Ruhani Bai Begum
| Ruhani Bai Begum | |
|---|---|
| Ruhani Bai | |
| Spouse | Chhatrasal |
| Issue | Mastani |
| House | Persian (by birth)[note 1] Rajput (by marriage) |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
Ruhani Bai Begum (also spelled as Ruhaani Bai Begum) was the chief consort of Bundela Rajput ruler Chhatrasal, ruler of Panna from 1675 to 1731.[1][2] She was a Persian Muslim and a follower of Shia Islam by birth.[note 1]
Mastani’s marriage
[edit]At first Ruhani Bai Begum was against the marriage of her daughter Mastani with Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I.[citation needed]
She was against this marriage as Mastani was half-Muslim because she was born to a Persian mother and Rajput father. She was concerned that her daughter may be discriminated for being half-muslim and a follower of Shia Islam whereas Bajirao was a Hindu Brahmin but later Ruhani Bai accepted this marriage on the advice of her husband Chhatrasal that Mastani was also a half-Hindu, a follower of the Pranami Sampradaya and mastani will not treated with any discrimination .[5] After the advice of her husband, Ruhani Begum accepted this marriage.[6]
In 1728, when Muhammad Khan Bangash invaded Chhatrasal's kingdom and besieged his capital. Chhatrasal wrote to Bajirao for help but being occupied in a military campaign Bajirao could not respond until 1729 when he marched on towards Bundelkhand. Ultimately Bajirao defeated Bangash after reaching Jaitpur near Kulpahar in present Uttar Pradesh.
In gratitude, Chhatrasal gave Bajirao the hand of Mastani along with dominion over Jhansi, Sagar and Kalpi.[7][8]
References
[edit]- ^ Vareekal, Dr George (2022-03-19). Passionate love legends of the past: Stories of Undying Romances. Notion Press. ISBN 979-8-88555-411-4.
- ^ Mehta, Jaswant Lal (2005-01-01). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-1-932705-54-6.
- ^ Kullrich, Nina (2022-02-14). Skin Colour Politics: Whiteness and Beauty in India. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-662-64922-0.
- ^ Mudholkar, Niranjan (2022-09-15). The Kingdom of God. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-68538-288-9.
- ^ Choppra, Kusum (2012). Mastani. Rupa Publications India. ISBN 978-81-291-1933-9.
- ^ Inamdar, N. S. (2016-10-20). Rau - The Great Love Story of Bajirao Mastani. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-5098-5227-7.
- ^ Sivasankaran, Ram (2018). The Peshwa: War of the Deceivers. Westland. ISBN 978-93-87578-65-4.
- ^ Pitre, Maj Gen Shashikant (2021). Bajirao Peshwa: A Soldiers' General. Vij Books India Pvt Limited. ISBN 978-93-90917-30-3.