[From 'Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi’, an album consisting of 89 folios containing approximately 130 paintings of views of the Mughal and pre-Mughal monuments of Delhi, as well as other contemporary material, with an accompanying manuscript text written by Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe (1795-1853), the Governor-General’s Agent at the imperial court. Acquired with the assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund and of the National Art-Collections Fund.] The wife of the King of Delhi at the time of the Mutiny 1857. [Photograph of Zinat Mahal Begum. This was presumably acquired by Metcalfe's son, Sir John Theophilus Metcalfe (1828-83), who was the magistrate in Delhi in 1857, and pasted in at that time. 'We (the Bayley family) possess her photograph taken after her capture' (after the Uprising of 1857). Zinat Mahal was the wife of Bahadur Shah Zafar (1775-1862), the last of the Mughal Emperors. Prior to the Uprising of 1857, the British East India Company reduced Bahadur Shah Zafar and his family, to a state of dependence, with the British Resident holding actual power. Zinat Mahal was angered by Metcalfe, for meddling in Palace affairs and when Metcalfe died mysteriously, many believed that she had poisoned him. After the Uprising of 1857, Bahadur Shah and Zinat Mahal were exiled to Rangoon in Burma.] The Observatory of Dehly denominated the ‘Junter Munter’, literally Witchcraft, was constructed by the Maha Raja Jey Singh of Jeypore who succeeded to the inheritance of his Father about 1693 of the Christian Era. It is situated without the Walls of the City at a distance of 1¼ miles SW, and consists of several detached Buildings. The principal ones as shown in the annexed drawing are the Gnomon, a large Equatorial Dial, and a Circular Building designed for the purpose of observing the Altitude and Azimuth of the heavenly Bodies. The two former do not require particular Notice, but on the third, of which there are two and exactly similar to each other, and intended not as duplicates but as supplementary to each other. A Pillar rises in the Center of the same height with the Buildings itself, which is open at the top. From the Pillar at the same Height of about three feet from the bottom proceed Radii of Stone horizontally to the Circular Walls of the Building. These Radii are thirty in number. The space between them are equal to the Radii themselves, so that each Radius and each intermediate Space forms a Sector of Six Degrees. The parts in the center Pillar opposite to the Radii and in the intermediate Spaces, in all Sixty, are marked by lines reaching to the top, and were painted of different colours. As no observation could be made in the one Building when the Shadow fell on the Space between the Stone Radii or Sector, it was found requisite to construct the Second on which the Radii or Sectors correspond with the Vacant Spaces of the other, so that in one of other, an observation of any body visible above the Horizon might at anytime be made. At Benares and Oojain similar Observatories, though not on so large a Scale, were constructed by the same Scientific Individual. [For the picture, see f.27v] Source : British Library

Amita You Rox :) Thanks for all your comments on RRSI pages.

Delhi's " famous PHOOL WHALON KI SAIR"--began with Zeenat Mahal's offering of a "chaddar 'to "Aulia's tomb which tradition continues today

Zeenat Mahal was actually a Mole of the British. She was used by British to spy on the Rebels she became a pawn at their hands. she had not expected the retribution and the Massacare that would follow. she was betrayed by the British her life and the Life of Bahadur Shah Zafar was spared because of her foolish support to the british

The marriage of prince Jawan Bakht was the last grand marriage in the house of the Mughals in which the Marwari money-lenders of Delhi had advanved loans knowing full well that there was no likelihood of itever coming back.

@digvijay thats true and its also true that they were the biggest beneficiaries of the Loss of the Battle of Delhi to the British because they were not only the Bankers to English also but they bought all the Mughal Properties from the British like Fateh puri Mosque for Pittance

The Fatehpuri masjid had served as a jail during the uprising of 1857. I beg to dis-agree with your view about the Marwaris benefitting from the uprising because Shahjahanabad was not selectively plundered after the EIC secured the decisive victory in the great uprising. Only the portion of Delhi occupied by the Maharaja of Patiala's gartrison was spared and fortunately Ghalib stayed there so he was spared too although he was interrogated with regard to his relations with the imperial court, rest whole of Delhi was ransacked by the red-coats. The houses of the aristocracy of Delhi were plundered and Ghalib records the heart wrenching sight of royal ladies in tattered clothes on the streets of Delhi. Gahlib was arguably 19th century india's greatest poet. He was spared after he showed the ode that he had written to Queen Victoria among several letters that he had penned for the restoration of his pension which coninued to fall on deaf ears. In his interrogation he was asked " Tum Musalman ho ?" to which he replied "Ji .Aadha" When asked what did he mean by Aadha (half) ? Ghalib replied " Main Sharaab peeta hoon !"

DigVijay :I second U !!!

Thank you, Digvijay. I was'nt aware of this "aadha mussulman" reply. Sounds like vintage Mirza Ghalib.

yes uncle, it is classic in-imitable Ghalib.

Amita: My impression was that Begum Zeenat Mahal was the daughter of Hakim Ahsanullah Khan who later turned into the prime witness against Bahadur Shah during the infamous 1857 trial. In that case the title Shamsher-ud-Daula may have been conferred on him by the Court.

Hey where and how does Dagh Dehelvi fit into the jigsaw? He was also a Mughal and his poetry is such a delight to read because of it's wit and brevity. If even his father-in-law turned hostile against the emperor as a prime witness ,alongwith his wife whose over-ambition got the better of her and her affiliations were dubious, in the blasted kangroo court trial no wonder he was a shatterred man.History records that he would scribble with charcoal on the floor where he was incarcerated alongwith with his retinue as even pen and paper were denied to him and he would mumble inaudilbly. The farthest the emperor had ventured was across the yamuna on hunting expeditions so he was enchanted to see the steam locomotive in Kanpur en route to Calcutta from where he was dispatched to Rangoon on exile. Even steam ships were a source of fascination for him. He wanted his surviving projeny to acquire English education and had sadly acknowledged that the English were the new masters whose life and methods had to be acquired in the rapidly changing world. The sh 'er of Ghalib is pertinent here: Imaan mujhay rokay hai jo kheenchay hai mujhay Kufrr Kaaba meray peechay kaleesa meray aagay It is a sad commentry on the rise of the new power ( Kaleesa = church)

Digvijay: You have a fantastic command over Urdu! While reading this note from you about the need for English education, I recalled Mirza Ghalib's line "kaa'ba mere peechhay hai, kaleesa mere aagay" and reading further found that you had already quoted that! Wonderful.

Ji Nawazish. Another sh 'er of Ghalib is a sad commentry on the times: Hai ab iss maamooray mein kehtay Gham-e-ulfat Asad Hum ne yeh maana ki Dilli mein raheingay khawengay kya ? Just re-rearched and found out about Nawab Mirza Khan Dagh Dehlvi. Dagh's father was sentenced to death for his suspected involvement in the murder of William Fraser, the resident of Delhi.Later his mother married Mirza Fakhru, son of the last emperor. He received excellent education there and and Zauq became his poetic master.He also had teh good fortune of meeting and seeking advice of Ghalib who was also his relation and Dagh became a distinguished poet of Delhi. Mirza Fakhru died in 1856 and the mutiny of 1857 perpetrated attendant terror and turmoil. In the changed circumstances he was compelled to seek the patronage of the nawab of Rampur. Dagh's distinctive merit as a poet lies in his linguistic felicity, his use of living Urdu idiom, and his mastery of metre and music. Although he lacks the pholosophical insights of Ghalib, the mystic insights of Dard and the pathos of Mir but he has all the ingredients of a popular public poet, melody,technical virtuosity and a thorough familiarity with the universal theme of love and romance.

Thank you for clarifying the status of Daagh Dehlvi. Can you please illustrate the quality of his poetry by one or two of his best shairs? For example, I would give a misra like: "shamma her rang mein jalti hai sahar honay tuk" to describe Ghalib.

Well, Dagh is nowhere near the greatness of Ghalib but he is extremely quotable.Maybe you may recall Farida Khanum's rendition of Dagh: Saaz yeh keena saaz kya jaanen, Naaz waale nayaz kya kya jaanaen. ( Bickering minds repel discord, Coquetry knows no kindly thought) Kab kissi dar ki jibba saai ki, Shaikh sahib namaz kya jaanen (When did the shaikh bend or bow? The worth of prayer he knows not) Jo raah-e-ishq mein kadam rakhen Woh nasheb-o-faraz kya jaanen (Those who choose the path of love Are un-concerned with gain or loss) Puchhieye maikashon se lutf-e-shraab yeh maza paakbaz kya janen (Drinkers alone know the taste of wine The pious are alien to the draught) Jin ko apni khabar nahi ab tak, Woh mere dil ka haal kya jaanen Jo Guzartay hain Dagh par sadmein. Aap banda-nawaz kya janen (The shocks and blows taht Dagh sustains, You My Lord, have tasted not) The following three couplets are quoted extensively: Nahien Khel , ai Dagh yaaron se kah do, Ki aati hai Urdu Zabaan aatay aatay ! Hosh-o-hawaas-o-taab-o-tawan, Dagh jaa chukay Ab hum bhi jaanay wale hain, saaman tau gaya ! (Sense and poise, strength and vigour have left me one and all, My goods have gone before me , I'm about to leave) Urdu hai jiska naam hameen jaantay hain, Dagh Hindostan mein dhoom hamari zabaan ki hai ! Dagh's poetic output consists of four dewans, mainly of ghazals: Gulzar-e-Dagh, Aaftab-e-Dagh, Mahtab-e-Dagh and Yaadgaar-e-Dagh. He also wrote a masnawi, Faryad-e-Dagh and few qasidas and rubaies.

Digvijay: Sorry, not impressed.