Mastani

Mastani was born to Chhatrasal, and his Persian concubine Ruhani Begum.{{Cite web|author=|date=2015-11-20|title=How Bajirao's Mastani united Hindus and Muslims after her death|url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/mastani-grave-pabel-village-visited-by-hindus-and-muslims-55996.html|access-date=2021-01-28|website=www.indiatvnews.com}}{{Cite book|author=Jaswant Lal Mehta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1wUgKKzawoC|title=Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813|date=2005-01-01|page=108|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd|isbn=978-1-932705-54-6|language=en|quote=Of his own sweet will The Rajput king bestowed a large number of Personal Jagir to Bajirao near Jhansi and further offer hand of her daughter Mastani born from his Muslim Concubine}} Her father was the founder of the Panna State.{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-9-38060-734-4 |pages=187–188}} She and her father were followers of the Pranami Sampradaya, a Hindu sect based on the Bhakti worship of Sri Krishna, but as her mother was Shia, she was also a follower of Shia Islam.

Accounts, however with regard to her origin vary. Some consider her the daughter of the Nizam, while others refer to her as a courtesan of the court of some Muslim chief. The Nizam on suggestion of his wife married her to Bajirao to promote diplomatic relations with Marathas.

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{{Main|Bajirao I}}

File:Painting of Bajirao And Mastani.jpg and Mastani ]]

In 1728, Nawab Muhammad Khan Bangash invaded Chhatrasal's kingdom, defeated him and besieged his capital. Chhatrasal secretly wrote to Bajirao requesting his help. But being occupied in a military campaign in Malwa Bajirao did not respond until 1729 when he marched on towards Bundelkhand. Ultimately Bajirao defeated Bangash after reaching Jaitpur near Kulpahar in present Uttar Pradesh.{{cite book |author=G.S.Chhabra |title=Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-1: 1707-1803) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UkDi6rVbckoC&pg=PA19 |date=1 January 2005 |publisher=Lotus Press |isbn=978-81-89093-06-8 |pages=19–28 }}

In gratitude, Chhatrasal gave Bajirao the hand of his daughter Mastani, dominion over Jhansi, Sagar and Kalpi - amounting to a third of his kingdom. After his marriage to Mastani, he also gifted Bajirao with 33 lakh gold coins and a gold mine.{{Cite news|url=http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/mastani-grave-pabel-village-visited-by-hindus-and-muslims-55996.html|title=How Bajirao's Mastani united Hindus and Muslims after her death|access-date=2017-12-01|language=en-US}} At the time, Bajirao was already married. He, however, accepted out of regard for Chhatrasal.{{cite book|last1=Mehta|first1=J. L.|title=Advanced study in the history of modern India, 1707-1813|date=2005|publisher=New Dawn Press, Inc.|location=Slough|isbn=9781932705546|page=124}}

Back in Pune, the marriage was not generally accepted because of the tradition of monogamy. Mastani lived for some time with Bajirao at his palace of Shaniwar Wada in the city of Pune. The palace's north-east corner held Mastani Mahal and had its own external doorway called Mastani Darwaza. Bajirao later built a separate residence for Mastani at Kothrud in 1734,[http://www.rajakelkarmuseum.com/default/collection/c-mastani.htm Rajakelkar Museum] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308070945/http://www.rajakelkarmuseum.com/default/collection/c-mastani.htm |date=8 March 2005 }} accessed 3 March 2008 some distance away from Shaniwar Wada. The site still exists at the Mrutyunjay temple on Karve road. The palace at Kothrud was dismantled and parts of this are displayed at a special section of Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum.[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000220/spectrum/main3.htm Tribure India] accessed 3 March 2008

Mastani bore a son who was named Krishna Rao at birth, within a few months of Bajirao's first wife Kashibai delivering a son. The boy was eventually named Shamsher Bahadur I.

After the closely following deaths of Bajirao and Mastani in 1740, Kashibai took the 6 year-old Shamsher Bahadur under her care and raised him as one of her own. Shamsher was bestowed upon a portion of his father’s dominion of Banda and Kalpi. In 1761, he and his army contingent fought alongside the Peshwa in the Third Battle of Panipat between the Marathas and Afghans. He was wounded in that battle and died a few days later at Deeg.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yoI8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA407|title=The Cambridge History of India|last=Burn|first=Sir Richard|date=1964|publisher=CUP Archive|language=en}}

Mastani died in 1740, shortly after Bajirao's death. Her cause of death is unknown. According to some, say she died of a shock after perceiving her husband's death. But, many believe that she committed suicide after she heard of Bajirao's death by consuming poison. Mastani was buried in the village of Pabal. Her grave is called both Mastani's samadhi and Mastani's mazar.{{cite news|last1=Mishra|first1=Garima|title=Grave of Mastani: Hindus call it samadhi :), Muslims mazaar|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/grave-of-mastani-hindus-call-it-samadhi-muslims-mazaar/|access-date=15 January 2016|work=The Indian Express|date=20 November 2015}}

Shamsher Bahadur's son Ali Bahadur I was given the Rajputana provinces that came in Mastani's dowry - Jhansi, Sagar and Kalpi. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857 his son Nawab Ali Bahadur II responded to a rakhi from Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi and fought against the British.{{Cite news|url=http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/others/sunday-read/The-Mastani-Mystery/articleshow/48938551.cms|title=The Mastani Mystery - Ahmedabad Mirror|work=Ahmedabad Mirror|access-date=2017-12-01}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.amarujala.com/news/city/banda/banda-hindi-news/rani-of-jhansi-had-sought-help-from-the-nawab-of-banda-hindi-news/|title=नवाब बांदा को राखी भेजकर रानी लक्ष्मीबाई ने मांगी थी मदद- Amarujala|work=Amar Ujala|access-date=2017-12-01|language=en}} Ali Bahadur (Krishna Singh) established his authority over large parts of Bundelkhand and became the Nawab of Banda. The descendant of Shamsher Bahadur continued their allegiance to baihi bai fought the English in the Anglo-Maratha War of 1803. His descendants were known as Nawabs of Banda. But after the defeat of Ali Bahadur, the British abolished the Banda state.

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• 1972 - Rau, the Marathi novel by Nagnath S. Inamdar featuring a fictionalized love story between Baji Rao I and Mastani.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xn43DQAAQBAJ|title=Rau - The Great Love Story of Bajirao Mastani|last=Inamdar|first=N. S.|date=2016-10-20|publisher=Pan Macmillan|isbn=9781509852277|language=en}}

• 1955 - Mastana directed by Dhirubhai Desai. It starred Nigar Sultana, Manher Desai, Shahu Modak and Agha.{{IMDb title|qid=Q128789561|title=Mastani}}
• 2015 - Bajirao Mastani directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali based on the fictional Marathi novel Rau. Deepika Padukone portrayed the character.

• 1990 - Rau a Marathi TV series based on the fictional novel Rau.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}
• 2015 - Shrimant Peshwa Bajirao Mastani, a Marathi TV serial broadcast on ETV Marathi.{{cite web|url=http://www.etv.co.in/e-tv-5/bajirao_mastani/index.html |title=ETV website |publisher=Etv.co.in |access-date=2013-12-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326200714/http://www.etv.co.in/e-tv-5/bajirao_mastani/index.html |archive-date=26 March 2015 }}
• 2017 - Peshwa Bajirao, a Hindi TV series premiered and broadcast on Sony TV India. Mastani was played by Megha Chakraborty.

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• Anne Feldhaus. Images of Women in Maharashtrian Society. Albany: SUNY Press (1998), [https://books.google.com/books?id=r_qf_OYAdqgC&pg=PA70 p. 70].
• Stewart Gordon. The New Cambridge History of India; vol. 2, part 4: The Marathas 1600-1818. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1993),[https://books.google.com/books?id=iHK-BhVXOU4C&pg=PA130 p. 130].

{{MarathaEmpire}}

Category:Year of birth unknown

Category:1740 deaths

Category:Rajputs

Category:Indian Hindus

Category:18th-century Indian Muslims

Category:Women from the Maratha Empire

Category:18th-century Indian royalty

Category:1699 births

Category:Rajput princesses