Hayat Mohammad Khan

Immediately after Manji Mamola Bai’s death, a vacuum developed because Hayat was weak, reclusive, decadent and a known failure. The real contenders of power, his cousins, had either been killed or banished into exile. On Chottey Khan’s death, his son Amir was appointed Dewan. He and his brothers conspired with the Scindia Marhattas, raided the treasury, made off with 1½ lakh cash and took refuge with Daulat Rao Scindia. Amir eventually persuaded Daulat Rao Scindia to invade Bhopal with force of 49000. Hayat was in no position to oppose and conceded the forts of Hoshangabad and Raisen. The Marhattas appointed Himmat Rai as Dewan who became the effective administrator of the state. Hayat Mohammad Khan’s eldest son, Ghous Mohammad Khan, was the heir apparent. In 1794, Ghous was married off to Zeenat Begum, who had been brought up by Hayat and his favorite wife Asmat, in the palace. Zeenat’s mother had died soon after childbirth and father, a Barru-kat pathan, died soon afterward while leading a Bhopal force against a Marhatta invasion in Sehore. Zeenat had three children from Ghous – Moiz, Gohar Ara (later known as Qudsia Begum) and Faujdar. Ghous is believed to have fathered 16 legitimate children and about 40 outside wedlock.

During this period, Wazir Mohammad Khan (check out battle of Phanda) came back from Hyderabad. He was banished from Bhopal by Chotte Khan and served under Rajput chieftain, Hati Singh. Later he served the Nizam of Hyderabad and was recognized as a leader and military tactician. Hayat sent for Murid Mohammad Khan, son of Sultan Mohammad Khan as a replacement of Himmat Rai. Murid arrived accompanied with 1000 followers and was sworn in as Chief minister on 20th May 1796. He raised the pay of armed forces and promised to do the same for civil servant and also a program of public works was implemented. He began to put pressure on jagirdars to contribute to state finances. Murid secretly made a deal with Pindaras and gave away large tracts of Bhopal territory. Meanwhile, the army, not having been paid, mutinied. On the other hand, the Marhatta threat started looming even larger.

Murid sought a private meeting with Asmat in order to raise finances to defend Bhopal. Asmat was the daughter of a musician and soon after Mamola Bai’s death had become the effective ruler of Bhopal. She took all decisions in the name of her husband with the advice of her favorite eunuch and constant companion, Gulab Khwajah. On 30 December 1797, Asmat sat behind a curtain in the private quarters of her palace, while Murid pleaded with her to provide jewellery and cash so that the Marhattas could be opposed. Asmat declined and asked Murid to raise funds through taxes. Murid pulled out his dagger, tore down the curtain and attacked the defenseless Asmat. She ran upstairs screaming for help, but Murid grabbed her and killed her with vicious dagger thrusts while his accomplishes murdered her protecting eunuch, Gulab Khwajah. Murid then plundered the cash and jewels from Asmat’s house. Zeenat raised the alarm calling the guards. Murid declared open rebellion and took over the Fatehgarh fort. From there, Murid sent message to Marhatta leaders, offering his support to them and inviting them to take over Bhopal. Meanwhile, Hayat summoned Wazir Mohammad Khan. Wazir responded by gathering a force of about 1000 tribesmen, and entered Bhopal by the bridge Chotey Khan had built. He took effective control of the state, and set off to recover Hoshangabad Fort occupied by Marhattas. After a fierce battle, he led his forces to victory.

Meanwhile Bala Rao Anglia of Gwalior, governor of Sironj, sent a force to Murid with a condition that one of the two major forts is handed over to him. Murid agreed to hand-over Islamnagar to Bala Rao, and set out for Islamnagar to hand over the fort personally to Bala Rao. On reaching Islamnagar, Murid was refused entry into the fort by Moti Bgum, Hayat’s sister. Murid returned to Raisen, and handed it over to Balaji Rao to make good his promise. With the help of Marhattas he raised a force of 40000 and set out to besiege Fatehgarh fort. Wazir bravely resisted the siege and Bala Rao withdrew. Soon Balaji Rao discovered that Murid had lied and cheated on him also Bala Rao imprisoned Murid in Sironj, where Murid committed suicide. So deep was Bala Rao’s suspicion of Murid’s capacity for treachery that, fearing Murid was faking death, he did not allow his corpse to be buried until it actually began to decompose. Murid is buried in Sironj and detested is his memory by Bhopalis that legend makes it incumbent on a Bhopali to strike his grave with a shoe five times