Last King in India: Wajid Ali Shah Read online

  THE LAST KING IN INDIA

  ROSIE LLEWELLYN-JONES

  The Last King in India

  Wajid ‘Ali Shah, 1822–1887

  HURST & COMPANY, LONDON

  First published in the United Kingdom in 2014 by

  C. Hurst & Co. (Publishers) Ltd.,

  41 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3PL

  © Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, 2014

  All rights reserved.

  Printed in India

  Distributed in the United States, Canada and Latin America by

  Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016,

  United States of America

  The right of Rosie Llewellyn-Jones to be identified as the author of this publication is asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

  A Cataloguing-in-Publication data record for this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN: 978-1-84904-408-0

  eISBN: 978-1-84904-536-0

  www.hurstpublishers.com

  This book is printed on paper from registered sustainable and managed sources.

  To the memory of Stanley Menezes, ‘better than the best’

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgements

  List of Illustrations

  Chronology

  Glossary

  Introduction

  1. ‘That Energetic Old Lady’

  2. Pageants and Pantomimes

  3. The Sorrows of Akhtar

  4. The House of Fairies

  5. At Garden Reach

  6. A Tigress Escapes from the Menagerie

  7. A Mimic Kingdom

  Conclusion

  Notes

  Bibliography

  Index

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Although writing is a solitary task, luckily there are people with whom I can share my ideas, my finds and my enthusiasm. A number of friends (and some email acquaintances) have been helpful, particularly in finding images, which I did not have time to search for. I would like to thank the following:

  Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah, an old friend, who has done much to keep the spirit of nawabi Lucknow alive, not least with his theatrical interpretations of the king.

  Sahebzada Humayun ‘Ali, a direct descendant of the king, who provided me with some images and much material on the royal burial ground near Garden Reach.

  Dr Sâqib Bâburî, who has not only advised on mundane matters like the proper transliteration and meaning of Urdu and Persian words, but has also made many helpful scholarly suggestions. Like me, he shares a growing feeling that some, at least, of Wajid ‘Ali Shah’s literary compositions deserve to be made available to a wider audience.

  Michael Brooke and his cousin Michael Douglas, descendants of Sir William Sleeman, who identified a previously unknown portrait of their ancestor, and led me to see him in a more sympathetic light.

  Christopher Buyers, whose online genealogical tables of the Awadh royal family (and many other royal families) are invaluable in tracing the tangled mesh of Wajid ‘Ali Shah’s hundreds of wives and descendants.

  Dr Sophie Gordon, curator of the Royal Photographic Collection, Windsor Castle, who helpfully found references to the Awadh family’s visit to England in 1856–58.

  Charles Greig, who alerted me to images of the king in private hands, and who shared some Lucknow adventures with me.

  Pramod Kumar KG, of Eka Cultural Resources and Research, who found a number of images of the king.

  Shahanshah Mirza, his wife Fatima and his father Sahebzada Wasif Mirza, direct descendants of the king, for their unfailing hospitality, courtesy and encouragement, as well as their practical help in taking me to Garden Reach and answering queries on Shi‘a rituals.

  Mirza Kaukab Qadr, author of Vājid ‘Alī Shāh kī adabī aur s̲aqāfatī khidmāt, the most comprehensive catalogue to date of the king’s works, and a direct descendant, who kindly gave me some images of Garden Reach.

  Jaya Ravindran of the Reading Room at the National Archives, New Delhi, who has helped me find the research material for this book, as for previous books.

  Mr Kenneth Robbins, a fellow Lucknow enthusiast, who shares his finds with me.

  Dr S. A. Sadiq, a direct descendant, who has an impressive library and picture gallery on the royal families of Awadh and Murshidabad.

  Emma Stuart of the Royal Library, Windsor Castle, who let me examine the beautiful Ishqnama manuscript.

  Peter Wynne-James, the grand-nephew of Sir Trevredyn Rashleigh Wynne, who purchased the Sultan Khana at Garden Reach on the king’s death, when he was appointed agent and chief engineer of the newly formed Bengal Nagpur Railway.

  To all of the above-named, my most grateful thanks. Any errors in this book are the sole responsibility of the author.

  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  (Between pages 126 and 127)

  1. The queen mother, Janab-i ‘Aliyyah, enters the train at Southampton station. From the Illustrated London News 6 September 1856. Author’s collection.

  2. The queen mother and party at Drury Lane Theatre, London. From the Illustrated London News 14 March 1857. Author’s collection.

  3. The Awadh princes, Sikandar Hashmat and Hamid ‘Ali, at the Art Treasures Exhibition, Manchester, July 1857. Photograph by Leonida Caldesi. Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013.

  4. Prince Sikandar Hashmat, embellished photograph, i.e. the crown and robes have been painted on to an existing photograph. Private collection.

  5. Wajid ‘Ali Shah in Qaisarbagh. Painting on cloth, c.1851. From the collection of Kenneth and Joyce Robbins.

  6. Wajid ‘Ali Shah celebrates the Basant (Spring) Festival on the river Gomti. Sir William Sleeman, in red coat, sits next to the king. Hussainabad Picture Gallery, Lucknow.

  7. The Great Vine and the Lanka, Qaisarbagh, Lucknow. Artist unknown, c.1862. © Alkazi Collection of Photography, Delhi.

  8. Wajid ‘Ali Shah is recognised as heir apparent, c.1847. Gouache on paper. Private collection.

  9. Prince Mustafa ‘Ali Khan, elder brother of Wajid ‘Ali Shah. Attributed to Felice Beato, March/April 1858. Albumen silver print 18.4 x 13.2 cm. © The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

  10. Wajid ‘Ali Shah greets Viscount Hardinge, the governor general, at Lucknow c.1847. Gouache on paper. © The British Library, London Add. Or. 742.

  11. Wajid ‘Ali Shah with wife (possibly Akhtar Mahal) and child. Photograph by Ahmad ‘Ali Khan, early 1850s. From William Low, Lieutenant-Colonel Gould Hunter-Weston (1914).

  12. Wajid ‘Ali Shah, oil painting, possibly from a lost original by George Duncan Beechey. Hussainabad Picture Gallery, Lucknow.

  13. Wajid ‘Ali Shah and Safaraz Mahal, from the Ishqnamah, folio 263, Windsor Castle. Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013.

  14. Wajid ‘Ali Shah and Begam Hazrat Mahal from the Ishqnamah, folio 155. The caption reads: The likeness of Iftikharun-nisa’ Khanum, Lady Hazratmahall, before the Sultan-e ’Alam, year 1261 of the Hijrah. c.1845. Windsor Castle. Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013.

  15. Wajid ‘Ali Shah in his zananah at Lucknow, late 1840s/early 1850s. Gouache on paper. State Museum, Lucknow.

  16. The Sultan Khana today, Garden Reach, Kolkata. Author’s collection.

  17. Wajid ‘Ali Shah, date and photographer unknown. Private collection.

  18. Wajid ‘Ali Shah in old age, date and photographer unknown. © Alkazi Collection of Photography, Delhi.

  CHRONOLOGY

  Wajid ‘Ali Shah 1822–1887

  1822 born 30 July at Lucknow, the second son of Prince (later King) Amjad ‘Ali Shah and
the prince’s first wife, Malikah Kishwar (later known as Janab-i ‘Aliyyah)

  1830 sexually assaulted by the servant woman Rahiman

  1837 14 November, preliminary marriage ceremony is delayed due to death of his uncle, King Nasir ud-Din Haider. His grandfather, Mohammed ‘Ali Shah, becomes king, thus placing Wajid ‘Ali Shah in line to the throne

  1838 January, first nikah marriage to Khas Mahal is finalised

  1839 first son, Nosherwan Qadr, born deaf and dumb

  1842 Amjad ‘Ali Shah becomes king. Wajid ‘Ali Shah declared heir apparent, while his elder brother, Mustafa ‘Ali Khan, is passed over

  1843 heir apparent writes Radha Kanhaiya ka Qissa, a play based on an episode in Lord Krishna’s life

  1845 British Resident John Shakespear complains to the governor general about the heir apparent

  1846 first performance of the play Darya-i-Ta’ashshuq, written by the heir apparent

  1847 13 February, Wajid ‘Ali Shah becomes king on the death of his father

  20 February, false report of human sacrifice at a Hindu temple

  8 April, chief minister attacked in his coach at Golaganj

  5 July, chief minister dismissed and ‘Ali Naqi Khan becomes new minister

  8 November, Viscount Hardinge, the governor general, visits Lucknow and threatens annexation

  1847/8 the Ishqnamah, a romantic autobiography, is written by the king

  1848 land revenue reforms proposed by the king are rejected by the governor general. Building of Qaisarbagh Palace begins at a cost of 80 lakhs

  3 March, Dr Aloys Sprenger arrives to catalogue the royal libraries

  17 March, outgoing governor general refuses to meet the king or his heir

  27 May, king sends letter of welcome to Lord Dalhousie, the new Governor General

  1849 11 January, William Sleeman appointed as British Resident at Court

  1 December, Sleeman begins his tour of rural Awadh

  1850 Dalhousie travels through Cawnpore but declines to meet the king

  September, Janab-i ‘Aliyyah orders her son, the king, to divorce six of his wives, including Begam Hazrat Mahal, mother of a young son

  Alambagh, a country house, is built and named after the king’s first wife

  1851 Sleeman warns the king against employing musicians in government posts

  5 June, the king marries a second nikah wife, Akhtar Mahal, then aged eleven

  30 July, Dalhousie sarcastically suggests that the king send his head in a crown to the Great Exhibition in London

  December, Dalhousie fails to visit Lucknow or receive anyone from the Court

  1852 further criticism of the king by Sleeman. Qaisarbagh Palace completed and its gardens laid out

  1853 the king’s troops mutiny because they have not been paid

  14 April, two ambassadors sent by the king to Dalhousie are turned away

  July, the first Yogi Mela is staged in Qaisarbagh December, Sleeman sends a privately printed copy of his Journey through the Kingdom of Oude to Dalhousie

  1854 November, Sleeman resigns because of ill health December, James Outram is appointed new Resident

  1855 January, a 21-gun salute ordered to mark British victory in the Crimea

  February, Outram sends king a warning letter about bloodshed at Ayodhya

  Private Life of an Eastern King published in London causes a sensation

  July/August, clashes and bloodshed between Muslims and Hindus at Ayodhya. The king sends troops who kill between 300 and 400 Muslims

  21 November, Court of Directors order Dalhousie to annex Awadh

  1856 15 January, Dalhousie orders Outram to prepare troops for annexation

  13 February, king refuses to sign annexation treaty

  28 February, Lord Canning sworn in as new governor general

  13 March, king and relatives leave Lucknow en route for Calcutta

  13 May, king arrives by boat in Calcutta; Canning refuses to discuss the annexation

  3 June, king moves to Garden Reach

  15 June, king’s mother, brother and son leave Calcutta for London

  15 August, the royal party arrive at Southampton December, Canning tells the king that annexation is irreversible

  1857 16 January, king’s brother and son meet the Court of Directors in London

  10 May, the Great Uprising begins in Meerut and quickly spreads to Delhi

  16 June, king is arrested and taken to Fort William 1 July, siege of the British Residency at Lucknow begins

  4 July, the royal party meet Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace

  5 July, Begam Hazrat Mahal’s son crowned king in Qaisarbagh Palace

  17 November, British Residency at Lucknow relieved

  1858 24 January, king’s mother dies in Paris hotel 25 February, king’s brother dies in London

  1–15 March, Lucknow recaptured by British troops. Begam Hazrat Mahal flees to Kathmandu

  2 August, East India Company abolished by Government of India Act

  1 November, Proclamation by Queen Victoria marks the end of the Uprising

  1859 9 July, king released from prison, returns to Garden Reach

  1860 10 April, severe fire at Garden Reach 27 August, king sells the crown jewels returned to him by the British

  1862 king mortgages Garden Reach house to meet his debts

  1864 5 October great cyclone hits Calcutta, 60,000 people killed

  1866 June, death of Safdar ‘Ali leaves king facing huge debts

  1867 king employs Amir ‘Ali Khan as accountant and manager

  9 August, king warned by governor general to ‘set his house in order’

  1868/70 rebuilding programme at Garden Reach

  1869 lavish spending by king on his menagerie

  1871/3 second phase of rebuilding at Garden Reach

  1874 death of heir apparent, Prince Hamid ‘Ali

  1877 king complains to governor general about Mowbray Thomson, his new agent

  1878 king requests 50 lakhs to meet his debts, but is refused 31 July, king divorces 27 wives in pension squabble

  1879 6 January, two tigers escape from the king’s menagerie

  10 April, management of king’s affairs passes to Bengal government

  1 May, Commission set up to examine king’s affairs

  1880 7 February, Commission recommend changes in king’s household

  December, king ‘understood to be impotent’; further births will not be recognised

  1882 king congratulates Queen Victoria after failed assassination attempt at Windsor railway station

  1884 king sends letters of complaint to the governor general

  1886 king’s agent suggests measures to be taken on Wajid ‘Ali Shah’s death

  1887 25 April, king falls ill 20/21 June, Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee celebrations

  15 September, looting at Garden Reach reported

  21 September, king dies at Garden Reach and is buried in Sibtainabad Imambarah, Calcutta

  1888 June, properties at Garden Reach are auctioned off to shipping companies

  GLOSSARY

  Indian names and titles

  Indian proper names can be complicated, with prefixes and suffixes. Take, for example, the name of Wajid ‘Ali Shah’s younger brother, General Mirza Muhammad Jawad ‘Ali Sikandar Hashmat Bahadur. He was commander-in-chief of the Awadh Army, and thus a General. Mirza denotes a prince, because he was the son of a king. Muhammad Jawad ‘Ali were his proper names and Sikandar Hashmat his title, by which he was generally known. Bahadur means ‘brave’ and was an honorific title, sometimes used with khan, meaning ‘lord’, so a distinguished man could be awarded the suffix khan bahadur, but this is not part of a proper name. Europeans were sometimes given the title bahadur, and so was the East India Company itself. The names of noblewomen are equally complex. Many had the honorific title ‘nawab’, seemingly a male name, which means ‘deputy’ (see below), so one needs to look for the feminine qualifier, which will be begam, mahal o
r sahibah.

  Working men’s names were often prefixed with their profession, so we get Maulawi Masih-ud-Din Khan Bahadur. Khan bahadur, as we have seen, is an honorific title. Maulawi (‘lordly’) is a learned man, often but not always, a cleric. Masih-ud-Din is the man’s name, stripped of its titles. Finally there are the honorific state titles, so Amin-ud-daulah (‘trusted one of the state’) is the state title of Imdad Husain Khan, one-time chief minister of Awadh. Indian children are also given affectionate pet names at birth, which are different from their proper names, and can, embarrassingly, often follow them into adulthood. We do not know what Wajid ‘Ali Shah’s pet name was; but as a poet he adopted the pen name of Akhtar, a celestial star or star of fortune.

  amir a ruler, chief or noble

  bakhshi paymaster

  barahdari an open-sided pavilion, traditionally with twelve arched openings

  bhang beverage prepared from leaves of the cannabis plant

  bungalow from banglah, a single-storeyed dwelling or temple, typical of Bengal vernacular architecture; later a building of two or more storeys, with a flat roof

  cantonment initially an area set aside for the use of the Company’s army, including parade ground and barracks. Later it included residential accommodation for officers’ families, with church, cemetery, library, ice-club, bandstand and gardens.

  coolies from quli for ‘servant’, labourers or porters

  Court of Directors the executive body of the East India Company in London, who liaised with the Board of Control, a government-appointed body overseeing the workings of the Company

  daftar office

  dak (sometimes dawk) the Indian postal system, that is, letters

  diwan carried by runners, or by dedicated mail carriages a collection of poems, a portfolio or a finance minister/accountant

  durbar/darbar a formal assembly of an Indian court of religion or royalty, also employed by British royalty in India to summon native rulers

  firman authorised royal edict, validated with royal seals and autographs attached

  ghat a landing stage onto a river, often with steps