Famous dancing girls from the pages of Indian history

In her heyday of popularity and power in Mughal India the “lowly” nautch girl humbled many a mighty man of the realm. She rose to the status of a celebrity wooed by kings who could not resist her physical charm, lively company and her accomplishment in dance and music.  She figured as the heroine of royal romances, some of which have been immortalised in folklore. In Akbar’s time, Rupmati, a dancing girl of Saharanpur, more beautiful than the moon, the tulip and the early dawn of the spring, became famous all over North India.  Bards in the streets of Agra and Delhi sang in her praise:

“To see her is to fall in love, and to drink a cup of wine from the flask of her lustrous eyes is to be transported to the cosiest corner of the heaven. To be with her even for a moment is to taste immortality.  She is great, she is pure, she is divine.  God makes the like of her only once in a million years.”

(Muni Lal, Mughal Glory)

Seeing a performance by Rupmati at Ujjain, Baz Bahadur, the ruler of Malwa, was so much charmed that he took her in his harem.   Akbar’s chronicler; Abul Fazal, noted that Rupmati was renowned throughout the world for her beauty and charm and Baz Bahadur was deeply attached to her and used to pour out his heart in Hindi poems descriptive of his love.’  Hearing of their passionate love affair, the youthful Akbar decided to have Rupmati at any cost.  He ordered an invasion of Malwa when Baz Bahadur refused to part with her.  Rupmati and Baz Bahadur fought to the bitter end but they were no match to the mighty Mughal army.  Malwa was captured and Baz Bahadur fled to Khandesh. Rupmati, queen of his heart, chose the heroic step of ending her life by drinking poison rather than be caught alive by the invaders.  Akbar was appalled to learn how this paragon of beauty and object of his heart’s desire, had eluded him.  Remorseful, he got a tomb built for her at Ujjain where Baz Bahadur on his death was also laid to rest by her side.

Another dancing girl of this period who became a legend was Anarkali (pomegranate bud), a title bestowed by Emperor Akbar on Nadira Begum or Sharaf-un-Nisa for her extraordinary beauty.  One day, it is said, the Emperor saw from her reflection in a mirror that she was exchanging glances with Prince Salim.  There were rumours at the court about Salim’s infatuation with Anarkali.  This infuriated Akbar who considered the lowly nautch girl unworthy of a prince’s love.  Legend has it that he ordered death for Anarkali, who was entombed alive in an upright position between two walls of bricks.  Anarkali, gasping for breath as the last brick was being laid, called out the name of her royal lover and then passed into eternal sleep.  Salim on ascending the throne as Jahangir built a mausoleum in Lahore over the grave of his beloved which carries an inscription of a couplet composed by him.’  Ah! Could I behold the face of my beloved once more, I would give thanks unto my God until the day of resurrection.’  There are also other versions of this love story but all of them agree that the mausoleum has for centuries served as a hallowed place for lovers to exchange vows of eternal faithfulness.

There was in the palace of Shah Jahan, a dancing girl of humble birth known as RANA-DIL.  Dara Shikoh, the elder son of the emperor was so much captivated by her charm and beauty that he wanted to marry her.  According to Manucci (Storia Do Mogor) the emperor was opposed to this, not wishing to give offence to Nur Mahal, the principal wife of Dara.  The prince took it to heart so much that he began to fade away and pine for death.  When Shah Jahan came to know of it, he was obliged to give his consent for the marriage and Rana-dil was granted the same privileges and honour as the other princesses.  She was faithful to Dara Shikoh to the last, even after his death.  Aurangzeb, after his victory and the death of Dara wanted to take Rana-dil as his wife.  She inquired through a messenger what was in her that the king was so much enamoured of.  When told the king had an affection for her lovely hair, she cut it off and sent it to Aurangzeh.  She said she wished to live in solitude.  But Aurangzeb insisted that her beauty was great and that he would count her as one of his wives entitled to all the honour and privileges of a queen.  On hearing this, the brave Rana-dil slashed her face with a knife all over and collecting the blood in a piece of cloth sent it to the king saying that if he sought the beauty of her face it was now undone and if her blood gratified him he was welcome.  Encountering such a resolution, Aurangzeb ceased his solicitations, yielding high esteem for her and treated her with the courtesy her constancy deserved.  As long as she lived no one ever saw her in lively spirits or giving any signs of gaiety.

During the later Mughal period, which saw the performing arts at their zenith, we come across LAL KUNWAR, the most glamorous and yet the most notorious dancing girl, who came to be known as the 'Singing Empress’.  A descendant of Tan Sen, the great musical genius of Akbar’s court, she belonged to a family of kalawants (musicians).  Lal Kunwar’s romance with Jaha-ndar Shah, grandson of Aurangzeb, was a most adventurous one.  A consummate singer, she had a melodious voice, sparkling wit and her vivacious dance movements that endeared her to one and all.  A contemporary writer has described her beauty and grace in a long Persian poem which concludes:

Ba khubi  Lal  Kunwar  nam-i-u bud
Shakkar — guftar, sim — andam-i-u bud

(Lal Kunwar, her very name was most appropriate. Sweet in speech, her body was white as silver).

When Jahandar Shah ascended the throne, he conferred on Lal Kunwar the title of Imtiaz Mahal (the chosen one of the palace).  She was even provided with the royal insignia and granted an annual allowance of two crores of rupees.  She exploited her influence over the Emperor to have her kith and kin appointed to high positions.  Jahandar Shah was so enamoured of her that, ignoring all propriety, he would accompany her in a bullock carriage to markets and taverns where they sometimes got drunk.  Their attachment was so intense that she kept him company even on the battlefield.  They are said to have visited saints and bathed in the nude in the tank at the shrine of Nasir-ud-din-Oudhi, Chirag-i-Delhi, in the hope of begetting an offspring.  She was by his side when Jahandar Shah was deposed and imprisoned in Red Fort.  After his assassination, Lal Kunwar was sent to the Suhagpura settlement where widows and families of deceased emperors lived in retirement.

Mohammad Shah Rangila was the greatest pleasure loving Mughal emperor.  In his time, most of the aspiring dancing girls and courtesans in North India flocked to Delhi.  The most famous of them with direct access to the royal court was NUR BAI.  According to a contemporary account by Dargah Quli Khan, Nur Bai with her princely lifestyle held a pre-eminent position in Delhi.  Riding an elephant and escorted by liveried soldiers, she would move about in the city with pomp and show as crowds would rush forward to catch a glimpse of her.  Exceedingly beautiful and sophisticated, she was well versed in the art of conversation with gift of the repartee.  Dignified in bearing, she provided intellectually stimulating company for her patrons.  She was sought after by the nobility who showered her with costly presents to win her favour.  She conducted her mehfils in a royal style, for which her admirers were ready to pay any price.  She wielded considerable political influence.  Nadir Shah during his occupation of Delhi was so much impressed by Nur Bai’s performance and her ode in his honour that he ordered her to be paid Rs. 4,000 and taken to Persia.  She managed with great difficulty to decline the conqueror’s offer and stay on in Delhi.  According to another account, she succeeded in doing so by singing a Persian ghazal which ran as follows:

Man shame-e-jangudazan to subhe  dilkushai
Sozam  garat na beenam meeram chu rukhnumai
Nazdeekat een ehuneenam durran chunam ke guftam
Ne tab-e-wasal daram ne taqal-e-judai.
(Like the burning lamp am I
Like the pleasant dawn art thou
I burn with anguish if I do not see thee
And die with ecstasy if thou showest thy face to me
With thee I am in this perturbed state
And away from thee I suffer, as I have said before
I can neither bear to be united with thee
Nor can I suffer the pang of thy separation).
(Maheshwar Dayal, Rediscovering Delhi)

In western India, the renowned court dancer Mastani made history when she had a passionate love affair with Baji Rao Peshwa I (1720-40) which has become part of folklore.  Offspring of a Hindu father and Muslim mother, she received intensive training in dance and music before adorning the court of Chhatra Sal, the Bundela ruler.  Talented and beautiful, Mastani was considered the most precious jewel of Chhatra Sal when he presented her to Baji Rao as a token of his gratitude for the latter’s help in fighting the Mughals.  With her pleasing personality and alluring manners, Mastani soon captivated the heart of Baji Rao who built a palace for her in Pune.  Mastani responded to his love wholeheartedly.  The Peshwa got so deeply attached to her that he bagan neglecting his state duties.  He also took to drinking and eating meat in the company of his favourite kanchani which roused the ire of the family and the orthodox society of the day.  This impaired his reputation and his ministers thereupon got Mastani kidnapped and put in prison.  This gave a rude shock to Baji Rao who, unable to bear the pangs of separation, became critically ill.  Mastani, on learning this managed to escape from the prison and rushed to meet her lover but Baji Rao had died before her arrival.  The loyal Mastani commited sati and passed fearlessly through the flames to greet her lover in the next world.

By the second half of the 18th century, the centre of performing arts had moved to Lucknow and the Europeans emerged among the new patrons of dancing girls.

Capt. Williamson in his early 19th century account while complimenting the dancing girls of Lucknow for their personal charms and the superior elegance of their accomplishment makes mention of a celebrated nautch girl. kaunam, who was at “the zenith of her glory”.

Despite her homely looks, she held 'her dominion over a numerous train of abject followers and solely by the grace of her movements and the novelty of some cashmerian (sic) airs, held in complete subjection and rendered absolute tributary many scores of fine young British officers.  Kaunam’s popularity took her to many a nautch party organized by the sahibs at their civil and military stations. In the early part of the 19th century, Nicki was easily the most celebrated nautch girl of Calcutta.  She figures in numerous contemporary accounts of nautch parties to which the sahibs and memsahibs were invited.  The great babus of Calcutta vied with one another to hire Nicki for their functions and festivities.  She was known to be quite wealthy and charged a thousand rupees for a single performance.  In an absorbing account, Emma Roberts, a literary celebrity of 1830s, mentions about Nicki who was then the rage of Calcutta society and had long held the rank of prima donna of the East.  She noted that ‘in India, a reputation once established is not endangered by a rage for novelty, or the attractions of younger candidates….. and the singing of an angel, if differing from that of Nicki, would not be thought half so good.  She has been styled the Catalani of Hindustan.’  Another contemporary admirer of Nicki was Lady Nugent, wife of the Commander-in-Chief.  She was greatly impressed with her performance and by her dazzling gold and silver embroidered costume and glittering ornaments studded with diamonds, pearls and emeralds.  Sir Charles D’oyly also complements Nicki in the following verse:

But hark, at Nickie’s voice — such, one ne’er hears
From squalling nautchnees, straining their shrill throats
In natural warblings, how it greets our ears,
And brilliant jingling of delicious notes,
Like nightingale’s that through the forest floats

In south India the most celebrated dancing girl was Muddupalani.  A devadasi turned courtesan, she adorned the royal court of one of the Nayaka kings of Tanjore, Partapsimha (1739-1763), a great patron and lover of music, literature and the arts.  Accomplished in music and dancing,  Muddupalani was also a talented scholar well versed in Sanskrit and Telugu.  Hailing from a family of devadasis with a literary heritage, she was an eminent poet, honoured and rewarded by her royal patron.  In her time she played mentor to young upcoming writers who proudly dedicated their literary work to her.

Muddupalani’s classic work Radhika Santwanam (Appeasing Radha) consisting of five hundred and eighty four poems is a literary masterpiece nonpareil that won her great fame and recognition in her own time.  In this marvellous erotic epic, she introduces herself in the following verses:

Which other woman of my kind has
felicitated scholars with gifts of money?
To which other woman of my kind have
epics been dedicated?
Which other woman of my kind has
won such acclaim in each of the arts?
You are incomparable,
Muddupalani among your kind.

Muddupalani adds further in her autobiographical note to the epic:

A face that glows like the full moon,
skills of conversation, matching the countenance.
Eyes filled with compassion,
matching the speech.
A great spirit of generosity,
matching the glance.
Therse are the ornaments
that adorn Palani,
when she is praised by kings.

Radhika Santwanam is replete with the Shringara rasa or erotic pleasure  presents the story of Radha and Krishna in a new light.  Muddupalani highlights woman’s aggressive role in making love.  It is her sexual gratification that is the central theme of her erotic masterpiece.  She was easily the only Indian woman to have written so boldly and candidly on a sensual theme.

When this great literary work came to the notice of western educated Indians and reformers, they declared it obscene and the British Government, keen on protecting the moral health of their subjects, banned it in 1911.  It was only after independence in 1947 that the ban was withdrawn.