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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{for|the 1952 Bollywood film|Baiju Bawra (film)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Baiju Bawra
| image =
| caption =
| image_size =
| birth_name = Baijnath
| death_place = [[Chanderi]], [[Mughal Empire]]
| genre = [[Hindustani classical music]]
| occupation = singer
| years_active =
}}
'''Baiju Bawra''' (Lit. "Baiju the Insane", born as '''Baijnath Mishra''') was a [[dhrupad]] musician from medieval India. Nearly all the information on Baiju Bawra comes from legends, and lacks historical authenticity.<ref name="Amala1993">{{cite book |author=Amala Dāśaśarmā |title=Musicians of India: Past and Present : Gharanas of Hindustani Music and Genealogies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FKWfAAAAMAAJ |date=1 December 1993 |publisher=Naya Prokash |isbn=978-81-85421-18-6 |page=99}}</ref> According to the most popular legends, he lived in the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal period]] during the 15th and 16th centuries. He was one of the court musicians of [[Man Singh Tomar]] of Gwalher (now [[Gwalior]]).

==Chanderi–Gwalior legend ==

According to a story, mentioned by Susheela Misra in ''Some immortals of Hindustani music'', Baiju Bawra was born as Baijnath Mishra in a poor [[Brahmin]] family in Champaner, [[Gujarat Sultanate]]. After his father's death, his mother, a devotee of [[Krishna]], went to [[Vrindavan]]. There, Baiju met his teacher [[Swami Haridas]], and was trained in a [[gurukula]]. He also adopted an orphan named Gopal, and trained him to be a musician.<ref name="Susheela1990">{{cite book |author=Susheela Misra |title=Some immortals of Hindustani music |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NcYGAQAAMAAJ |year=1990 |publisher=Harman |isbn=978-81-85151-14-4 |pages=26–30}}</ref>

Gradually, Baiju became famous, and was invited to the court of the [[Raja]] of [[Chanderi]]. In Chanderi, Baiju's adopted son Gopal also became famous. Gopal married his disciple Prabha, and the couple had a daughter named Meera. Around this time, Raja [[Man Singh Tomar]] invited him to [[Gwalior]], where he reached the height of his fame. The queen of Gwalior, Rani Mriganayani, also became his disciple.<ref name="Susheela1990"/>

Once, while Baiju was away, Gopal left Chanderi permanently, lured by some [[Kashmir]]i merchants who wanted him to serve their king. When Baiju returned home, he was shocked to find his entirely family gone. He became a mendicant, and wandered from place to place, looking for his beloved adopted grandchild Meera. People thought of him as an insane person, and thus, he came to be known as "bawra".<ref name="Susheela1990"/> (Alternative legends say that he came to be known as "Bawra", because he was obsessed with [[Indian classical music|classical music]].<ref name="Ramakrishna2003">{{cite book |author=Lalita Ramakrishna |title=Musical heritage of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1o4HAQAAMAAJ |year=2003 |publisher=Shubhi Publication |isbn=978-81-87226-61-1 |page=82 }}</ref>)

[[Tansen]], another famous disciple of Swami Haridas, had heard Baiju's praise from his teacher. He asked his own patron Raja Ramachandra Baghela of [[Rewa (princely state)|Rewa]] to organize a musical contest, in hope that Baiju would come to this contest to salvage his reputation. Baiju came to the contest, and performed extraordinary feats such as hypnotizing deer through his rendering of Raag Mrigranjini and melting a stone slab through Raag Malkauns. Tansen recognized him and embraced him.<ref name="Susheela1990"/>

The legends in the books preserved in [[Jai Vilas Mahal]] in [[Gwalior]] state that Baiju Bawra could light oil lamps by singing [[Raga|Raag]] [[Deepak (raag)|Deepak]]; make it rain by singing the raags [[Megh (raga)|Megh]], [[Megh Malhar]], or Gaud Malhar; and bloom flowers by singing raga [[Bahar (raga)|Bahar]].{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}

Baiju Bawra died in [[Chanderi]] after suffering from [[typhoid]] on [[Vasant Panchami]] day in 1610. A purported [[samadhi (shrine)|samadhi]] of Baiju Bawra is located in Chanderi.

== Legend of Bacchu ==

Some medieval narratives, mentioned in works such as ''Mirat-i-Sikandari'' (17th century), describe an incident about a Gujarati singer called Bacchu (also known as Bakshu or Manjhu). According to the narrative, Bacchu was a musician in the court of [[Sultan]] [[Bahadur Shah of Gujarat]]. When the Mughal emperor [[Humayun]] attacked Bahadur Shah's contingent in [[Mandu, Madhya Pradesh|Mandu]], Bacchu fell in the hands of a Mughal soldier. He was about to be killed, when he was recognized by a [[Raja]] allied with the Mughals. The Raja introduced him to emperor Humayun, who was pleased with his singing and granted his wish to release the Gujarati prisoners. Bacchu remained in service of the emperor for some days, but then ran away to Sultan Bahadur Shah, who had escaped from Mandu to [[Champaner]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Sikandar ibn Muḥammad (called Manjhū Akbar) |author2=Sikandar ibn Muḥammad Manjhū |author3=ʻAlī Muḥammad Khān |author4=Sir Henry Yule |title=The History of India as Told by Its Own Historians: The Local Muhammadan Dynasties. Gujarát |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OVoOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA388 |year=1886 |publisher=W.H. Allen and Company |pages=388–390 }}</ref><ref name="Ram1987">{{cite book |author=Ram Avtar |title=History of Indian music and musicians |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0XaAAAAMAAJ |year=1987 |publisher=Pankaj | pages=54–55 }}</ref>

Bacchu is identified with Baiju by a section of scholars.<ref>{{cite book |author=Indurama Srivastava |title=Dhrupada: a study of its origin, historical development, structure, and present state |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DBEjAAAAMAAJ |date=1 January 1980 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |page=121}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Amrita Priyamvada |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian music |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TSkKAQAAMAAJ |date=1 January 2007 |publisher=Anmol |isbn=978-81-261-3114-3 |page=101}}</ref> Howevers, others believe that Bacchu and Baiju were two distinct persons.<ref name="Ram1987"/>

==In popular culture==

''[[Baiju Bawra (1952 film)|Baiju Bawra]]'', a 1952 [[Hindi]]-language movie depicts a completely fictionalized version of Baiju's life. The film was a big commercial success. In the movie, Tansen is known to be the greatest musician alive. Nobody is allowed to sing in the city unless he or she can sing better than Tansen. Anyone who attempts to sing, without doing it better than Tansen, is executed. Baiju's father dies when Tansen's sentry tries to stop him from singing. Years later, Baiju avenges his father's death by defeating Tansen in a musical duel.{{cn|date=January 2019}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bawra, Baiju}}
[[Category:Date of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Date of death unknown]]
[[Category:Hindustani singers]]
[[Category:Mughal Empire people]]
[[Category:15th-century Indian musicians]]
[[Category:16th-century Indian musicians]]
[[Category:15th-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:16th-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:16th-century Indian composers]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian composers]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian musicians]]

Baiju Bawra - Revision history

>PrimeBOT at 11:35, 16 May 2021