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Happy Lohri 2022 || Dulla Bhatti || The Landlord || Real Story || Haroon Khalid || LIVE IMAGE |
On
Lohri, remembering Dulla Bhatti, the landlord who stood up to the mighty Akbar
Legend
goes that the rebel chieftain saved two Brahmin girls from the emperor and
married them off on the day of the winter festival.
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Akbar |
Surrounded
by thousands of others, there is nothing remarkable about the grave of Dulla
Bhatti, on a raised platform, plastered with cement under the shade of an old
tree. There is no mark on the grave but a board next to it identifies its
occupant. Occasionally, an odd visitor brings flowers or places a new chadar on
it.
The
grave is situated in the historical graveyard of Miani Sahib in Lahore, the
city to which Akbar moved his capital from Fatehpur Sikri during the peak of
Dulla Bhatti’s rebellion against him. Some assert that Akbar made the shift to
counter the insurgency of this zamindar from Pindi Bhattian, a town about 140
km from here.
It was under Akbar that Lahore transformed from a provincial town
to a metropolis city, attracting traders, artisans, musicians, dancers, jogis
and Sufis from across the Mughal Empire. One such Sufi was Shah Hussain, the
mystic who spent his days dancing and singing on the city’s streets, holding a
flask of wine in his hand.
Some
narratives say that Shah Hussain was present outside the Delhi Darwaza the day
Dulla Bhatti was assassinated by the kotwal (police chief) on the orders of the
Mughal emperor. It is suggested that he was an admirer of Dulla Bhatti’s armed
struggle against the Mughal authority. In fact, it is in honour of Dulla Bhatti
that Shah Hussain is believed to have uttered the line:
Hussain Faqeer Sain Da Takht Na Milday Mungay.”
(Says
this lowly faqir, thrones are not gained by merely asking)
to the torture and execution of the rebel, Shah Hussain is believed to have
cursed the kotwal, Ali Malik – who later that day was executed on Akbar’s
orders for recalling Dulla Bhatti’s last words in the emperor’s presence. The
words were abuses against Akbar.
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Dulla Bhatti’s grave at the Miani Sahib Qabristan in Lahore. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons) |
Dulla
Bhatti’s rebellion
As
the stature of Dulla Bhatti grew after his death, so did the legends about him.
Some claimed he was born on the same day as Prince Salim, the oldest son of
Akbar. The story goes that soothsayers told the emperor that Salim would grow
to be a brave and strong man, worthy of his father’s throne, if he were fed by
a Rajput woman who had given birth to a child on the same day the prince was
born. Ladhi, Dulla Bhatti’s mother, was identified as that woman and she raised
Dulla Bhatti and Salim in the same household.
For
many who accept this apocryphal tale as true, this was also a political manoeuvre
by the emperor to win over the rebellious chieftain family of Pindi Bhattian.
For years, Dulla Bhatti’s grandfather Sandal Bhatti and father Farid Bhatti had
fought the mighty Mughal Empire, opposing the taxation system introduced by
Akbar and crafted by the emperor’s finance minister, Todar Mal. Under the new
system, an estimation of the yearly crop value was determined for the past few
years and the zamindar had to pay a fixed amount. Earlier, the tax was
collected from the zamindar as a tribute.
Further
weakening the authority of these local chieftains, a faujdar or Mughal
administrator, whose job was to coordinate with the zamindars and collect
taxes, was appointed. The faujdar was allowed to raise a small force and
undertake development projects. The new system seriously compromised the
economic and political independence of the zamindars and resulted in a
rebellion that saw the death of three generations of the Bhatti clan.
A
few months before Dulla Bhatti was born, his grandfather and father were
captured and executed. Fearful for her son’s fate, Ladhi did not tell Dulla
Bhatti about the rebellion of his ancestors and locked away their weapons in a
room. Dulla Bhatti finally confronted his mother when he was mocked by a
village woman whose pitcher he had broken with his catapult. The woman told him
that instead of exhibiting his bravery on these defenseless pitchers, he should
avenge the deaths of his grandfather and father.
The
lock to the secret room was opened after this incident and Dulla Bhatti
distributed the weapons among his friends and followers. Thus began the
legendary rebellion of Dulla Bhatti against Akbar, the mightiest Mughal
emperor, songs of which were to be sung by bards for centuries to come. There
are legends about how, on two occasions, Dulla Bhatti humbled the emperor and
the prince when they were captured by his soldiers. In one incident, Prince
Salim crossed over into Dulla Bhatti’s territory during a hunt. Releasing him,
the chieftain argued that his conflict was with the emperor, not his son. On
another occasion, it is stated that Akbar, separated from his guards, was
caught by Dulla Bhatti’s soldiers. When presented before Dulla Bhatti, Akbar
pretended to be the jester of the Mughal court and secured his release.
In
Punjabi folk tradition, Dulla Bhatti’s role in rescuing innocent girls from
lecherous men is enshrined in folk poetry that is sung during the winter
festival of Lohri.
In
Punjabi folk tradition, Dulla Bhatti’s role in rescuing innocent girls from
lecherous men is enshrined in folk poetry that is sung during the winter
festival of Lohri.
Lohri
legacy
In
Punjabi folk tradition, Dulla Bhatti’s role in rescuing innocent girls from the
clutches of lecherous men is enshrined in folk poetry that is sung during the
winter festival of Lohri – which will be celebrated on Saturday. The chieftain
is believed to have rescued two Brahmin girls, Sundri and Mundri, from Akbar,
who wanted them in his harem. Dulla Bhatti became their godfather and is
believed to have married them off on Lohri with much pomp and festivity,
directly challenging the authority of the emperor. A popular song sung on Lohri
goes:
Who will save you poor one
Dulla Bhatti is here for you
The Dulla married off his daughter.”
In
pre-Partition Punjab, Dulla Bhatti emerged as the ultimate symbol of the
composite Punjabi culture – a Muslim landlord who fought for the honour of
Brahmin girls, saving them from the Mughal emperor. Songs of his bravery were
sung by Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims alike on Lohri, an indigenous festival that
celebrates the end of the peak winter season. Much like other indigenous
festivals of Punjab, Lohri slowly faded away from West Punjab. With the gradual
death of the festival, the legend of Dulla Bhatti also faded away. Only
occasionally are these stories and songs recalled by wayward travelers who
happen to stumble upon his grave in the heart of Lahore, the glorious capital
of the mighty Mughal Empire.
By – Haroon
Khalid
The author of three books –
- Walking with Nanak
- In Search of Shiva
- A White Trail
Bushan Parimoo
(Feedback at: blparimoo@gmail.com)
