Bahadur Shah Zafar

Bahadur Shah Zafar

Bahadur Shah Zafar, was the last emperor of the Mughal Empire. His full name is ‘Mirza Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar’. He was the 17th emperor of Mughal Empire and also the last ruler of the Timurid Dynasty. Zafar means “victory” in Urdu. He used to write many Urdu ghazals.

Childhood

Bahadur Shah Zafar was born on October 24, 1755 to King Akbar and Lalbai, the Rajputana queen. He became the Mughal Emperor after his father's death on 28th September 1837. Zafar's father, Akbar, ruled over a rapidly disintegrating empire between 1806 and 1837. It was during his time that the East India Company thought of the idea of ruling in India in the name of the Mughal monarch.

Controlling the position

Bahadur Shah Zafar is not so considered to be prominent or controlling King. He is seen as a freedom fighter by the people of country. As a poet he was actually prominent. He was a noted Urdu poet. While some of the ghazals in his collection were destroyed in the battle of 1857. His collect is known as Kulliyyat-i-Zafar. He was a devout Sufi. He was seen as a Sufi Pir. His appearance is that of an indigent munshi or teacher of languages.

At the end

Bahadur Shah Zafar died in exile on November 7, 1862. His dargah is but obvious based on his name – Shah Zafar dargah.