Re: What happened to Bhagamati?
V. Chowdary Jampala (cjampala@quark.dayton.net)
Fri, 20 Jun 1997 07:49:13 -0400 (EDT)
"Ramakrishna S. Pillalamarri" <pkrishna@ARL.MIL> asks:
> The urgent question is: What happened to Bhagamati, whom the prince of
> Hyderabad fancied? Did the father agree and got them married? Or did she
> meet with some tragical death? And the city was named "bhAgyanagar" in her
> memory.
As I noted earlier, the colorful legend of bhaagamathi is that
Prince Kuli loved bhaagamathi, defying his father ibraheem (aka
malkibharam), and even crossing the raging moosi in floods that too at
night to reach his estranged love. He eventually married her and built a
city bearing her name.
Unfortunately, the history books that I consulted do not give much
credence to this legend. To begin with, prince muhammad kuli became King
(sultan) kuli at the young age of 14 following his father's death. This
kind of shortens the timeframe for this love story and makes it a little
improbable.
My trusted tome on Telugu sanskRUti and charitra does not
mention bhaagamati at all either as history or as a legend.
Dr. B.S.L. Hanumanta Rao in aandhrula charitra notes that Kuli's
fame rests partly on his building the city of Hyderabad and structures
like Charminar. However, he adds, "bhaagamathi anE 'priyapatni' pEra
bhaagyanagaraMgaa haidaraabaadunu muhammad kulee nirmincaaDanna gaadhalO
satyam lEdani chaaritrakulu nirNayistunnaaru."
Worse yet, kambhampaaTi satyanaaraayaNa in aandhrula sanskRUti -
charitra (vol 2) says while describing muhammad kuli's ascension of the
throne, "eeyana talli bhageeradhi anE hindoo stree ani kondaranTaaru.
vidESee yaatrikula kathanam prakaaram aame pEru bhaagmati anee, hindoo
naatyakatte anee, aame pEruna kaTTina bhaagyanagaramE nETi haidaraabaad
anee anTaaru."
Now, raamakRushNa gaaru, you can write yur own version.
Regards. --- V. Chowdary Jampala