Zeb-un-Nisa: Mughal Princess Imprisoned for More Than Two Decades by Her Father

Zaibunissa Palace / Image Credit

Mughal princess Zeb-un-Nisa was the eldest child of sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. She was a poetess of considerable merit and wrote under the pen name of Makhfi (meaning Hidden One in Persian). She produced a brilliant collection of beautiful poems which were published after her death in 1702 as Diwan-i-Makhfi.

Born in 1738 in Daulatabad in Deccan, Zeb-un-Nisa seems to be antithetical to what Auranzeb stood for. 

Strained relationship between Zeb-un-Nisa and Aurangzeb had led the father to imprison the daughter for the last 20 years of her life at Salimgarh Fort which lies adjacent to the Red Fort  in Delhi.

Her grandfather, the fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, had betrothed her to Sulaiman Shikoh, the eldest son of Dara Shikoh, elder brother of Aurangzeb. The marriage, however, did not take place. This is because as soon as Shah Jahan fell ill in September, 1657, it sparked a deadly war of succession among his four sons – Dara Shikoh, Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad. During the course of this fratricidal war of succession Murad  and Sulaiman Shikoh were executed on the orders of Aurangzeb in the Gwalior Fort where they were imprisoned.

Barabati Fort: Legacy of Eastern Ganga Dynasty

Barabati Fort / Image Credit

Steeped in history, Barabati Fort is one of the principal visitor attractions in Odisha. 

Barabati Fort , Cuttack/ Image Credit 

Situated on the bank of Mahanadi river, this famous fort casts its historical shadow against the natural surroundings, and both history and nature blend into a rich, seamless harmony.

Barabati Fort was built by King Anangabhima Deva III of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in 1229. Anangabhima III had dedicated his kingdom to Lord Purushottama Jagannath and proclaimed himself as the deputy (Routa) of the divinity of Puri. He had founded the city of Cuttack in the 13th century. 

 

Jain Ruler Kharavela: Imperialist To The Core

Hathigumpha Inscription / Image Credit

In the latter half of the first century B.C., Kalinga ruler Kharavela professed Jainism and became its great patron. It is interesting to note that though Kharavela had embraced Jainism, which stresses on non-violence, he was an imperialist to the core and entered in sanguinary conflicts with his adversaries all over India. 

Kharavela is credited with setting up several images and his chief queen granted a rock-cut cave to the Jain monks.

The Hathigumpha Inscription  of Kharvela 

The Hathigumpha Inscription  in a cavern called Hathigumpha in Udayagiri hills near Bhubaneswar in Odisha was inscribed by Kharavela . This inscription is the main source of information about Kharavela. 

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Murshidabad And Its Attractions

A great centre of trade in the Mughal era, Murshidabad is closely associated with events that ultimately changed the course of modern Indian history. Once the seat of government of the Nawabs of Bengal, this historical place is located on the southern banks of the Bhagirathi in West Bengal. 

The Bengal Nawab Siraj-ud-daula was defeated by Robert Clive, the architect of the British power in India, in the Battle of Plassey (now Palashi) in 1757, laying the foundation of the British Empire in India.

Today known more for its silk, Murshidabad is a district town that seems to exist suspended in time somewhere between the medieval and the modern.

Named after Murshid Quli Khan, the Diwan of Bengal under Aurangzeb, Murshidabad came to the forefront of attention in 1704 when he transferred his capital from Dacca to this place and renamed it Murshidabad. Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal and the founder of the Nasiri dynasty which ruled Bengal from 1717 until 1740.

Watercolour painting of Murshidabad in West Bengal by Robert Smith circa 1814-1815 | British Library

Places of Interest in Murshidabad

Hazar Duari 

Hazarduari Palace at Murshidabad / Image Credit

The famous landmark of Murshidabad, Hazarduari Palace is known for its 1000 real and false doors.  Built during the reign of Nawab Humayun Sah (1824–1838), the three-storey, 114-room palace, has a rich collection of antiquities and antiques including armory, paintings, art works, stucco statues and other valuables. The palace was designed by British architect Colonel McLeod Duncan.  

Nimak Haram Deohri (Traitor’s Gate)

Namak Haram Deorhi / Image Credit

Presently in ruins, Nimak Haram Deohri or the Traitor's Gate is the gate to the residence of Mir Jafar who was the general of Siraj-ud-doula. It was Mir Jafar’s treacherous advice to Siraj-ud-doula to suspend the battle after the death of latter's trusted officer Mir Madan Khan lost the day for Siraj-ud-doula in the Battle of Plassey. 

Fauti or Phuti Masjid

Phuti Masjid / Image Source

Phuti Masjid is a mosque built by Sarfaraz Khan who had held the role of Nawab of Bengal for only one year (1739- 1740.) 

Sarfaraz Khan had succeeded his father Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan who had become Bengal Nawab after the death of latter's father-in-law Murshid Quli Khan. 

Chowk Mosque

Chowk Mosque – Murshidabad / Image Credit

Built in 1767 AD by Munni Begum (the second wife of Mir Jafar, the Bengal Nawab from 1757 to 1760 and 1763 to 1765) the Chowk Mosque in Murshidabad is now under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).  

Motijheel or Pearl Lake is an oxbow lake in Murshidabad. This horse-shoe shaped lake broke away from the meandering River Bhagirathi centuries ago. Located at the bend of this lake is a beautiful palace named Sang-i-Dalan (Stone Palace), a towering gateway and a three-domed mosque and some other structures erected by Nawazish Muhammad Khan, nephew and son-in-law of Alivardi Khan (the Bengal Nawab after whose death his grandson Siraj ud Daula became the Nawab of Bengal).

Shettihalli Church, Hassan – India’s Floating Church

Image Credit 

Situated in the picturesque village of Shettihalli in the Hassan district of Karnataka, Holy Rosary Church a famous travel destination. Located on the Hassan-Shettihalli Road, the church gets submerged in the waters of the Hemavathy River during monsoons. 

Image Credit 

The Holy Rosary Church was abandoned in 1960 when the Hemavati Dam and Gorur Dam were constructed.

Chandra Choodeswarar Temple – A Majestic Shiva Shrine on a Hilltop

Sri Chandra Choodeswara Temple, Hosur

A Dravidian-style shrine of great antiquity, Chandra Choodeswarar Temple in Hosur in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Naduis dedicated to Lord Shiva in his form as Chandrachoodeswarar, meaning "the one who wears the Moon (Chandra) as an ornament on his crest or tuft of hair on top of the head”. 

Perched on a hilltop offering breathtaking views of the surroundings,  Chandra Choodeswarar Temple was patronised by all the major powers of south India including Cholas, Hoysala and Vijayanagara. 

Featuring a soaring gopuram (temple tower), Chandra Choodeswarar Temple is 40 km from Bengaluru.

 

Salimgarh Fort's Gruesome History

Delhi's dark history, with tales of persecution, punishment, incarceration and execution, has been lived out over the centuries within the confines of Salimgarh Fort in Delhi, lying adjacent to the Red Fort built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the builder of Taj Mahal in Agra.

Built by Jalal Khan who ascended the Sur throne in 1545 with the title of Islam Shah after the death of his father and founder of the Sur dynasty Sher Shah Suri, the fort he built in Delhi is known as Salimgarh Fort. This is because Islam Shah was popularly known as Salim Shah. 

The Salimgarh Fort was first used as a prison by the sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb to imprison his brother brother Murad Baksh who sided with the former in the deadly war of succession as soon as the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan fell ill in September, 1657. Murad was later removed to the Gwalior Fort and was executed on the 4th December, 1661 on the charge of murdering Ali Naqi who was Murad’s one time Divan.

In 1788 Rohilla chief, Ghulam Qadir blinded the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II  (r.1759-1806) who was left languishing in the Salimgarh Fort until the Maratha leader Mahadaji Shinde defeated and executed Ghulam Qadir in 1789.  

Many people have lost their lives in Salimgarh Fort. The INA prisoners were incarcerated in the fort by the British from 1945 till Independence of India from British rule on 15 August 1947. Many had lost their lives during their incarceration in the fort.