Imambara Dhania Mahri

An Old Photograph of an Imambara of Lucknow that has also disappeared like Azakhana of Dhania Mahri.

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Dhania Mahri is a household name in the old localities of Lucknow. People have heard her name because of a bridge built by her. Popularly known as ‘Dhania Mahri Ka Pul’, the bridge has kept her name alive but failed to ensure the reverence she deserves as a faithful and fearless Azadar of Imam Husain. She came from a humble background as is evident from her name itself. While Dhania is usually not used by elite class for christening of their children, Mahri means a female domestic help or maid. But she must have been indeed a woman of exceptional qualities and intelligence or else how could she become a favorite of King Naseer Uddin Haider.

So powerful was her influence on the King as Darogha( Superintendent ) of  his seraglio that she outsmarted Faqir Muhammad Khan Goya ,the Great Grandfather of famous Marsiya writer and Shair-E-Inquilab Josh Malihabadi when he refused to offer his land for the construction of a Langarkhana ( Free Kitchen) being built by her adjacent to her Imambara In Maulviganj area. Upon coming to know about Goya’s refusal, she persuaded King Naseer Uddin Haider to send Raja Darshan Singh with an order, instructing Faqir Muhammad to immediately handover his land to Dhania Mahri.

After gaining possession of the land, Dhania built an impressive Imambara with a mosque and Langarkhana. Goya took the whole incident as his personal insult. It was beyond his imagination that he could be outwitted by a woman who had once been just a maid. Moreover, he had also not imagined that King would ask him to handover his land in view of intimacy with him. It is said that Naseer Uddin Haider was fond of mangoes. As Goya belonged to Malihabad, a small town near Lucknow and famous for its mangoes all over the world even today, Naseer Uddin Haider used to get regularly high quality and delicious mangoes from him during season. In return, Goya used to receive precious pearls from the King. He also earned the position of an influential courtier.

Being an intelligent person and a reputed poet himself, Goya complied with the King’s order quietly but launched a campaign against Dhania for her ouster from seraglio. His efforts yielded positive result also, for Dhania was not only removed from her post but also banished to Kanpur after sometime. Goya also took the possession of the land acquired by Dhania for Langarkhana. She however did not lose her heart and settled down gracefully in Patkapur locality. Her love for Azadari continued with the same fervor. She built an Imambara near Jama Masjid area of Kanpur and also constructed a palatial building for her residence.

A dilapidated building on the road leading to Neelwali Gali from Patkapur offers traces of the imambara built by her. Though the building is no longer used as imambara and is occupied by members of a Qazi family but the embellishment of its outer walls with stucco work indicates its ornamentation during its heydays. The Imambara erected by her in Lucknow is also not functional nor have efforts been initiated by anyone to restore to its original character. Only the mosque built by her in Maulviganj is still in use.

If Faqir Muhammad was from the clan of Afridi Pathans who are known for neither forgetting nor forgiving their enemies, Dhania also behaved in similar fashion. Even from Kanpur, she fought back to regain confidence of Naseer Uddin Haider and got back her position in the royal seraglio with the assistance of Prime Minister Roshan- Ud- Daula. Later on, she took her vengeance also by getting Faqir Muhammad banished from Lucknow. 

Once back in Lucknow with full glory, she concentrated on Azadari again and erected an Imambara in Alam Nagar along with a mosque. She also built a mosque in Shivpuri area for the devotees of Ahle-bait. Unfortunately, all the buildings built by her could not sustain the vagary of weather nor find any patron after Dhania Mahri lost her influence over the King. It appears whatever she earned in her lifetime went to the construction of three Imambaras and mosques. Hence, she could not create any endowment for the maintenance of Imambaras like Bahu Begum, Badshah Ghazi Uddin Haider or Muhammad Ali Shah who succeeded Naseer Uddin Haider to the throne of Awadh Kingdom.

History is silent over her last days. It is quite obvious as well because she was neither an Empress nor favorite queen of any King. She was simply a superintendent of female attendants of King’s seraglio .Her only noteworthy accomplishment was the Khilat of fourteen Parcha with a sword  and a shield when the King conferred upon her the title of Afzalun-Nisa. Historians apathy towards her however does not deprive her from the status of a true Azadar who challenged a powerful landlord and courtier when he proved to be a barrier to her desire to construct a grand Imambara with Langarkhana for distribution of free food to the down trodden.

The setbacks and fluctuation in fortune also failed to deter her spirits as she continued to perform Muharram ceremonies initiated by her with the same devotion and lavish expenditure even in the days of hardship. Her Imambaras may not be functional today but they surely remind followers of Ahle-bait the great love and affection she has for the martyrs of Karbala and her desire to overcome all barriers and challenges in her endeavor to erect Imambara in memory of Mazloom-e-Karbala. Her victory over Faqir Muhammad Goya should be seen as a blessing from Masoomeen. The birth of Josh Malihabadi in Goya’s family also indicates how Masoomeen place their blessed ones even in the house of their opponents. How devotionally Josh was attached to Ahle-Bait can be gauged from his wonderful Marsiyas, Nauhas and Salams. Further, his famous couplet “Insaan ko Bedar to Ho Lene Do-Har Qaum Pukaregi Hamare Hain Husain” (Let their be awakening among human being-Each community will Call Husain as its own) has also made him immortal. Legends around Malihabad say that Josh was born in Goya’s family because he had dedicated himself to seclusion and memory of Imam Husain after his banishment.  

( Reference available on Request).