“What were you doing in Sardhana, of all places, on a Sunday,” asked a friend, after I came back from a short trip earlier this month. “I went to see the 200-year-old Basilica of Our Lady of Graces built by Begum Samru,” I replied. The next question, naturally, was “who was she”?
Now, there can be no easy answer to it. In short, she was the daughter of a Mughal nobleman who, after her father’s death, somehow ended up being trained as a dancer at Chawri Bazar, Delhi; in 1765 or so, at the age of 14, she became the companion of an Austrian mercenary named Walter Reinhardt who used to offer the services of his private army to various masters for money; they worked together and grew from strength to strength in the court of weak Mughal king Shah Alam II, eventually securing the rights of revenue-rich principality of Sardhana which passed on to her after Reinhardt's death a few years later; she lorded over it for five decades, converted to Catholicism, led an army of 4,000 troops in various battles and earned the reputation of being one of the most successful political negotiators of her time.
But there are many intriguing sub-plots within this plot, which prompted chroniclers to have two opposing views about her – some praised her as a master strategist and some saw her as a rank opportunist.
I came across some parts of the story during a heritage tour of Chandni Chowk, when it was said that Bhagirath Palace, the congested electronics goods market, was once part of her lavish residential complex, as was the present SBI building there. The church constructed by her at a then-princely sum of Rs. four lakh was mentioned, too. So, when I got a chance to go on a trip to Sardhana (in Meerat district) curated by a walkers' group, I joined with eagerness.
The morning drive, in the vehicles of kind co-walkers, was uneventful except a stopover at a roadside place famous for its sikhanji (which turned out to be a bit overhyped). The church, inside a large compound surrounded by sugarcane fields and dark-shaded mango orchards, was a treat to the eyes, though.
Our Lady of Graces, now recognized as a minor Basilica, was completed in 1820. In 1834, Begum Samru requested the then Pope Gregory XVI to make Sardhana an independent circumscription, while describing Our Lady of the Graces as one of the “finest churches” in India. The architect of the church was Anthony Reghelini, an officer in the Begum’s army. The central dome reminds one of the St James Church in Delhi, as does the honey-yellow colour used extensively in the building. The two spires touching the sky are quite striking and create a perfect picture along with the dome. Inside, there are several large chambers, statues and artworks, including a huge sculpture of Begum Samru herself, (installed by her adopted son after her death) sitting on a chair holding the ‘sanad’ issued in her name by Shah Alam, conferring the rights of Sardhana. It is surrounded by several other figures and marble plaques, including one of Begum Samru commandeering her troops.
These are the soldiers who, after the death of Reinhardt a.k.a. Le Sombre (named so because of his solemn demeanour, which was later Indianised to Samru), petitioned to Shah Alam that the rights of Sardhana should pass on to the Begum instead of her stepson Zafar Yab. One of our main walk organizers took up the mantle of a narrator and shared several snippets of the extraordinary story of her life. How her superb negotiation skills once helped Shah Alam seal a deal with Sikh troops led by Baba Baghel Singh, who were on the verge of taking over his throne, but left after extracting right to build eight gurudwaras in Delhi; how she sent her army to help the Marathas in the Battle of Assaye in 1803, but entered into a deal with the British after they emerged victorious, keeping her powers intact; and how her troops once revolted against her after she fell in love with a French adventurer. The story ended interestingly – the couple fled and entered into a suicide pact after being cornered by soldiers. The Begum stabbed herself but managed not to die while the guy shot himself to death. Another ex-lover helped in her rescue and her restoration as ruler.
Survivor or deceiver? Questions may remain and answers may vary. But there is no doubt that the four-and-a-half feet tall woman who led men in bloody wars at that time, presided over her court wearing a turban, carved a niche for herself in a world of male leaders, kings and warriors, named herself Joanna after the legendary Joan of Arc, and left behind an unimaginable fortune of approximately 55.5 million gold marks, was no ordinary mortal. Her church is considered as a key site of pilgrimage and hundreds still visit it every day. And despite stories of her cruelty against rivals doing the rounds, it is said that she was a benevolent ruler to her subjects as well as a patron of the arts.
As we were on our way back after clicking hundreds of pictures of the church complex and having a tasty meal of the goodies brought by various members of our group, a co-walker remarked, “there should be a movie on her life".
Indeed. And that will be more of the thriller genre, rather than a biopic.
(Source: 1. Walk group storyteller Mr Kulashrestha's narration; 2. Begum Samru: How the 18th century dancer grew to rule over a principality. By Archana Garodia Gupta; 3. India’s forgotten power broker—what was her secret? By Priyanka Borpujari.)
# Pic of the Begum: from the book published on her by the Sardhana church authorities
Now, there can be no easy answer to it. In short, she was the daughter of a Mughal nobleman who, after her father’s death, somehow ended up being trained as a dancer at Chawri Bazar, Delhi; in 1765 or so, at the age of 14, she became the companion of an Austrian mercenary named Walter Reinhardt who used to offer the services of his private army to various masters for money; they worked together and grew from strength to strength in the court of weak Mughal king Shah Alam II, eventually securing the rights of revenue-rich principality of Sardhana which passed on to her after Reinhardt's death a few years later; she lorded over it for five decades, converted to Catholicism, led an army of 4,000 troops in various battles and earned the reputation of being one of the most successful political negotiators of her time.
But there are many intriguing sub-plots within this plot, which prompted chroniclers to have two opposing views about her – some praised her as a master strategist and some saw her as a rank opportunist.
I came across some parts of the story during a heritage tour of Chandni Chowk, when it was said that Bhagirath Palace, the congested electronics goods market, was once part of her lavish residential complex, as was the present SBI building there. The church constructed by her at a then-princely sum of Rs. four lakh was mentioned, too. So, when I got a chance to go on a trip to Sardhana (in Meerat district) curated by a walkers' group, I joined with eagerness.
The morning drive, in the vehicles of kind co-walkers, was uneventful except a stopover at a roadside place famous for its sikhanji (which turned out to be a bit overhyped). The church, inside a large compound surrounded by sugarcane fields and dark-shaded mango orchards, was a treat to the eyes, though.
Our Lady of Graces, now recognized as a minor Basilica, was completed in 1820. In 1834, Begum Samru requested the then Pope Gregory XVI to make Sardhana an independent circumscription, while describing Our Lady of the Graces as one of the “finest churches” in India. The architect of the church was Anthony Reghelini, an officer in the Begum’s army. The central dome reminds one of the St James Church in Delhi, as does the honey-yellow colour used extensively in the building. The two spires touching the sky are quite striking and create a perfect picture along with the dome. Inside, there are several large chambers, statues and artworks, including a huge sculpture of Begum Samru herself, (installed by her adopted son after her death) sitting on a chair holding the ‘sanad’ issued in her name by Shah Alam, conferring the rights of Sardhana. It is surrounded by several other figures and marble plaques, including one of Begum Samru commandeering her troops.
These are the soldiers who, after the death of Reinhardt a.k.a. Le Sombre (named so because of his solemn demeanour, which was later Indianised to Samru), petitioned to Shah Alam that the rights of Sardhana should pass on to the Begum instead of her stepson Zafar Yab. One of our main walk organizers took up the mantle of a narrator and shared several snippets of the extraordinary story of her life. How her superb negotiation skills once helped Shah Alam seal a deal with Sikh troops led by Baba Baghel Singh, who were on the verge of taking over his throne, but left after extracting right to build eight gurudwaras in Delhi; how she sent her army to help the Marathas in the Battle of Assaye in 1803, but entered into a deal with the British after they emerged victorious, keeping her powers intact; and how her troops once revolted against her after she fell in love with a French adventurer. The story ended interestingly – the couple fled and entered into a suicide pact after being cornered by soldiers. The Begum stabbed herself but managed not to die while the guy shot himself to death. Another ex-lover helped in her rescue and her restoration as ruler.
Survivor or deceiver? Questions may remain and answers may vary. But there is no doubt that the four-and-a-half feet tall woman who led men in bloody wars at that time, presided over her court wearing a turban, carved a niche for herself in a world of male leaders, kings and warriors, named herself Joanna after the legendary Joan of Arc, and left behind an unimaginable fortune of approximately 55.5 million gold marks, was no ordinary mortal. Her church is considered as a key site of pilgrimage and hundreds still visit it every day. And despite stories of her cruelty against rivals doing the rounds, it is said that she was a benevolent ruler to her subjects as well as a patron of the arts.
As we were on our way back after clicking hundreds of pictures of the church complex and having a tasty meal of the goodies brought by various members of our group, a co-walker remarked, “there should be a movie on her life".
Indeed. And that will be more of the thriller genre, rather than a biopic.
(Source: 1. Walk group storyteller Mr Kulashrestha's narration; 2. Begum Samru: How the 18th century dancer grew to rule over a principality. By Archana Garodia Gupta; 3. India’s forgotten power broker—what was her secret? By Priyanka Borpujari.)
# Pic of the Begum: from the book published on her by the Sardhana church authorities
