From Grand Palaces to Balls and Chains: The Vicarious and Romantic last Mughal of India

Bahadur Shah Zafar ascended the Mughal throne on the 28th of September 1837. Ruling for a brief period of twenty years, he was able to add various colours and shade to his life, court and Delhi. The tale of Bahadur Shah Zafar is more of a mystic than that of an emperor.

A portrait of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar; Image Source - Wikipedia

The word "Mogul" corresponding to Mughals in the Indian context is almost synonymous with power, prestige and might in the English language. The establishment of this legacy was laid in 1526 when Babur who hailed from Farghana in Uzbekistan defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat to formally establish the Mughal dynasty. Throughout the next few centuries, the Mughal dynasty witnessed immense territorial expansion, lots of bloodsheds, monumental architectural feats, cultural assimilation as well as a huge corpus of art and literature to legitimize and further the dynasties cultural and political capital.

The Mughal dynasty reached its zenith during the rule of Aurangzeb when the entirety of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and a few territories beyond that were under their control. However, the entirety of this empire fell apart and dwindled down within the next fifty years. When Bahadur Shah Zafar ascended the Mughal throne in 1837 its geographical extent was limited to the region of Delhi. Its political and economic powers were also highly diminished due to the continuous interference of the British East India Company.

During the Sepoy Mutiny (as it is known in Britain) or The First War of Independence (as it is known in India) the soldiers rallied to re-instate Bahadur Shah Zafar, their leader. The rebellion was soon crushed by the British authorities. The Uprising of 1857 formally concluded two of India's prime institutions – The British East Indian Company (which was replaced by the British crown) and the Mughal Empire (after Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled).

However, by far the most important aspect of Bahadur Shah Zafar's life was this – Despite such powerlessness and miserly conditions, Bahadur Shah Zafar brought about a literary renaissance in his court with the likes of Mirza Ghalib and Altaf Hussain Hali. He can almost be compared to Queen Elizabeth I who brought about the Elizabethan era of English literature. Ghalib and Hali did to Indian literature what Donne and Spencer did to English literature. Under Bahadur Shah Zafar's reign, the court of Delhi achieved great cultural and literary sophistication.

Delhi also became a great centre of learning with its famous madrasa colleges. In modern connotations, madrasas are a dirty word that is often equated with "terror colleges" by the western media. However, during the mid-1800s these madrasas were a great centre of Persian learning which instilled logic, rationale, science, astronomy, art and culture into its pupils. At that time Delhi had six major madrasas. It is fascinating to know that all of this was achieved without any economic support.

When Bahadur Shah Zafar ascended the throne, the Mughal treasury was hugely depleted. This is a fascinating juxtaposition because throughout history great commercial and economic backing had brought about a significant cultural renaissance. The European renaissance was brought about by the wealthy Medici bankers operating out of Florence. However, there were no bankers or commercial giants in Delhi then.

Delhi under Bahadur Shah Zafar was marked by a culture of tolerance, religious pluralism and multi-ethnic court life. His greatest achievement was that he acted as a catalyst to one of the greatest renaissance in Indian history during a period of severe economic decline. Thus as many would like to believe, Delhi was not a city that was grinding into poverty, misery and degeneracy. It was a world that was in the smack middle of a brief renaissance. The madrasas were buzzing with the same enthusiasm as Oxford did when it was plagued with ideas of Darwin. In its totality, Bahadur Shah Zafar did not mind being powerless as he wanted to live a vicarious life filled with Sufi mysticism, poetry, hookah and sex.

This King who loved to be encumbered by his wealth and privilege was forcefully made to lead the revolt of 1857 for the lack of a figurehead monarch.

The soldiers rallied for re-instating their Mughal ruler. When Delhi was recaptured by the British forces again Bahadur Shah Zafar escaped from the Red Forth to the Tomb of Humayun. However, pretty soon the British came to know about his hideout and they completely surrounded the Tomb of Humayun. Bahadur Shah Zafar and his sons were granted the privilege of life since they surrendered but soon out of sheer impunity the British killed Bahadur Shah Zafar's sons. The once-great Mughal ruler was now locked in an iron cage, treated like an animal and finally exiled to Rangoon – with his sons dead and all close aliases blown to death from the mouth of canon. The British might not have killed him but surely they took away the last iota of life from him. Thus, ended the glorious tale of the Mughals in India, from grand palaces to balls and chains.

The last years of Bahadur Shah Zafar; Image Source: BBC