM">{{cite web|title=Mahlaqabai Chanda: Courtesan Royale from the Deccan|url=https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/mahlaqabai-chanda-courtesan-royale-from-the-deccan-salar-jung-museum/5gKSeXibWxmrJg?hl=en|publisher=[[Google Arts & Culture]]|work=[[Salar Jung Museum]]|year=2016|access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref>{{rp|5}}

Mah Laqa Bai established a cultural centre in which 300 girls were trained by her along with other masters.<ref name="Hindustan"/> Maha Laqa's library contain manuscripts and books on poetry along with the arts and the science collections.<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news|title=India: For the love of a woman|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/india/725270/India-For-the-love-of-a-woman.html|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=8 Oct 2002|access-date=9 April 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427090721/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/india/725270/India-For-the-love-of-a-woman.html|archive-date=27 April 2014}}</ref> She sponsored and supervised the publication of ''Mahnama'', a historical book about the revival period of Hyderabad State. Although Mah Laqa practiced [[Islam]], she was influenced by the understanding of [[Hindu]] books and philosophy. One author studied her writings and said that "her verses had a distinct darbari ring in which she eulogized the king and nobles, a common style employed by poets during the 17th and 18th centuries."<ref name="book"/>{{rp|81 & 122}}

===Mistress===
After the [[Battle of Kharda]] in 1795 AD the Nizam II was defeated by [[Maratha]] [[Madhavrao II]] which lead to the Treaty of Kharda. According to treaty the Nizam II had to cede some of the Maratha territories along with [[Arastu Jah]]—(the then ''[[Kiladar]]'' of [[Aurangabad district, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]]) as hostage in [[Poona]]. After his two years confinement, in the year 1797 Arastu Jah had successfully managed to influence some of the Maratha leadership to channel his release and had reinstated the ceded territories of Nizam II. This diplomatic success of Arastu Jah had impressed Nizam II and he was made the [[List of prime ministers of Hyderabad State|Dewan of Hyderabad]]. Mah Laqa Bai was initially introduced to Nizam II by Arastu Jah to influence the Nizam II and wanted to be aware of his ''herem'', it was under Arastu Jah patronage Mah Laqa began her career as a poet and upon Arastu Jah initiative her collected of poetry was published in the form of Dewan in 1798 AD.<ref name="Kugle">{{cite book|last=Scott|first=Kugle|title=When Sun Meets Moon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KMo3CwAAQBAJ|publisher=UNC Press Books|year=2016|isbn=9781469626789|access-date=5 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306022941/https://books.google.ae/books?id=KMo3CwAAQBAJ&dq|archive-date=6 March 2018}}</ref>{{rp|169–70}}<ref name="Haidar&Sardar">{{cite book|last1=Haidar|first1=Navina Najat|last2=Sardar|first2=Marika|title=Sultans of Deccan India, 1500–1700: Opulence and Fantasy|url=https://archive.org/details/sultansofdeccani1500haid|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/sultansofdeccani1500haid/page/337 337]|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|year=2015|isbn=9780300211108|access-date=5 March 2018}}</ref>{{rp|336–39}}

===Battles and Expeditions===
Mah Laqa Bai mastered [[spear throw]], [[Tent pegging]] and [[archery]] at the age of fourteen, for which she is known as brilliant performer and a skilled warrior. She participated in the three battles fought by the Nizam II (Battle of Kolar—1781 AD, Battle of Nirmal—1782 AD and Battle of Pangal—1789 AD) mostly dressed up in a male battle attire and showing exceptional spear throw skills. She accompanied Nizam II in multiple hunting expeditions.<ref name="SJM"/>{{rp|1–5}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Nizams|url=https://cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/aurangabad/CHAP02/NIZAM.htm|work=[[Government of Maharashtra]]|access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="Firstpost1">{{cite news|title=Once Hyderabad's famed courtesan and patron of the arts, Mah Laqa Bai has been forgotten by history|url=https://www.firstpost.com/living/once-hyderabads-famed-courtesan-and-patron-of-the-arts-mah-laqa-bai-has-been-forgotten-by-history-5822341.html|work=[[Firstpost]]|last=Thatipalli|first=Mallik|date=5 January 2019|access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref>

Mah Laqa Bai had expertise in diplomatic negotiations, for which the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad [[Mir Alam]] could not overturn her. She was very fond of horses, her attachment with Maratha Genral Rao Ramba was culminated due to both’s fondness of horses. Once on a diplomatic mission to the [[Maratha rulers]] court in [[Pune]], Maratha Chief Minister—[[Nana Phadnavis]] was astonished with Mah Laqa Bai's profound understanding of [[Arabian horses]], which she purchased from a French trader for herself and as a gift for Rao Ramba.<ref name="Kugle"/>{{rp|177}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Itihas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1FFQAQAAMAAJ|publisher=[[University of California, Berkeley]]|year=1992|volume=8| isbn=9789854420769 |access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref>{{rp|65}}<ref name="SJM"/>{{rp|1–5}}<ref name="Firstpost1"/>

==Memorial==

Near a hillock in [[Moula-Ali]], Hyderabad, Mah Laqa constructed a walled compound where she frequently held mushairas. Inside this compound, she built a tomb for her biological mother in 1792. After her death, Mah Laqa was buried next to her mother.<ref name="book2"/>{{rp|14}}<ref name="tomb">{{cite news|title=A slice of history|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/02/16/stories/2010021650200100.htm|last=Nanisetti|first=Serish|date=16 February 2010|access-date=19 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714153545/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/02/16/stories/2010021650200100.htm|work=[[The Hindu]]|archive-date=14 July 2014}}</ref> The tomb was constructed in the [[Mughal architecture|Mughal]] and [[Rajasthani architecture]]s style in the [[Charbagh|Char Bagh]] pattern. Along with mausoleum, the complex contains a pavilion in centre that is decorated intricately with stucco work, a [[Caravanserai]], a mosque and two [[stepwell]]s.<ref name="Serish"/><ref name="TH-Mah"/> On a carved teakwood over the door of her mausoleum, an inscription in Urdu can be seen which translates as:<ref name="book2"/>{{rp|13}}
[[File:Mah Laqa Bai Tomb.jpg|thumb|left|View of the campus area that contains the tomb and a mosque.]]
{|
|-
|
<div style="padding-left:2em;font-size:1.0em">
<poem>
Cypress of the garden of grace and rose-tree of the grove of coquetry,
an ardent inamorata of Hydar and suppliant of Panjtan.

When the tidings of the advent of death arrived from God,
she accepted it with her heart, and heaven became her home.

The voice of the invisible speaker called for her chronogram,
Alas! Mah Laqa of the Deccan departed for heaven 1240 [[Anno Hegirae|A.H]].
</poem></div>
|}

Scott Kugle, a Professor at [[Emory University]] and a researcher, studied the life of Mah Laqa Bai. During his study, he came across this memorial in a dilapidated condition. Kugle proposed the idea of renovating it. In the year 2010, by using funds from the [[Federal government of the United States]] through the [[Consulate General of the United States, Hyderabad|Consulate General's office in Hyderabad]], the Center for Deccan Studies spearheaded the year-long renovation project.<ref name="PTI"/> The Muslim Educational, Social and Cultural Organization also provided support to the project. In this renovation project, the debris was cleared, water channels were rebuilt, trees, bushes, the buildings and their exquisite decorations were restored.<ref name="PTI"/><ref name="consulate">{{cite web|title=Refurbished Garden Tomb of Mah Laqa Bai Inaugurated by Consul General|url=http://hyderabad.usconsulate.gov/pr030611.html|publisher=[[Consulate General of the United States, Hyderabad]]|date=6 March 2011|access-date=4 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502214522/http://hyderabad.usconsulate.gov/pr030611.html|archive-date=2 May 2013}}</ref><ref name="toi-maha laqa">{{cite news|title=Mah Laqa Bai's tomb restored, to be reopened on March 6|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-04/hyderabad/28659295_1_restoration-tomb-exotic-garden|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105000533/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-04/hyderabad/28659295_1_restoration-tomb-exotic-garden|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 November 2012|date=4 March 2011|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Legacy and influence==
[[File:Mah Laqa Bai Hunting journey.jpg|right|thumb|Mah Laqa in Palanquin-(A cutout from a scene of hunting caravan of Nizam II)]]

According to [[Sajjad Shahid]], Mah Laqa Bai was the inspiration for [[Mirza Hadi Ruswa]]'s famed novel ''[[Umrao Jaan Ada]]'' (1899), Umrao Jaan Ada is referred to as the first true novel of Urdu literature.<ref name="TOI Sajjad">{{cite news|title=The Elite Performer|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-30/hyderabad/36063042_1_courtesans-raj-kanwar-worthy-patrons|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216063347/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-30/hyderabad/36063042_1_courtesans-raj-kanwar-worthy-patrons|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 February 2013|last=Shahid|first=Sajjad|date=30 December 2012|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=10 April 2013}}</ref> [[Abdul Halim Sharar]] presented Mah Laqa Bai in his Urdu novel ''Husan Kay Dakoo'' (the robbers of beauty) (1913-1914) as a well-informed lady who got benefits from the modern educational system.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Modernist trends and varied responses: reflections on Muslim women in Urdu prose by male authors of South Asia (1900-1936)|url=http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/csas/PDF/10.%20Gul-i-Hina_V28_no2_12.pdf|publisher=[[University of the Punjab]]|last=Hina|first=Gull i|journal=A Research Journal of South Asian Studies|year=2012|volume=27|issue=2|issn=1026-678X|access-date=23 May 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819025451/http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/csas/PDF/10.%20Gul-i-Hina_V28_no2_12.pdf|archive-date=19 August 2013}}</ref>{{rp|472}} [[Narendra Luther]], posits that Mah Laqa Bai, the first women poet of India whose anthology was ever published "brought much pride to Hyderabad".<ref name="toi-maha laqa"/> In a seminar "Mad and divine women"-(2011) Scott Kugle-a Professor at [[Emory University]], expressed that Mah Laqa Bai, besides being an aristocratic courtesan, was a devoted mystic, and was enamored by [[Sufi]] and [[bhakti movement|bhakti]] elements.<ref name="narthaki"/>

In 2013, during the Hyderabad heritage festival, a [[monologue]] stage play "Maha Laq Bai Chanda" on the life of Mah Laqa was sponsored by [[Andhra Pradesh State Tourism Department]]. The play was directed by Vinay Varma; Ratika Sant Keswani played the role of Mah Laqa bai.<ref name="Rajendra"/><ref name="Praveen">{{cite news|title=The accidental performer|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130422/lifestyle-offbeat/article/accidental-performer|last=Praveen|first=Priyanka|work=[[Deccan Chronicle]]|date=22 April 2013|access-date=6 June 2013}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=Divan-e Mahlaqa Bai Chanda|publisher=Majlis-e-taraqqi-e-adab|language=Urdu|location=Lahore|last=Rizvi|first=Shafqat|year=1990}}

==External links==
{{ external media | align = right | width = 210px | video1 = {{YouTube|UGWDo9EQekE|Refurbished tomb of Mah Laqa Bai}}}}

{{commons category}}
* [https://archive.today/20130216063347/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-30/hyderabad/36063042_1_courtesans-raj-kanwar-worthy-patrons The Elite Performer.]
* [http://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/afcp2009annual_report.pdf Speech of Katherine Dhanani, U.S. Consul General, Hyderabad, on the day of restoration of tomb.]
* [http://issuu.com/rchakravarti/docs/gulzaar-e-maahlaqa/38?e=0 Gulzaar-e-maahlaqa]
* [https://rekhta.org/poets/mah-laqa-chanda/ Ghazals of Mah Laqa Chanda]
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bai, Mah Laqa}}
[[Category:Indian female archers]]
[[Category:Urdu-language poets from India]]
[[Category:Hyderabadi Muslims]]
[[Category:People from Hyderabad district, India]]
[[Category:1768 births]]
[[Category:1824 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian women in war]]
[[Category:Women in 18th-century warfare]]
[[Category:Indian courtesans]]
[[Category:Indian women poets]]
[[Category:Mistresses]]
[[Category:Poets from Telangana]]
[[Category:18th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian sportswomen]]
[[Category:18th-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:18th-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:18th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:18th-century Indian sportspeople]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian sportspeople]]
[[Category:Archers from Telangana]]

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Mah Laqa Bai