Malika Kishwar, who was reverently known as Janab-i Aliyah (Her Sublime Excellency), was the mother of Wajid Ali Shah, the last king of Oudh, a princely state in the Awadh region of North India. However, she was much more than a mother. She was a revered public figure, and the upholder of Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb (Ganges–Yamuna Culture) which was a poetic Awadhi phrase used to describe the unique culture of the central plains of northern India. It is regarded as the syncretic fusion of Hindu cultural elements with Muslim religious elements. 

Nawabzadi Malika Kishwar was of the belief that with the approaching danger of the British dominion, tehzeeb would be the glue that would hold Awadh together. She had authorised the construction of a Hanuman temple, following her dream in which a divine presence had commanded her to build a temple honouring Lord Hanuman. The temple is now called Purana Hanuman Mandir and the area around it is called Aliganj as a tribute to Begum Janab-i Aliyah. She had also authorized the construction of the Naya Hanuman Mandir closer to her palace so that she could visit the temple more often. Her faith in Hanuman in spite of being a Shia Muslim Queen makes her the upholder of the principles of secularism and mutual respect for religious and social identities: qualities that are essential in every head of state. The Queen’s First Confrontation With The British Wajid Ali Shah was deposed from his throne under the pretext of misgovernance, which was a part of the expansionist policy of the colonial administrator, Lord Dalhousie. When Malika Kishwar learnt of the unjust annexation by the British, she sought an appointment with the British general, James Outram to discuss the illegality of the move by the British. It was not common for the Queens of Awadh to participate in the State’s affairs. They were restricted by the ritual of purdah (the practice of screening women from men or strangers, especially by means of a curtain), and were restricted to the “window-less bastions and courtyards” of the zenana (the part of a house for the seclusion of women). Beyond the Zenana, and into Europe Wajid Ali Khan had decided to go to London for a formal meeting with Queen Victoria, and Malika Kishwar, who had hardly seen the world beyond the walls of the palace, decided to accompany her son. However, when they reached Calcutta, Wajid Ali Khan’s health deteriorated, and he gave up on his ambition to secure an appointment with Queen Victoria. Malika Kishwar: Both a Queen and a Colonial Subject Malika Kishwar had to face a lot of hardships in order to uphold the ritual of purdah in a foreign land. Many historical essays recall the effort that had gone into forming a human corridor with the servants holding up calico sheets, so that Malika Kishwar could get off her carriage and board her train without being seen by strangers. Vijaya Khan posits, “Having to live within a restricted space, however spacious, for all their lives, seemed to have made women the guardians of culture, of its traditions and customs and also of language.” Malika Kishwar’s lifestyle and her huge royal entourage made her a subject of interest for the media and the people of Britain. The aforementioned incident, along with many other instances of her stay (including how she had booked an entire hotel for her stay) were covered by the British press. She was constantly under scrutiny, and was exoticized and satirized.