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In a tightly congested area of the old
city, and among the poorest parts of the metropolis is Bangash Ka
Kamra—(kamra means a chamber or room). Over two centuries ago,
this residential haveli (mansion) was constructed by an Afghan
soldier-adventurer who came from Bangash, a hill in eastern
Afghanistan (the modern Kohat, Kurram and Paiwar). The people who
came to Delhi from there were known as Bangash.
Of these people,
Mohammad Khan Bangash was typical—an adventurer who, when 20
years old, joined a party of Pathan freebooters who hired themselves
out to the Hindu chieftains to fight their internecine wars. Mohammad
Khan Bangash was an outstanding soldier and rose quickly. As a reward
for his services, he was granted a tract of land around modern
Farrukhabad, that soon became a center of Afghan power. During the
reign of Emperor Mohammad Shah Rangila, Bangash became a first grade
mansabdar (revenue collector). He was attached to the Mughal court in
Delhi and built the legendary Bangash Ka Kamra.
Later, he was made
imperial Viceroy over Allahabad and Malwa. He was probably the only
Afghan noble to join the Emperor Mohammad Shah against the Saiyads of
Barah. In 1720 on the defeat of his enemies, Mohammad Khan Bangash
set up a second Afghan center at Farrukhabad.
Due to his courage
and enterprise, Bangash rose rapidly and when the Marathas attacked
the crumbling Mughal Empire, he was ready to join forces against
them. This he was ordered to do by Mohammad Shah Rangila. The
Marathas proved too strong to be driven out, and Bangash did the next
best thing: he entered into a secret pact with them, agreeing to pay
them one year’s chauth (money-tribute).
What was Mohammad
Khan Bangash really like? He was clearly a man of great energy. His
habits were, however, simple and soldierlike. He was rich, but he
dressed simply. He never boasted, so it is related, and his
hospitally was unbounded. But every man has weakness and his was
women. Chief among them was a woman of remarkable ability—Bibi
Saheba.
When Ahmed Shah
succeeded his father Mohammad Shah Rangila, egged on by his wazir,
(prime minister) Safdar Jung, he decided that there were too many
Afghans in Delhi and that the best way to destroy them was to set one
group against another. Safdar Jung conrived to capture Bibi Saheba
and her five sons and imprison them outside Delhi, but a trusted
friend of Mohammad Khan Bangash discovered where she was and brought
her and her sons home. They were chased by Safdar Jung but managed to
escape.
The Pathans in
Delhi protested but not very effectively, for they were full of
tribal divisions. The story goes that one day a soldier in
SafdarJung’s army bought a reel of yarn from a Pathan woman, and
paid the price. A month later he demanded his money back. The woman
protested and he roughed her up. The Pathans then rose en masse and
went to Bibi Saheba who had become a legend for her strength and
leadership. She advisedthem to accept Mohammed Khan Bangash as their
leader, and they routed Safdar Jung’s forces.
Bibi Saheba’s
influence steadily grew. She settled in Delhi. As a woman of great
piety, she built a huge serai (inn) near Khari Baoli and named it
Bangash Ka Kamra. It needed imagination and compassion to do all she
did. Travellers particularlymerchants from Afghanistan found comfort
in it. A market sprang up in the area which still exists and is known
as Gadodia Market. Bibi Saheba also constructed a bridge and a canal
close by, and the waters of the canal once flowed into Delhi. Neither
the canal nor the bridge now exist, but Bangash Ka Kamra, is not what
it once was. The name of the woman most closely associated with it
survives as a symbol of piety and devotion. It is still said by the
common people of the area that she lived in accordance with the
saying of Muslims. “He is not dead who leaves behind him on
earth
Bridge and mosque,
well and travellers’ rest-house.”
Bibi Saheba will
live forever in the hearts of the people.
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