Baz Bahadur
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Bayazid Baz Bahadur Khan was the last
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
of the Malwa Sultanate, who reigned from 1555 to 1562. He succeeded his father, Shuja'at Khan. He is known for his romantic liaison with Roopmati. Baz Bahadur as sultan did not bother to look after his kingdom nor maintained a strong army, being devoted to the arts and to his paramour. He fell in love with the beautiful Hindu shepherdess called Roopmati and also built the Rewa Kund, a reservoir at Mandu, equipped with an aqueduct to the Narmada. The
Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...
defeated him and captured his
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
queen Roopmati, who killed herself at this turn of events. In 1561, Akbar's army led by Adham Khan and Pir Muhammad Khan attacked Malwa and defeated Baz Bahadur in the battle of Sarangpur on 29 March 1561. One of the reasons for Adham Khan's attack seems to be his lust for Rani Roopmati. Rani Roopmati poisoned herself upon hearing of the fall of Mandu. Baz Bahadur fled to Khandesh. Akbar soon recalled Adham Khan and handed over the command to Pir Muhammad, who attacked Khandesh and proceeded up to Burhanpur but was soon defeated by a coalition of three powers: Miran Mubarak Khan II of Khandesh, Tufal Khan of Berar and Baz Bahadur. Pir Muhammad died while retreating. The confederate army pursued the Mughals and drove them out of Malwa, and thus Baz Bahadur regained his kingdom for a brief period. In 1562, Akbar sent another army led by Abdullah Khan which finally defeated Baz Bahadur, who fled to Chittor. Malwa was absorbed by the Mughals, with Baz Bahadur becoming a fugitive at various courts for a number of years. In November 1570, he surrendered to Akbar at
Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...
and joined his service. Bahadur's capital was Mandu (now in
Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...
), which then became an important city in the
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
. The Jahaz Mahal is located in Mandu. File:Baz Bahadur's Palace 01.jpg, Baz Bahadur's Palace in Mandu File:Baz Bahadur's Palace 09.jpg, The courtyard of the Palace File:A_coin_of_Baz_Bahadur.jpg, A copper coin of Baz Bahadur


References

{{reflist Sultans of Malwa People from Dhar 16th-century Indian monarchs 16th-century Indian Muslims