Anarkali

Who is Anarkali?

Anarkali born Nadira Begum or Sharf-un-Nissa, was a legendary slave girl. It is believed that she was originally from Iran and migrated to Lahore, Punjab with a trader's caravan. It is depicted in the Bollywood movie Mughal-e-Azam that during the Mughal period, she was supposedly ordered to be buried alive between two walls by Mughal emperor Akbar for having an illicit relationship with the Crown-Prince Salim, later to become Emperor Jahangir. Due to the lack of evidence and sources, the story of Anarkali is widely accepted to be false for the evudence of her grave and body. The story of Anarkali is not mentioned in the Akbarnama nor in Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri. It was first mentioned by an English tourist and trader William Finch in his journal, who visited India on August 24, 1608. The story was originally written by Indian writer Abdul Halim Sharar and on the first page of that book he had clearly mentioned it to be a work of fiction. Nevertheless, her story has been adapted into literature, art and cinema.