For British pension, Bahadur Shah Zafar plotted against sepoys in 1857

At the age of 82, Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, had to do the toughest balancing act of his life. Leading the life of a tattered royal on the dole of the British, the 15th Mughal emperor’s life was thrown into chaos on May 11, 1857, as Indian sepoys, flying the flag of revolt, rushed into the Red Fort. The sepoys wanted Bahadur Shah Zafar to be the figurehead of their fight against the British East India Company. The octogenarian king, who’s powers were restricted to Delhi’s Red Fort, was divided. He had received a once-in-a-life opportunity to be a real king, but he was worried about his life and pension if the British managed to defeat the Indian soldiers.
The Mughal emperor was caught off-guard that such a big rebellion had taken place so close to his capital in Delhi. Fresh from victory in Meerut, a group of sepoys stormed into the Red Fort, asking Shah Zafar to assume leadership of their fight against British rule. The Mughal emperor, not even afforded respect by his commanders and courtiers, had no idea of the situation he had in front of him.
In the four months that the sepoys camped in the Red Fort and planned their campaign, Bahadur Shah Zafar would go on to send several letters to British officers, keeping his channel open. Most of the letters would be dictated by the emperor and written by his physician, hakim Ahsanullah Khan, and chief administrator, Ahsanullah Khan.
In one such letter, Shah Zafar conspired against the Indian sepoys, telling a British officer that he would get the private doors of the Red Fort opened for the British troops.
It was the pension of one lakh rupees (around Rs 1,300 crore today, factoring in inflation) that Shah Zafar was worried about the most.
It is interesting to note the crucial role that pension played in the 1857 revolt even as the government in the 21st century tries to contain a backlash on pensions by introducing the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).
The NDA government on August 24 announced the UPS, under which government employees will get an assured minimum pension. The UPS was announced after the Centre faced backlash over the New Pension Scheme, and several non-BJP states decided to revert to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). It seems the government has been able to tackle the pension issue for now.
The pensioner of 1857, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was a protectorate of the British East India Company and totally reliant on the monthly pension of one lakh rupees given to him. This was, however, a significantly reduced amount of 26 lakh rupees that his ancestor, Shah Alam, received.
It was during the reign of Jahangir, the fourth Mughal emperor, that the British landed at his court in 1618. The British didn’t have to struggle much to gain a permit for a trading outpost from Jahangir, who was addicted to opium and wine.
Jahangir commanded respect, making European visitors like Thomas Roe bow before him, whereas Zafar had been reduced to a status barely above that of a beggar, reliant on the meagre offerings of the British.
Despite his diminished circumstances, Zafar clung to the illusion that his Mughal lineage still held the same glory of the heyday. He indulged this delusion with his British pension, spending lavishly on jewellery, gardens, celebrations, and extravagant gatherings.
When his funds dwindled before the next pension payment, he resorted to borrowing extensively from local moneylenders and businessmen of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk.
This pension that was granted to Bhahdur Shah Zafar by the Britishers was initiated after the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765, granting financial support to Mughal emperors. The first to benefit from this privilege was Shah Alam II, who received an impressive sum of 26 lakh rupees each month, a fortune sufficient to sustain the once-mighty Mughal Sultanate.
Yet, by 1857, the decline was stark, and Zafar’s monthly allowance had dwindled to a mere sum of one lakh rupees.

Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar ascended the Mughal throne in Delhi’s Red Fort, at the age of 67. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Bahadur Shah Zafar was crowned the emperor in 1837, but he knew that his survival was dependent on the British.
The pension Shah Zafar received was used to manage the affairs of the Red Fort and sustain the 2,000 people who resided in it. From the pension, he allocated a monthly allowance to various princes based on their relationships with him.
“Life at the fort was beset with hardship; the expenses remained the same, but the income was so limited that the Emperor had to borrow loans to celebrate occasions like Eid. Bahadur Shah Zafar’s expenses far exceeded his income, which was the primary reason for his financial hardships,” writes RC Majumdar in The Life and Poetry of Bahadur Shah Zafar.
“Although Bahadur Shah Zafar was an emperor only in name, he fancied himself a monarch in the true sense and desired all the royal pomp and extravagance,” writes Majumdar.
Despite being in debt, Zafar held lavish functions and festivities to display generosity and munificence.
Mirza Jawan Bukht king’s favourite son, and the marriage was a significant event of the time. After all, it was the marriage of the son of the last Mughal. Preparations for the marriage began well in advance of the actual wedding date. Bahadur Shah Zafar had to take a loan of 95,000 rupees, a sum equal to his monthly pension, to fund the event.
Bahadur Shah Zafar, whose so-called reign stretched from Shahjahanabad to Palam, was unaware of any revolt until the sepoys from Meerut reached Delhi on May 11, 1857.
A group of sepoys came to the palace’s Diwan-i-Khas (hall of private audience) and demanded that Shah Zafar assume leadership of their fight against the British East India Company.

The main centres of the revolt of 1857 were Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi and Gwalior.

It soon became clear to Zafar’s courtiers and his physician, Hakim Ahsanullah Khan, that immediate action was necessary to prevent the situation from escalating. Commands were issued to the Mughal princes to lead various regiments that included sepoys, aiming to calm their rising tempers.
Indeed, a measure of the pressure and menace the sepoys had instilled in the aged Mughal’s heart is recorded in the diary of his news writer, Munshi Jivanlal.
“All trade in the city ceased entirely, for every shop that was opened was cleared of its contents… The turbulent mob of soldiers…demanded of the King that he should pass through the city accompanied by his army… When the King returned to the Palace, he found the courtyard of the Diwan-i-Khas crowded with troopers and horses,” writes Jivanlal.
The scene starkly exposed Bahadur Shah Zafar’s complete helplessness. It was surreal, something beyond comprehension. Common sepoys, mercenaries who could never have imagined entering the Diwan-i-Khas, had not only forced their way in but openly insulted Zafar, addressing him as “Are Badshah!” “Arre Budda! Some even tugged at his long, white beard and grabbed his frail hands, Munshi Jivanlal news writer of Zafar, recorded in his diary.
“Terrified, the ageing Mughal retreated to his private chambers, gathered a few servants, and lamented his misfortune, shedding bitter tears over his tragic circumstances,” he writes.
A helpless Shah Zafar gave in to the demands of the sepoys and assumed the title of ‘Emperor of Hindustan’.
However, he didn’t forget to keep his alternative ready.
RC Majumdar writes about how the Last Mughal Emperor secretly aligned with the British, opening a parallel track of communication with them. Majumdar says the Mughal emperor had neither confidence in the sepoys nor sympathy for their cause. Even after joining the mutineers, he remained loyal to the British.

Banadur Shah Zafar was exiled to Rangoon along with his wife and sons after British forces defeated Indian sepoys.

While acting as the figurehead of the sepoys, Bahadur Shah also established a secret backchannel with the British, offering his full support to suppress the sepoys. He sent letters to various British military officers, including the Lieutenant Governor of Agra, detailing the location and activities of the sepoys in Delhi. Ahsanullah Khan, the chief administrator of the last Mughal, authored some of these letters, writes Majumdar.
Ahsanullah Khan’s testimony during the trial after the 1857 revolt reinforces allegations of betrayal. In particular, one of his most nefarious acts occurred a month after the Great Revolt began.
While the revolting Indian sepoys were gearing up to fight in the Mughal Emperor’s name, he sent a message to General T Reed, the Commander-in-Chief of the British unit before the Delhi battle. In turn, T Reed passed on the message to John Lawrence, the Chief Commander of Punjab.
The letter dated July 4, 1857, read: “One of our gomasthas [clerks], who was in Delhi…brought a message from the King that if we would guarantee his life and pension, he would open the gates for us…”
The gomastha, Fateh Mohamed, made the following statement: “…The King was most desirous of making terms with the British, and if a promise (a formal one) were given to him that his pension of 1 lac Rupees a month and his former position should be secured to him, he would have the ‘Jerdarojah’ opened for the admission of the British troops.”
Jerdarojah, that Bahadur Shah Zafar conspired to throw open to the British troops, is a private entrance into the palace under the Summund Boorj on the riverside.
The King also offered to arrange to have any other of the city gates opened at any time the British might wish.
Then, Bahadur Shah made his favourite wife, Begum Zeenat Mahal, and the princes wrote to the British officers. On August 19, 1857, the Commissioner of Meerut, HH Greathed, recorded in his diary, “I am beginning to get letters from the Princes, declaring that they have been fondly attached to us and that they only want to know what they can do for us.”
However, Bahadur Shah Zafar’s diplomacy failed to cut ice with the British as he was arrested on September 23, 1857, after the troops of the East India Company defeated the Indian sepoys in battle. The elderly emperor was sent as a prisoner to Rangoon in Burma (now Myanmar), and died there in 1862 as a prisoner in penury. Though his life was spared, his pension wasn’t.