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The Rise And Fall Of Courtesans In Lahore

kds1980

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Apr 3, 2005
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An interesting article to read

THE 50 years of Sikh rule in Punjab (1799-1849), with Lahore as its capital was basically confined to the areas, minus Amritsar, that came to be known as Pakistani Punjab.The seat of power was called the ‘Lahore Darbar’.

During this time, like never before in the history of this land, the role of courtesans rivalled those of Florence and Venice in the Renaissance period. Men in power loved beautiful women. It is a universal, natural and timeless happening just as beautiful women know how to exploit men in power. In Elizabeth the First’s England, handsome men weaved their charm around the queen, giving rise to the best of Shakespeare’s works. It has always worked both ways, for “mutual benefit” as a bankerfriend of mine so aptly puts it.

The all-powerful Maharaja Ranjit Singh loved beautiful women, and soon after he came to power in 1799, he loved to spend his time among such beauties. But he was a man with a sensible head on his shoulders, for he was to describe to a British visitor.

“Remember, every man must pay his full attention first to his work, then to his horses, and then to his women, and strictly in that order.” He ruled for 40 years and his grip on power never once waned. No one dared to conspire against him, for it was well known that it would be the end of even the most influential.

We also know that he loved his horses, and had a massive stable housing 1,000 of the finest horses. He even went to war with Afghanistan over his desire to purchase a horse, getting over 5,000 of his best soldiers killed in the process. It was with the same passion that he pursued his women, most of whom from the courtesan houses of Lahore.

His first love was a courtesan called Mooran, the proud-pea{censored} of a woman whose beauty beguiled everyone who came into contact with her. Once the finance minister, a scion of the religious Fakir family of Bazaar Hakeeman inside Bhati Gate, was so overcome by the beauty of the woman that he jumped into a fountain pool inside the Lahore Fort to “cool off”. The witty Maharaja laughed off the matter with the famous remark: “It seems he likes my choice.” This famous courtesan lived in a beautiful ‘haveli’ next to the mosque of Mooran inside Shahalam in Pappar Mandi. The Maharaja would ride on his elephant, or horse, as the mood dictated, and would spend long hours with her. The rich and famous, the elite and the interested would all approach not the Maharaja, but Mooran, for any work that they wanted done. It is a well-documented fact that even the British agents operating in Lahore in those days chose to operate through Mooran. She had a harem of beauties from Kashmir and the northern states, and often presented the VIPs of Lahore with a courtesan to keep and look after. Most probably it was through these courtesan that the maharaja kept an eye on his potential rivals.

The maharaja was no fool, and neither was Mooran, for she would inform him of every move the British, or others, made. It was a puzzle for the British, for their spy network was not as effective in Punjab as it was in the rest of India.To such a degree did the maharaja trust her, that he took few important decisions without first consulting her. He even got gold coins struck in her name, samples of which can be seen even today in the Lahore Museum, or with collectors.

When Mooran died, the maharaja decided to favour another courtesan by the name of Jugnoo Begum. She was a very beautiful woman, but did not have the wit of Mooran, and soon the maharaja found this ‘overbearing woman’ a strain. The maharaja craved for intelligent persons, and he managed to find yet another beauty from Amritsar, a woman Mooran had once predicted would win his heart one day. Her name was Gul Begum, and the proud Gul demanded that he not touch her before he walked bare-foot from Lahore to Amritsar to wed her. The maharaja knew well that she would not bend, and so he did as Gul Begum had demanded.

It was Gul Begum who looked after the maharaja when he fell ill, and it was she who first stepped forward, a smile on her face, to lie next to her husband when he was being cremated.

One may think of the courtesans of Lahore in narrow sensual terms, but that would be far from the social picture that they represented. The elite of the ‘Lahore Darbar’ all were measured by the quality of their harem, for it depicted their power and prestige.

The sheer number of courtesans in Lahore in the Sikh era has never been rivalled. They were interested in the arts, in music, in the finest things in life. They even educated the children of their masters, and they played a major role in the social networking that made Lahore one of the great cities of the world.

With the coming of the British, bringing women to sell in Lahore was banned and all women living outside the wedlock as courtesans and keeps were asked to leave the city. Many then decided to marry their masters. A new feudal arrangement came about, the remnants of which exist even today. The courtesan culture of Lahore, like that of Lucknow, was ended by the strict Victorian values that the British brought with them. It is interesting that when empires, or cultures, are on the rise, with them also come beautiful women — women who live off their wits, not their beauty alone.
http://www.apnaorg.com/columns/majid/col6.html
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
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Jul 4, 2004
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this is an eye opening article. Never thought of Maharaj used to do these things.. Shame


He did have some "Human failings"...BUT he also had some "good points"...He SUBMITTED to a PUBLIC FLOGGING by the Jathedar of the AKALIS at Akal takhat by Jathedar Aklai phoola Singh for this Moran indiscretion...He refused to sit on his Throne and sat on the floor..he gave the most beautiful and valuable gifts that came for him..to the Darbar sahib..He donated many millions worth of Gold etc at his Grandsons Nau nihals singhs wedding..He donated gold and lands to Hindu mandirs and mosques equally as he did to Gurdwaras...he was the BEST Maharaja the PUNJAB ever had - after POROS who is more known for his Bravery before Alexander the Great !!. PUNJAB really GREW under his 50 years rule...
 

Admin

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Jun 1, 2004
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Married to Moran


Moran, a young dancer (nautch girl), hailing from Lahore, it took nearly two centuries to remove the stigma attached to legendary Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who was declared "Tankhaiyya" (guilty of religious misconduct), by then Jathedar, Akal Takht, Akali Phula Singh for having relations with the Muslim dancer.

The play "Moran Sarkar" ( Moran government) being staged for thefirst time by actors of Lahore, Peshawar and Amritsar at Naat Shala, here on June 30 will be first attempt to establish Maharaja Ranjit Singh's marriage with Moran not just an act of honour but a conscious effort to rehabilitate a particular down- trodden section of society.After painstaking research Manveen Sandhu, principal of Springdale Senior school, Amritsar, established Maharaja Ranjit Singh had married the Muslim dancer as part of his social reform movement and to win over other communities.Finishing touches are being given at a theatre workshop organised by the Manch Rangmanch here in collaboration with the National School of Drama, Punarjyot and young theatre artistes from Pakistan by consulting historians of India and Pakistan to avoid distortion in the script. Bollywood actor Raj Babbar also saw the rehearsal and gave valuable suggestions. Research of Ms Sandhu revealed Moran was not a nautch girl but belonged to a family of entertainers.

After coin was minted in the name of Moran, she became "Moran Sarkar".As per Dr Fauzia of Pakistan, who has written a book "Taboo" on Lahore's Hira Mandi , the Twaif community of Moran had set of rules and regulations to ensure its performing art was preserved in its pure form. Moran's charm captivated the Maharaja's heart when he was just 21. His was a transition from physical to spiritual love and attachment.

The Maharaja soon realised the women in Moran's community were being exploited by society. To give a message to society at large he decided to sanctify his love for her by marrying her.

The Maharaja married her in 1802 and they went to Hardwar for a dip in the holy Ganga.Maharaja Ranjit Singh made an effort to uplift Moran's community. Moran's 'biradari' lived in a village called Makhanwindi near Amritsar.

The Maharaja gave the biradari a place near Amritsar city and named it Sharifpura to rehabilitate honour of the community and encourage them to explore other vocations in case they wished to do so.

She led a life of simplicity and piety after her marriage with the Maharaja. She soon became the Maharaja's link with the common man. Moran earned the love and respect of people of Lahore, who
lovingly called her Moran Sarkar. This disturbed many influential people in the Darbar. Moreover society at large was not evolved enough for such a radical change.After 10 years of living in Lahore and contributing to social, educational and religious fabric of the Durbar, she finally moved away from Lahore.

It is important to give Moran her deserved place in history as Pul Kanjari is now going to be part of National heritage circuit.
 

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