MANY fascinating characters in history are associated with the mediaeval times. Mainly from the upper stratum of society, they have left their indelible mark in history books for those who are interested in the past and the colourful events attached to it.
Mian Bayazid is one such person, who is known in history as Baz Bahadur. He ruled Malwa and was an accomplished musician. Malwa was a strategically located land-locked territory, forming a geographical division of India like Rajasthan, Gujarat and Deccan.
Although Malwa was invaded on various occasions during the earlier rule of Sultans of Delhi, it was finally in the tenure of Sultan Allauddin Khiljie that General Ainul Mulk, his commander, annexed it to the Sultanate of Delhi (1308). However, after experiencing many vicissitudes related to the expansion and development of the Sultanate, it started disintegrating in the late 14th century, initially due to imbecile rulers who could not keep the brewing dissent under control. The areas lying far off from the centre started demanding independence. In Deccan, after the death of Sultan Muhammad Taghlaq Bahmani, another kingdom had already been found in the middle of the 14th century. In the first decade of the 15th century Gujarat, Malwa and Junpur also seceded from the centre and declared sovereignty.
After disassociating from the centre, these nascent states slowly and steadily prospered. In Malwa, it was Dilawar Khan Ghouri, the governor, who announced the independence of the region. During the Ghouri rule, the kingdom of Malwa flourished. Later on, the Khiljis held the reins of its affairs, and subsequently came the Mughals to rule Malwa for a short period. And when Sher Shah Suri overthrew the Mughals it came under the control of Suri Pathans.
In the days of Islam Shah Suri, Shujaat Khan, father of Mian Bayazid, the then governor of the region proclaimed independence and became king of Malwa. His death was immediately followed by a struggle for power among his sons. Mian Bayazid proved more energetic and ambitious. He instantly moved to Sarangpur, the capital of the region, and took possession of all his father’s property. But his rival was Daulat Khan Ajiyala, who had close association with Islam Shah Suri. But these Afghans were no match to Bayazid’s intelligence. They were soon taken care of by him. He cleverly settled the matter by providing jagirs to his rivals. They became complacent and did not monitor his movements. He caught them unawares and suddenly attacked Ujjain, killed Daulat Khan and sent his severed head to Sarangpur to be suspended from one of the gates. The removal of Daulat Khan made matters easy for Bayazid and he held the reins of the government and received the title of Baz Bahadur.
Despite the fact that Baz Bahadur had only peripheral interest in ruling the land, his valour in battlefield very much admired. But, strange as it may sound, music was something that he really loved. He was an exceptionally talented musician. At the time, nearly as celebrated as Baz Bahadur was Rupmati, a Hindu woman. Baz Bahadur was extremely fond of her and used to express his feelings for her by writing verse in Hindi. It was a strange kind of infatuation that makes the lovers immortal. His deep attachment to Rupmati, albeit a bit notorious, produced effects of far-reaching consequences. That’s why devoting himself to cultural pursuits, Baz Bahadur removed all religious bias and the process of cultural assimilation reached its peak in his tenure.
Rupmati had the ability to compose poetry too. The Hindi language gained quite a bit of popularity when Rupmati and Baz Bahadur wrote verse for one another. Poetry composed by Rupmati in Hindi has taken the shape of a tradition that to date is in vogue and is rendered and sung by musicians of Malwa. Apart from that, her style was imitated by bards who were contemporaries of Rupmati for their own compositions. The following lines may give the reader an idea of what kind of style Rupmati’s poetry has:
Friend, let others boast their treasure, mine’s a stock of pure love’s pleasure
Safely cared for every part, ‘neath that trusty lock my heart.
Safe from other women’s peeping, for the key’s in my own keeping.
Day by day it grows a little, never losese’en a little
But through life will ever go with Baz Bahadur weal or woe.
Such poetry imparted a passionate touch to Baz Bahadur’s music and verse and when he himself wrote poems in Hindi, he poured out his heart, delineating his love for Rupmati. He completely discontinued military activity and passed his days in the company of singers and musicians from all corners of the country. He would gather men and women, singers and instrumentalists who could play rubab, sarnai and sarangi around him and have fun. Though it remains debatable, a lot of people are of the view that Baz Bahadur introduced a new kind of khayal, known as Baz khani khayal, into oriental music, which is even today played in Malwa. On the other hand, Rupmati has the credit of inventing Bup kalyan ragini.
Mentioning the list musicians of Akbar’s court, Abul Fazal points out 36 names; however, he gives great respect to only two names, Tan Sen and Baz Bahadur.
In 1561, Emperor Akbar, in his first major expansionist move, sent Adham Khan to invade Malwa. The Mughals had no difficulty in defeating Baz Bahadur and getting hold of Sarangpur. Baz Bahadur, somehow, was able to escape. Rupmati was captured by Adham Khan. But she preferred death to Adham Khan’s embrace.
Baz Bahadur, after taking refuge in various courts, eventually submitted to Akbar, who, himself a keen patron of music, treated him well.
Finally, inducted into the imperial service, he died as commander of 2,000 men and was reportedly buried, alongside Rupmati’s remains, in Ujjain.
