Bihna'i
Bihnai was an 18th-century Indian tawaif based in Delhi. She was of lowly origins and rose to become one of the most esteemed and wealthy tawaifs of the city, having access to luxuries that were only reserved for the imperial elite. She was primarily mentioned on the list of prominent tawaifs of Shahjahanabad compiled in the Muraqqa-i-Delhi.[1]
Bihnai | |
|---|---|
| Born | Delhi, India, 18th-century |
| Died | 18th century |
| Occupation | tawaif |
| Period | Reign of Muhammad Shah |
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Life
She belonged to a family of cotton pickers, hence her name "bihnai" which translates to "cotton carder" in Urdu. Unashamed of her lowly origins, she would later choose to keep this name as her tawaif name, and was known as Bihnai Fil-Sawar (lit.Bihnai the elephant rider) by all in the city.[2][3]
Political ambition
Bihnai, like her contemporary, Nur Bai, rode on her own elephant flanked with a howdah accompanied by macebearers as attendants, and kept and maintaned close relations with the nobility.[4][5][6] The vizier of Delhi, I'timad-ud-Daulah, had gifted her a set of bejeweled utensils for serving and consuming wine.[7] Through her close relations with the imperial offices she gained political power and would send letters of recommendations to them, which were often accepted.[8]
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- ↑ [1]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344193735_Tumultuous_Times_Crisis_Culture_and_the_City_of_Shahjahanabad_in_the_Eighteenth_Century
- ↑ Platts, John T., A dictionary of Urdū, classical Hindī and English. 2 (Orig. publ. in Oxford 1884 ed.), s. l: Kessinger, ISBN 978-0-7661-9231-7
|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ↑ Chenoy, Shama Mitra (1998). Shahjahanabad, a city of Delhi, 1638-1857. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. ISBN 978-81-215-0802-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Chenoy, Shama Mitra (1989-01-01). "Muraqqa-e Dehli The Mughal Capital in Muhammad Shah's Time". Deputy Publication.
- ↑ Sohail, Sara (2018-11-01). "Nur, The Courtesan, & The Koh-i-Noor | Madras Courier". Retrieved 2026-03-22.
- ↑ Walla -, The Delhi (2025-09-30). "City Hangout – Dancing Girl, National Museum". The Delhi Walla. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
- ↑ Chenoy, Shama Mitra (1989-01-01). "Muraqqa-e Dehli The Mughal Capital in Muhammad Shah's Time". Deputy Publication.
- ↑ Kaicker, Abhishek (2020-04-02), "Sovereignty, City, and the People", The King and the People, Oxford University PressNew York, pp. 54–98, ISBN 0-19-007067-6, retrieved 2026-03-22
