Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1858, just after his show trial in Delhi and before his departure for exile in Rangoon. This is possibly the only photograph of a Mughal emperor ever taken.

Zeenat Mahal, wife of Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar, or Bahadur Shah II (1775-1862), also known as Bahadur Shah Zafar (Zafar was his nom de plume, or takhallus, as an Urdu poet), was the last of the Mughal emperors in India. He was born on October 24, 1775, and was the son of Akbar Shah II from his Hindu wife Lalbai. He became the Mughal Emperor upon his father's death on September 28, 1838. Image File history File links BahadurShah_Zafar. ... Image File history File links BahadurShah_Zafar. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The term show trial serves most commonly to label a type of public trial in which the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the accused: the actual trial has as its only goal to present the accusation and the verdict to the public as an impressive example and... Delhi   (Hindi: , Urdu: , Punjabi: ), sometimes refered to as Dilli, is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai with a population of 13 million. ... Exile (band) may refer to: Exile - The American country music band Exile - The Japanese pop music band Category: ... Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (552x773, 294 KB) Photograph of Zeenat Mahal, wife of Bahadur Shah Zafar, last Mughal Emperor. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (552x773, 294 KB) Photograph of Zeenat Mahal, wife of Bahadur Shah Zafar, last Mughal Emperor. ... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Like other languages, the history of Urdu poetry does not have a firm starting point and shares origins and influences with other linguistic traditions within the Urdu-Hindi-Hindustani mix. ... Like other languages, the history of Urdu poetry does not have a firm starting point and shares origins and influences with other linguistic traditions within the Urdu-Hindi-Hindustani mix. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... a potrait of Akbar II at Smithsonian Institute Akbar Shah II (1760 - 1837), also known as Mirza Akbar, was the second-to-last of the Mughal emperors of India. ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Emperor and the Mutiny

Emperor Bahadur Shah II presided over a Mughal empire that stretched barely beyond the modern city of Delhi. The Sikh Empire in the Punjab and Kashmir, the Maratha Empire, and the British Empire were the dominant political and military powers in 19th-century India. Hundreds of minor kings fragmented the land. The emperor was paid some respect and allowed a pension and authority to collect some taxes, and maintain a token force in Delhi by the British, but he posed no threat to any power in India. Bahadur Shah II himself did not excel in statecraft or possess any imperial ambitions. The Sikh Empire (from 1801-1849) was formed on the foundations of the Sikh Confederacy by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 Punjab (Persian: ‎, meaning Land of the five Rivers) (c. ... Kashmir (or Cashmere) may refer to: Kashmir region, the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent India, Kashmir conflict, the territorial dispute between India, Pakistan, and the China over the Kashmir region. ... Extent of the Maratha Confederacy ca. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...

As the Indian rebellion of 1857 spread, Indian regiments seized Delhi. Seeking a figure that could unite all Indians, Hindu and Muslim alike, most rebelling Indian kings and the Indian regiments accepted Zafar as the Emperor of India, under whom the smaller Indian kingdoms would unite until the British were defeated. Zafar was the least threatening and least ambitious of monarchs, and the legacy of the Mughal Empire was more acceptable a uniting force to most allied kings than the domination of any other Indian kingdom. An engraving titled Sepoy Indian troops dividing the spoils after their mutiny against British rule gives a contemporary view of events from a British perspective. ... Delhi   (Hindi: , Urdu: , Punjabi: ), sometimes refered to as Dilli, is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai with a population of 13 million. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... New Crowns for Old depicts Disraeli as Abanazer from the pantomime version of Aladdin offering Victoria an Imperial crown in exchange for a Royal one. ... The Mughal Empire (Persian: , Urdu: مغلیہ سلطنت, Hindi: मुग़ल साम्राज्य), self-designation GurkānÄ«, گوركانى, alternative spelling Mogul) dates from the early sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century. ...

When the rebellion was crushed, he fled to Humayun's Tomb and hid there. However, he was captured and his sons Mirza Mughal and Khizar Sultan and his grandson Abu Bakr were executed in his presence by Major Hodson and, infamously, their severed heads presented to him in plates instead of his food.^{[citation needed]} He told the British that this was the way that the sons of Mughals came to their fathers — with their heads in red (i.e., dead).^{[citation needed]} Humayuns tomb is a complex of buildings of Mughal architecture located in Nizamuddin East, New Delhi. ... Prince Mirza Mughal (1817 - 1857) was the fifth (and eldest surviving legitimate) son of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and heir apparent to the throne of Delhi and the title of Emperor of India. ... William Stephen Raikes Hodson (March 10, 1821 - March 11, 1858), known as Hodson of Hodsons Horse, British leader of irregular light cavalry during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, third son of the Rev. ...

He was exiled to Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar) in 1858 along with his wife Zeenat Mahal and the remaining members of the family. A formal end was declared to the Mughal Dynasty that began with Babur in 1526. In 1877, the title Emperor of India was assumed by the reigning British monarch, who at that time was Queen Victoria; it was held in that manner until 1948, when it was retroactively terminated effective August 14, 1947. Yangon (Burmese: , population 5,000,000(nearly) (2007 census), formerly Rangoon, is the largest city and former capital of Myanmar (previously known as Burma). ... The following list of Indian monarchs is one of several Wikipedia lists of incumbents. ... Zāhir ud-Dīn Mohammad, commonly known as Bābur (February 14, 1483 – December 26, 1530) (Chaghatay/Persian: ; also spelled ), was a Muslim Emperor from Central Asia who founded the Mughal dynasty of India. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. ... August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ...

Bahadur Shah died in exile on November 7, 1862; he was buried near Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, at the site that later became known as Bahadur Shah Zafar Dargah.^[1] His wife Zinat Mahal died in 1886.^[2] November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Shwedagon Paya The Shwedagon Paya is a 98 meter gilded stupa located in Yangon, Myanmar. ... Yangon (Burmese: , population 5,000,000(nearly) (2007 census), formerly Rangoon, is the largest city and former capital of Myanmar (previously known as Burma). ...

Legacy

Bahadur Shah Zafar was also one of the greatest Urdu poets in Indian history. He wrote a large number of Urdu Ghazals, out of these Urdu poetry, a large chunk was lost and destroyed during the unrest of 1857-1858, yet a large collection still survive, which was later on compiled as Kulliyyat-i Zafar. The court that he maintained, arguably pretentious and decadent for a ruler whose writ extended only to Delhi's Red Fort, was home to other writers of high standing in Urdu and South Asian literature, including Ghalib, Dagh, Mumin, and Zauq (Dhawq). Like other languages, the history of Urdu poetry does not have a firm starting point and shares origins and influences with other linguistic traditions within the Urdu-Hindi-Hindustani mix. ... The Delhi Fort, also known as the Red Fort, is one of the popular tourist destinations in Delhi. ... Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan Ghalib1 (also known as Mirza Ghalib) (December 27, 1797 - February 15, 1869) was an Indian poet who wrote in Urdu and Persian. ... Mount Damavand in winter, Iran A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... Mumin (Arabic: ‎) is an Arabic Islamic term frequently referenced in the Quran, meaning believer, and denoting a Muslim that has complete submission to the will of God (Allah), and has faith firmly established in his heart. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ...

Modern India has respected him as one of the first nationalists, who actively opposed the foreign rule of the British in the Indian soil. Several movies in Hindi/Urdu were made depicting his role during the rebellion as hero.Some streets have been named after him.One of such road is Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in New Delhi and Bahadur Shah Zafar Road in Lahore, Pakistan. A statue of Bahadur Shah Zafar has been erected at Vijayanagram Palace at Bhelupura in Varanasi.The road leading from Bhelupura Police Station to Durgakund Tank has also been named as Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg.From 1959, an academy named as All India Bahadur Shah Zafar Academy has been working in this regard to spread among people the knowledge of his contribution in the first national freedom movement of India. Hindi (Devanagari: or , IAST: , IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is one of the official languages of the Union government of India. ... (اردو), historically spelled Ordu, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-Iranian branch, belonging to Indo-European family of languages. ...

In Bangladesh, the Victoria Park of old Dhaka, has been renamed as Bahadur Shah Zafar Park to depict the respect innate in the hearts of the Bangladeshis for him. Several places are named Victoria Park, most of which are named for Queen Victoria: In Australia: Victoria Park, Adelaide, South Australia Victoria Park, Western Australia Victoria Park, New South Wales Victoria Park Nature Reserve, New South Wales Victoria Park railway station, Melbourne, Victoria. ... Dhaka (previously Dacca; Bengali: Đhaka; IPA: ) is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka District. ...

Descendants

Sons of Bahadur Shah. On the left is Jawan Bakht, and on the right is Mirza Shah Abbas.

At least three lines of descent from Bahadur Shah Zafar are known: Image File history File links Sons_of_Bahadur_Shah_Zafar. ... Image File history File links Sons_of_Bahadur_Shah_Zafar. ...

• Delhi line -- son: Mirza Fathul Mulk Bahadur (alias Mirza Fakhru); grandson: Mirza Farkhunda Jamal; great-grandchildren: Hamid Shah and Begum Qamar Sultan; great-great-granddaughters (daughters of Begum Qamar Sultan): Begum Tahira Sultan & Pakizah Sultan Begum.
• Howrah line -- son: Jawan Bakht, grandson: Jamshid Bakht, great-grandson: Mirza Muhammad Bedar Bakht (married Sultana Begum). Currently she owns a tea stall in Howrah.
• Hyderabad line -- son: Mirza Quaish, grandson: Mirza Abdullah, great-grandson: Mirza Pyare (married Habib Begum), great-great-granddaughter: Begum Laila Ummahani (married Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy).

There are also other descendants of other mughal kings beside Bahadur Shah Zafar II. Most of them used to have or inherited governor or courtier positions; some were viziers or worked in the court of the shah. When the mutiny came most of them fled the capital and changed their family name from mirza, mughal, beg,... to something more common. Some escaped to distant principalities and held courtier positions there, such as Jalaluddin Mirza's line of Bengal Zamindari under the Maharaja of Dighapatia or the Toluqari Family who claims to be Baron Gardner's descendants as well.Thereby many mughals today who are direct descendants of the mughal kings have other professions. Howrah (also spelled Haora) is an industrial city in West Bengal, India. ... (born Mirza Mohammad Jalaluddin Ahmed, the Prince of the Royal House of Timur) (1854-1876) was a Mughal Prince who was the grandson of Emperor Akbar Shah II, and the nephew of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor. ... It has been suggested that Maharaj be merged into this article or section. ... // Dighapatia Raj, an indian Princely estate in North Bengal, was founded by Dayaram Roy (1680-1760), an orphan of nebulous parentage, unlettered but exceptionally intelligent and gifted individual. ... Baron Gardner, of Uttoxeter in the County of Stafford, is a dormant title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ...

Epitaph

Zafar, pictured in a 1919 book of Hindustani Lyrics

The following poem was written by Bahadur Shah Zafar as his epitaph. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (636x897, 63 KB) Bahadur Shah II - aka Zafar - Project Gutenberg eText 17711 From The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hindustani Lyrics, by Various From: http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (636x897, 63 KB) Bahadur Shah II - aka Zafar - Project Gutenberg eText 17711 From The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hindustani Lyrics, by Various From: http://www. ...

In Urdu
Lagta nahiin hai jii mera ujray dayar mein
Kis kii banii hai aalam-e-na-payedar mein
(اردو), historically spelled Ordu, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-Iranian branch, belonging to Indo-European family of languages. ...

Kah do in hasarataun se kahiin awr jaa basen
Itanii jagah kahan hai dil-i daaghdaar mein

Bulbul ko baghban say na sayyad say gila
Kismat main qaid likhi thi mausam-e-bahar main

Umr-i daraaz maang ke laaye they chaar din
Do aarzu mein kat gaye do intezaar mein

Hai kitna bad nasiib Zafar dafn ke liye
Do gaz zamiin bhii na milii ku-ye yaar mein

English Translation
My heart is not happy in this despoiled land
Who has ever felt fulfilled in this transient world

Tell these emotions to go dwell elsewhere
Where is there space for them in this besmirched (bloodied) heart?

The nighthingale laments neither to the gardnerer nor to the hunter
Imprisonment was written in fate in the season of spring

I had requested for a long life a life of four days
Two passed by in pinning, and two in waiting.

How unlucky is Zafar! For burial
Even two yards of land were not to be had, in the land (of the) beloved

Another Verse

Urdu:
Zafar aadmi usko na jaaneye gaa, ho woh kitna hi saahib-e fehm-o zakaa;
Jisey eish mein yaad-e Khuda na rahee, jisey teish mein khaof-e Khuda na rahaa.

Zafar, no matter how smart and witty one may be, he is not a man
Who in good times forgot God, and who in anger did not fear Him.

See also

• List of Indian monarchs
• Mughal Emperor
• Urdu poetry
• Ghazal
• List of Urdu poets
• Delhi
• India

The following list of Indian monarchs is one of several lists of incumbents. ... The following list of Indian monarchs is one of several Wikipedia lists of incumbents. ... Like other languages, the history of Urdu poetry does not have a firm starting point and shares origins and influences with other linguistic traditions within the Urdu-Hindi-Hindustani mix. ... This article is about the poetic form. ... Listed below are major Urdu poets, sorted by date of birth. ... Delhi   (Hindi: , Urdu: , Punjabi: ), sometimes refered to as Dilli, is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai with a population of 13 million. ...

References

External links

• Bahadur Shah Zafar at Kavita Kosh
• BBC Report on Bahadur Shah's possible descendants in Hyderabad
• An article on Bahadur Shah's descendants in Delhi and Hyderabad
• Another article on Bahadur Shah's descendants in Hyderabad
• An article on Bahadur Shah's descendants in Kolkata
• Extracts from a book on Bahadur Shah Zafar, with details of exile and family
• Links to further websites on Bahadur Shah Zafar
• Poetry on urdupoetry.com

Kuliyat Buhadar Shah Zafar Online

• Kuliyat Buhadar Shah Zafar (Volume - 1)
• Kuliyat Buhadar Shah Zafar (Volume - 2)
• Kuliyat Buhadar Shah Zafar (Volume - 3)
• Kuliyat Buhadar Shah Zafar (Volume - 4)
• Kuliyat Buhadar Shah Zafar (Volume - 5)