DID YOU KNOW ?

The first two Urdu poetesses to author a complete Divan belonged to Hyderabad. One of them was the renowned Mah Laqa Bai Chanda (1768-1824), who was among the richest women of her time, owning many villages as part of her inheritance. The Adikmet region, where later the modern-day Osmania University was founded, was also a part of her inheritance. During her lifetime only, she had built her mausoleum, a mosque, and its allied buildings at the foot of the Maula Ali Hill for 2 Lakh Rupees. In Hyderabad too, she had built a mosque, an Ashuur-Khana, and a magnificent mansion for her stay. Mah Laqa’s real name was Chanda Bibi and she belonged to an honorable family, but the vicissitudes of time brought them down. Her circumstances forcedly took her to the courts of the royals and the gatherings of the rich. But her masterful poetry, singing, and wit bestowed upon her immense fame and fortune.