{{Short description|Nawab of Bhopal from 1860 to 1868}} {{hatnote|Since [[Begum]] is an honorific, the article's subject is known by her first name.}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}} {{Use Indian English|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox royalty | name = Sikandar Begum | title = | image = Sikandar Begum Bhopal.jpg | image_size = | alt = Sikandar Begum, wearing ceremonial dress and a crown | caption = | succession = [[Nawabs of Bhopal|Nawab of Bhopal]] | reign = 30 September 1860 – 30 October 1868 | coronation = | predecessor = [[Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal|Shah Jahan Begum]] (first reign) | successor = [[Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal|Shah Jahan Begum]] (second reign) | succession1 = Regent of Bhopal | reign1 = 1844–1860 | reign-type1 = Regency | regent1 = [[Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal|Shah Jahan Begum]] | reg-type1 = Monarch | birth_name = Sikandar Begum | birth_date = {{birth date|1817|9|10|df=yes}} | birth_place = Gauhar Mahal, [[Bhopal State]], [[British India]] (present-day [[Madhya Pradesh]], India) | death_date = {{death date and age|1868|10|30|1817|9|10|df=y}} | death_place = Moti Mahal, Bhopal State, British India (present-day Madhya Pradesh, India) | burial_place = Farhat Afza Bagh, [[Bhopal]] | spouse = Jahangir Mohammad Khan | spouse-type = spouse | issue = [[Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal|Shah Jahan Begum]] | full name = | era name = | house = | father = Nasir Mohammad Khan | mother = [[Qudsia Begum, Begum of Bhopal]] | religion = [[Islam]] | signature_type = | signature = }} '''Sikander Begum''' {{postnom|GCSI}} (10 September 1817 – 30 October 1868) was the [[Nawabs of Bhopal|Nawab of Bhopal]] from 1860 until her death in 1868. Although she was initially appointed regent of her nine-year old daughter [[Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal|Shah Jahan Begum]] in 1844, she was recognized as nawab in 1860. During the 1857 [[Sepoy Mutiny]], Sikandar's pro-British stance made her a [[Order of the Star of India|Knight Grand Commander]]. In 1863, she was the first Indian ruler to perform [[Hajj]]. Sikandar enacted many reforms in the state, including the creation of a mint, a [[Secretariat (administrative office)|secretariat]], a [[parliament]] and a modern judiciary.
==Early life== Sikandar was born at Gauhar Mahal in [[Bhopal State]], [[British India]], on 10 September 1817. Her parents, Nasir Muhammad Khan and [[Qudsia Begum, Begum of Bhopal]], were former nawabs of the state.
==Reign== [[File:Silver Rupee coin of the princely state of Bhopal, struck in the name of Nawab Sikander Begum, photographed from a personal collection in West Bengal, India, September 17, 2024.jpg|thumb|Silver Rupee coin from the princely state of Bhopal, struck in the name of Nawab Sikander Begum.]] On 3 January 1847, Sikandar Begum's nine-year old daughter [[Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal|Shah Jahan Begum]] ascended the throne of Bhopal. [[Joseph Davey Cunningham]], [[Indian Political Department|political agent]] of the [[Governor-General of India]], announced on 27 July of that year that Sikandar was appointed [[regent]]. The governor-general bestowed the state's executive powers on her.
During the 1857 [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Sepoy Mutiny]], Sikandar sided with the British. To prevent rebellion in Bhopal, she banned the publication and circulation of anti-British pamphlets, strengthened her intelligence network, and bribed anti-British soldiers to switch sides. In August, however, a group of [[sepoy]]s attacked British [[garrison]]s in [[Sehore]] and [[Berasia]]; anger with her increased in the state due to her pro-British stance. The same group of sepoys, encouraged by Sikandar's mother, surrounded her palace in December. Sikandar sent her son-in-law, Umrao Daulah, to negotiate with them. The soldiers ended their siege when she announced that their salaries would be increased. In 1861, Sikandar received the [[Order of the Star of India|Knight Grand Commander]] award for her pro-British stance during the mutiny.<ref name="TT">{{cite web |title=Begums Of Bhopal - Saris and a scabbard |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/begums-of-bhopal-saris-and-a-scabbard/cid/523398 |publisher=[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)|The Telegraph]] |accessdate=5 April 2019 |date=16 May 2010}}</ref> The British recognized Sikandar as Nawab of Bhopal on 30 September 1860, and her [[Salute#Heavy arms: gun salutes|military salute]] was increased to 19 guns the following year.
===Hajj=== In 1863, Sikandar was the first Indian monarch to perform [[Hajj]]. She was accompanied by about 1,000 people, mostly women. Sikandar wrote a memoir of her trip in [[Urdu]], and an English translation was published in 1870. In the memoir, she wrote that the cities of [[Mecca]] and [[Jeddah]] were "unclean" and the [[Arabs]] and the [[Turkish people|Turks]] were "uncivilised" and "possessed no religious knowledge." Also included in the memoir is an anecdote about her confrontation with Turkish customs officials who wanted to levy [[Duty (economics)|duties]] on everything she brought.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Kashif-ul-Huda |title=Nawab Sikandar Begum's Hajj memoir |url=http://twocircles.net/2010mar13/nawab_sikandar_begums_hajj_memoir.html |publisher=[[Two Circles]] |accessdate=5 April 2019 |date=14 March 2010}}</ref>
===Reforms=== Sikandar divided the state into three districts and 21 sub-districts. A revenue officer was appointed for each district and an administrator for each sub-district. She repaid the state's {{INR convert|3|m}} debt. Sikandar also established a customs office, a [[secretariat (administrative office)|secretariat]], an intelligence network, a mint, a postal service which connected the state with the rest of India, and a modern judiciary with a [[Appellate court|court of appeal]].
She founded the Victoria School for girls and at least one Urdu and Hindi middle school in each district of the state.<ref name="TT"/> Sikandar introduced a Majlis-e-Shoora ([[parliament]]) in 1847. Consisting of nobles and intellectuals, its purpose was to pass and recommend laws and to suggest reforms. In 1862, she replaced [[Persian language|Persian]] with Urdu as the court language.
===Architecture=== Sikandar constructed a [[Moti Masjid, Bhopal|Moti Masjid]] ([[mosque]]) made of red [[sandstone]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Podder |first1=Tanushree |title=Fascinating Bhopal: City of Begums |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/travel/fascinating-bhopal-city-of-begums/articleshow/6905394.cms?from=mdr |publisher=[[The Economic Times]] |accessdate=5 April 2019 |date=11 November 2010}}</ref> and built the Moti Mahal and Shaukat Mahal palaces. The latter was a blend of [[European architecture|European]] and [[Indo-Islamic architecture]], with [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] features.<ref name="RB">{{cite web |title=Nawab Sikander Begum |url=http://governor.mp.gov.in/sikandar.aspx?lang=hi |publisher=Governor of Madhya Pradash|accessdate=5 April 2019}}</ref>
==Personal life== On 18 April 1835, Sikandar married Nawab Jahangir Mohammad Khan.<ref name="RB"/> They had one daughter, [[Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal|Shah Jahan Begum]]. Like her mother, Qudsia Begum, Sikandar was a devout Muslim; however, she did not wear the [[niqab]] (face veil) or practise [[purdah]] (female seclusion). She hunted tigers, played [[polo]] and was a [[swordsman]], [[archer]], and [[lancer]]. Sikandar commanded the army, and personally inspected courts, offices, the mint, and the treasury.
Sikandar Begum died of [[kidney failure]] on 30 October 1868. She was buried at Farhat Afza Bagh, and was succeeded by her daughter as Nawab of Bhopal.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001525/ A pilgrimage to Mecca (London : W. H. Allen, 1870)] (publication) at SOAS Digital Collections * [https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001526/ تاریخ-ا سفر-ا مکّہ (Tarikh-i safar-i Makka)] (manuscript. 1863 [inscribed 1864]) at SOAS Digital Collections
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[[Category:1817 births]] [[Category:1868 deaths]] [[Category:Indian monarchs]] [[Category:Muslim monarchs]] [[Category:Begums of Bhopal]] [[Category:19th-century women monarchs]] [[Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India]] [[Category:19th-century Indian royalty]]