Explore Burhanpur

Burhanpur is a historical town based on the banks of the Tapti River in Madhya Pradesh. The
most interesting piece of trivia would be that Mumtaz Begum, the reason why the Taj Mahal
was built, died in Burhanpur while giving birth to her fourteenth child. The city was also
known as the entry point into south India as a result of its strategically poised position.
The Queen who immortalized love was buried here, waiting for the completion of her famed
tomb in Agra. Burhanpur is also blessed with an amazing water supply system that was
developed during the Mughal rule. Burhanpur also served as the capital of the mighty
Mughal Kingdom and is a city that is famous for its fascinating heritage.
Burhanpur has a diverse culture and its locals give enough prominence to art and craft, fairs and festivals
and food and festivity. Metalcraft, ornament creation, cloth manufacturing and gold-wore drawings are
popular art forms here. Delectable foods such as kebabs, mawa-batti, malpua, are extremely popular and
they tempt not just natives but also people from other cities to take a trip to the local food
joints. Being so diverse in its population, most of the major festivals of all religions are joyously
celebrated here. Between the months of October and November, tourists can be a part of festivals
like Navratri Garba, Devi Utsav, Balaji mela, Guru Gobind Singhji Utsav and a lot more.

History

Pre-Mughal period

Burhanpur whose ancient name was "Bramhapur" was an important city under the Rashtrakuta Dynasty from 753–982.
Excavations of the Tapti River and Asirgarh Fort have discovered many coins,
goddess idols and temples from the prehistoric era. However, Burhanpur came to prominence during the medieval period.
In 1388, Malik Nasir Khan, the Faruqi dynasty Sultan of Khandesh, discovered Burhanpur,
at the behest of Shaikh Zainuddin and named it after a well-known medieval Sufi saint, Burhan-ud-Din.
Burhanpur became the capital of the Khandesh sultanate. Later, Miran Adil Khan II (reigned 1457–1501),
another sultan of this dynasty, built a citadel and a number of palaces in Burhanpur.[5]
During his long reign, Burhanpur was transformed into a major centre for trade and textile production.

Under the Mughals

In 1601, the Mughal emperor Akbar annexed the Khandesh sultanate and Burhanpur became
the capital of Khandesh subah,[6] one of three new top-level provinces in the Mughal empire,
added in 1601 (like Berar Subah in 1869 and Ahmadnagar subah in 1601–35) to the initial
dozen as he conquered much of the Deccan. The city served as the residence
of Khandesh's Mughal governor, Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan, during Akbar and Jahangir's rule
He constructed a new water supply for the city, as well as several gardens.[7] In 1609,
Mughal emperor Jahangir appointed his second son Parviz to the governorship of the Mughal
provinces of the Deccan, and the prince chose Burhanpur as his headquarters and his residence.
Royal bath or hammam Shahi qila Burhanpur Burhanpur became a beautiful city, and many
historical monuments survive in its expanse, mainly dating from the rule of the
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Burhanpur was an important
Mughal outpost. Shah Jahan spent a considerable amount of time in this city, and helped add to
the Shahi Qila. The Shahi Qila is one majestic palace in Burhanpur, located to the west of the
Tapti River. Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas were built on the terrace of the Qila. Little of it
remains today, as the Qila is mostly in ruins. However, the parts of the palace that are still
standing display exquisite sculpture and carvings. The main attraction at the palace is the
hamam or royal bath. It was specifically built for Shah Jahan's wife, Mumtaz Mahal so that she
could enjoy a luxurious bath. It is said that she died there while giving birth to her fourteenth child.
Even today, the ceiling has many intricate paintings. One of these paintings depicts a monument
which is said to have been the inspiration for the Taj Mahal, her final resting place.
She was initially buried there for six months before being moved. The original grave called
the Ahukhana is in disrepair. Arround 1670 Daud Khan was the Subhadar (Governor) of Khandesh provinence,
under the rule of Aurangzeb.

Maratha conquest

In 1705, Santaji Ghorpade attacked Burhanpur and Khandesh subha to force the Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb to deploy more forces in Khandesh. This in turn relieved some of the pressure on Karnataka
and Maratha swarajya from Mughal armies. In 1720s, the city was taken by the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao
during his expedition to Malwa and Delhi. In 1750s, a Maratha army under Sadashivrao Bhau,
who defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad, took control of the town. At the downfall of the Maratha Empire,
the city was given to Maratha Sardar Holkar, Scindia, and then finally in 1818 was handed over to British by the Marathas.