From the chapter The OG Queen of Strategy, Sass and Survival: Begum Samru.
Begum Samrus Real military strength and negotiating skills were finally put to the test in 1788. Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II faced a great danger and problem. The Afghan Rohilla chief Ghulam Qadir attacked the Red Fort and occupied it for two and a half months. He brutally blinded the Mughal emperor and sacked the city. Ghulam Qadir decided to set up camp in Delhi and even searched the Red Fort in search of hidden treasures and riches. Emperor Shah Alam II was now desperate and asked for help from Begum Samru, who immediately rushed her army to Delhi. Her arrival with four battalions and 84 guns under the command of experienced foreign officers gave her leverage in negotiations.
The incident was mentioned in Ibratnamah, written in Persian by Faqir Khair-ud-din Muhammad:
Fearing their hostile attitude, one day the cunning Ruhela went to her camp outside the Delhi fort accompanied by only two servants. He called her sister and tried to befriend her. However, she knew his reputation for cunning and deception and so outwardly promised to join him with her troops – four Paltans Sepoys trained to fight with 85 guns – after he crossed to the other side of the Jamuna. He fell into her trap when she was guarding the ferry with a paltan of her sepoys and some weapons to prevent his return! This is how the emperor was saved.
Emperor Shah Alam II was relieved and gave her a new name – Farzanad-e-Azizi, “the beloved daughter” (simply known as Farzana), and Zeb-un-Nissa, “adornment among women”. She was also given a huge piece of land just 500 meters from the Red Fort in Delhi. The land was part of Begum ka Bagh, built by Princess Jahanara Begum in the seventeenth century. Begum Samru decided to make use of the garden and built a palatial white building in the Greco-Roman style on this property. This is the same haveli we visited with Heritage Walk participants, where stains of paan cover the white walls and garbage litters the once majestic staircase. The haveli is now known as Bhagirath Place; It borders the larger part of the market and the shops are spread out in the alleys. Bhagirath Market is one of the largest electrical wholesale markets in Asia.
After the restoration of Shah Alam II to the throne, Begum Samru became an indispensable part of the Mughal royal family. She was welcomed on every visit to Delhi and maintained a cordial relationship with the Emperor and his wife.
A valuable foreign account, the diary of Mrs. A. Deane, tells exactly what happened in the Mughal palace when Begum Samru visited.
The queen dowager hugged Begum Samru after performing Taslim three times. Two elderly ladies then led Mrs. A. Deane and Begum Samru to Diwan-i-Khaas, where the Emperor greeted them warmly, spoke openly to Begum Samru and treated them with great courtesy. Ms. Deane says that Emperor Akbar Shah II was very handsome and very tall, although his long black beard obscured most of his face! The meeting between Begum Samru, Emperor Akbar Shah II and Empress Mumtaz Mahal, Ms. Deane recounts in her diary, was of great historical significance and laid the foundation for Mughal history. The emperor addressed the empress as “Jahangir ki maa,” the mother of the infamous Mughal prince Mirza Jahangir, who was originally supposed to ascend the Mughal throne. Empress Mumtaz Mahal wanted Begum Samru to use her influence to restore Mirza Jahangir’s royal favor with the British and allow him to ascend the throne. This was virtually impossible as the British had a very low opinion of the alcoholic prince, who spent his time in hedonism and revelry and had little to no political tact.
Excerpted with permission from “Badass Begums: The Remarkable Mughal Women Who Dared to Be” by Anoushka Jain, HarperCollins India.
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