Haji Badi Sahiba- Forgotten Azadar Queen

An Old Monument of Bijapur.Hussaini Mahal was close to it. 


Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Like Begum Hayat Bakhshi, history has also been unfair to Haji Badi Sahiba .Due to the apathy of historians, her role in promotion of azadari  in Adilshahi kingdom  remains obscure till today. The present generation is not aware of her name even whereas she should be frequently quoted for patronizing Imami faith from pulpits during the observance of Muharram every year. Before her arrival in Bijapur, Muharram ceremonies were also devoid of grandeur like Hyderabad. There was not much focus on marsiya writings also.  The kingdom also does not have any Ashurkhana even though the rulers of Adilshahi dynasty always revered Prophet Muhammad, Hazrat Ali and Ahle-Bait. Haji Badi Sahiba was daughter of Muhammad Qutb Shah and sister of Abdullah Qutb Shah. She was brought up in literary and religious environment of Hyderabad. When she reached Bijapur following her marriage, she strived to enhance the scale of Muharram ceremonies at par with Hyderabad. Haji Badi Sahiba also began patronizing poets and encouraged them to compose elegies for the martyrs of Karbala.

The absence of any impressive Ashurkhana in Adilshahi territories, especially in its capital city, perturbed her more. She convinced her husband to erect an Ashurkhana on the pattern of Badshahi Ashurkhana in Hyderabad. She efforts yielded positive results also and she herself laid down the foundation of the Husaini  Mahal in the citadel Arkilla. She erected it with the noble intention of offering devotees of Imam Hussain to mourn his  martyrdom during Ashura. Historian kursi states in his  Tawarikh-e-Haft “ The  charm of heHusaini Mahal is only for Imam Husain Ali Ali Talib”. The physical survey of the structure suggests that the standard of Imam Husain called Husaini Alam  was installed in the front chamber facing east and it remained there for all the days of the year except on the night of Shab-E-Ashur and day of 10^th Muharram.

On Shab-E-Ashur, the standard9Alam) used to be taken out in a procession. During the time of Haji Badi Sahiba , Ali Adil Shah, the elites and the courtiers took active part in Muharram rituals and Husaini  Alam of Bijapur  became as famous as that of Hyderabad. Ashura   in  Ali Namah  hints that the " Ali Adil Shah had made a mannat( Vow) that if he emerged victorious  against his enemies he would erect the Husaini Alam and organize the majalis of  elegies every year. It is believed that Haji Badi Sahiba was the spirit behind the love of the ruler towards Imams and Panjatan She also performed Haj and believed to have brought holi relics to Bijapur. In Ali Namah, her travel to Mecca has been described in detail. She deserves to be remembered for her contribution to azadari in Bijapur .She was indeed a worthy successor of Hayat Bakhshi Begum who was responsible for introduction of Hussaini Langar as a part of Muharram rituals. it is  an irony that two queens of Deccan who did a lot for preservation and promotion of azadari remain forgotten.( Reference available on request)