https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Gulbahar_BegumGulbahar Begum - Revision history2026-07-31T01:22:48ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Gulbahar_Begum&diff=43527&oldid=prev>Treekangaroosandlions 2 at 03:29, 26 April 20212021-04-26T03:29:53Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>[[Maharani]] '''Gulbahar Begum''' (died 1863) was a wife of [[Maharaja Ranjit Singh]] of the [[Sikh Empire]].<br />
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==Life==<br />
Gul Begum was a [[Punjabi Muslim]] dancing girl from [[Amritsar]].<ref name="auto1">Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Punjab Chiefs (rev. Edn.). Pakistan, Sang-e-Meel Publications, 1909.</ref> Ranjit Singh, on seeing her dance at [[Ropar]], became captivated with her.<ref name="auto2">Duggal, Kartar Singh. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Last to Lay Arms. India, Abhinav Publications, 2001.</ref><br />
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They married in 1833.<ref name="auto1">Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Punjab Chiefs (rev. Edn.). Pakistan, Sang-e-Meel Publications, 1909.</ref> Prior to the wedding there was opposition from orthodox quarters, who demanded that she convent to [[Sikhism]]. The Maharaja however resisted, and she remained a Muslim.<ref name="auto2">Duggal, Kartar Singh. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Last to Lay Arms. India, Abhinav Publications, 2001.</ref> At the wedding she was dressed in yellow garments, a gold nosering with a pearl was fixed to her nose, her hands and feet were dyed red in henna and she was bedecked in gold ornaments studded with diamonds.<ref>Singh, Khushwant. Ranjit Singh: Maharaja of the Punjab. India, Random House Publishers India Pvt. Limited, 2017.</ref> As part of the wedding celebrations, her brothers were granted a [[jagir]] and given a nawabi title.<ref>Atwal, Priya. Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire. United States, Oxford University Press, 2020.</ref><br />
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After their wedding, Ranjit Singh renamed her Maharani Gulbahar Begum and elevated her to a position above the other courtly women, who were now tasked with massaging her feet. She did not observe [[purdah]] and was often seen on the royal elephant with the Maharaja during processions.<ref name="auto2">Duggal, Kartar Singh. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Last to Lay Arms. India, Abhinav Publications, 2001.</ref> She was given a [[haveli]] between Rang Mahal and Haveli Mian Khan.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web |title=Dazzling Rani of Punjab that was Gulbahar Begum |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1312781 |website=Dawn |access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref><br />
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When the Maharaja died in 1839 she offered herself for [[sati]], however was advised by a courtier that this was forbidden in Islam.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web |title=Dazzling Rani of Punjab that was Gulbahar Begum |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1312781 |website=Dawn |access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref> After the British annexed the Punjab in 1849 she was granted a pension of Rs. 12,380 for the remainder of her life. In later life she adopted a son, Sardar Khan, who cared for her.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web |title=Dazzling Rani of Punjab that was Gulbahar Begum |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1312781 |website=Dawn |access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref> She spent her final years in the Miani Sahib area, and the area where she built a garden and mosque.<ref>{{cite web |title=Queen of Takht-e-Lahore |url=https://www.thefridaytimes.com/queen-of-takht-e-lahore/ |website=The Friday Times |access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref> She died at [[Lahore]] in 1863.<ref name="auto1">Massy, Charles Francis, and Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Punjab Chiefs (rev. Edn.). Pakistan, Sang-e-Meel Publications, 1909.</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Begum, Gulbahar}}<br />
[[Category:1863 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Women of the Sikh Empire]]<br />
[[Category:Indian queen consorts]]<br />
[[Category:19th-century Indian women]]<br />
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