The love story of Buwa and Hasan lives on

Sunit Dhawan

THE Mughal-era love story of Buwa and Hasan may not be as well-known as that of Laila-Majnu, Romeo-Juliet and Shirin-Farhad, but it has lived on in folklore for more than 350 years. As per folklore, Buwa was the daughter of Mustafa Kalal, a cavalry official based at Kot Kalal (the Jhajjar area in Haryana), during the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir. A bold and beautiful girl, Buwa once went to a jungle on her horse, where she was attacked by a tiger. Hasan, a brave and courageous youth, happened to be nearby. He saved her life, and the two fell in love. Buwa’s family was grateful to Hasan, but when he sought her hand in marriage, her father was reluctant, though he did not turn down the proposal straight away. Instead, he got Hasan inducted in the army and sent him to a battle. As fate would have it, Hasan was killed in the battle.

The love story finds mention in the Rohtak District Gazetteer of 1910, under the topic ‘Antiquities of Jhajjar’. “His (Hasan) body was so heavy that it could not be lifted for burial on the battlefield, but when the bearers turned towards Jhajjar, it was found to be quite light,” the Gazetteer mentions.

Deeply saddened, Buwa got a tomb built for Hasan Shahid. She did not marry anyone, and passed away after some time. “Buwa built the tomb and mausoleum, and died shortly afterwards; she was buried nearby,” states the gazetteer. A pond located close to Hasan’s tomb is popularly known as ‘Buwa wala Talab’; the site brings back the memories of their eternal love story.

Tombs and inscriptions

Hasan’s tomb is one of the many tombs in the necropolis situated to the east of Jhajjar town. These tombs fall within the time period of 1579-1636. Researchers say there are nearly a dozen tombs, with many of them withering away. As of now, the site is under the Archaeological Survey of India.

“The courtyard of Hasan’s tomb has four uninscribed gravestones, two of which are uprooted. Two gravestones have qalamdan carved on them, indicating the deceased were male,” maintains Dr Subhash Parihar, a former Associate Professor of History at Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, who has done research on Islamic architecture and necropolis of the medieval era.

A slab in the central arch of the façade of the mosque (not extant now) had an inscription in Persian, which translates as follows: “In the time of Jahangir, the king of the world, this light tomb of Hasan Shahid has been made.” The inscription indicates that the tomb was made in 1625.

Architectural qualities

Bichhua stone or kankar has been used with red sandstone for the construction of the tombs. Inscriptions carved on marble slabs were fixed in the walls. Some tombs have cupolas built to cover the graves.

“The combination of light grey bichhua kankar and red sandstone imparts an endearing look and enduring quality to the edifices. The façades of some tombs are beautifully embellished with floral paintings,” observes Ranbir S Phaugat, a cultural historian.

Dr Parihar points out that each of the surviving tombs has a rectangular platform, approached by a flight of steps. The corners of the platforms are often marked with a turret. The western side of most of these tombs is occupied by a bare mihrab wall (qanati masjid) as seen in Idgahs. Two tombs have mosques on the western side.

“Another distinctive feature of these tombs is the presence of prominent moulded bosses in the spandrels of arches,” adds the historian.

Poor maintenance

Unfortunately, the tombs as well as the Buwa wala Talab are poorly maintained. While the cluster of tombs, including that of Hasan Shahid, are under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India, the pond has now become part of a nearby park. “The originality of the Buwa wala Talab has been compromised due to its renovation. Ideally, it should have been included in the ASI-protected heritage site comprising the group of tombs so as to conserve it in its original form,” says Rajkishan Nain, a well-known art historian of Haryana.