Mujra
Encyclopedia
Mujra is a form of dance
originated by tawaif
(courtesans) during the Mughal era
. incorporated elements of the native classical Kathak
dance onto music such as thumri
s and ghazal
s or poems of those from other Mughal
cultures such as Bahadur Shah Zafar. Mujra was traditionally performed at mehfil
s and in special houses called kothas
. During Mughal
rule in the Indian subcontinent
, in places such as Jaipur
, the tradition of performing mujra was a family art and often passed down from mother to daughter amongst Muslim practitioners. The profession was a cross between art and exotic dance, with the performers often serving as courtesans amongst Mughal
royalty or wealthy patrons.
During the Indian Rebellion of 1857
(better known as the Indian Mutiny) mujra performances provided an opportunity for mutineers to meet and many tawaif were also actively involved in the movement. As a result, many kothas were confiscated by the British after the mutiny, disrupting the traditional tawaif succession. By the early 1900s, many tawaif had moved into the prostitution industry as the traditional system had broken down. Some tawaif moved to the film and music industry like Gauhar Jaan
and Nargis
.
Modern mujra dancers perform at events like weddings, birthday events and bachelor parties in countries where traditional Mughal
culture is prevalent, such as Pakistan,( lesser extent in India and Bangladesh) often performing a modern form of mujra along with popular local music. Mujra has been depicted in Bollywood
films like Umrao Jaan
and Devdas
or other films that show the past Mughal rule and its culture. Most of the mujra movies are generated in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The women trained in mujras often end up in prostitution. One of the famous centers of mujra and prostitution in Pakistan is Hira Mandi, Lahore
. It is also a tradition in Islamic Republic of Pakistan for men to throw paper currency over partially nude women dancing to mujra.
In 2005, when dance bar
s were closed across Maharashtra
state, many former bar girls moved to Congress House near Kennedy Bridge on Grant Road
area in Mumbai
, city oldest hub for mujra, and started performing mujra.
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
originated by tawaif
Tawaif
A tawaif was a courtesan who catered to the nobility of South Asia, particularly during the era of the Mughal Empire.The tawaifs contributed to music, dance, theatre, film, and the Urdu literary tradition.-History:...
(courtesans) during the Mughal era
Mughal era
The Mughal era is a historic period of the Mughal Empire in South Asia . It ran from the early 15th century to a point in the early 18th century when the Mughal Emperors' power had dwindled...
. incorporated elements of the native classical Kathak
Kathak
Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from Uttar Pradesh, India. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or storytellers...
dance onto music such as thumri
Thumri
Thumri is a common genre of semi-classical Indian music.The text is romantic or devotional in nature, and usually revolves around a girl's love for Krishna. The lyrics are usually in Uttar Pradesh dialects of Hindi called Poorbi and Brij Bhasha...
s and ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
s or poems of those from other Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
cultures such as Bahadur Shah Zafar. Mujra was traditionally performed at mehfil
Mehfil
A mehfil is a gathering or evening of courtly entertainment of poetry or concert of Indian classical music and dance, performed for a small audience in an intimate setting....
s and in special houses called kothas
Haveli
Haveli is the term used for a private mansion in India and Pakistan. The word haveli is derived from the Persian word hawli, meaning "an enclosed place"...
. During Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
rule in the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
, in places such as Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
, the tradition of performing mujra was a family art and often passed down from mother to daughter amongst Muslim practitioners. The profession was a cross between art and exotic dance, with the performers often serving as courtesans amongst Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
royalty or wealthy patrons.
During the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
(better known as the Indian Mutiny) mujra performances provided an opportunity for mutineers to meet and many tawaif were also actively involved in the movement. As a result, many kothas were confiscated by the British after the mutiny, disrupting the traditional tawaif succession. By the early 1900s, many tawaif had moved into the prostitution industry as the traditional system had broken down. Some tawaif moved to the film and music industry like Gauhar Jaan
Gauhar Jaan
Gauhar Jaan was an Indian singer and dancer or a tawaif from Calcutta. She was one of the first performers to record music on 78 rpm records in India, and released by Gramophone Company of India. -Early life:...
and Nargis
Nargis
Nargis Dutt , born Fatima Rashid but known by her screen name, Nargis, was an Indian film actress. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema. She made her screen debut as a child in Talash-E-Haq in 1935, but her acting carer began in 1942 with Tamanna...
.
Modern mujra dancers perform at events like weddings, birthday events and bachelor parties in countries where traditional Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
culture is prevalent, such as Pakistan,( lesser extent in India and Bangladesh) often performing a modern form of mujra along with popular local music. Mujra has been depicted in Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
films like Umrao Jaan
Umrao Jaan
Umrao Jaan is a 1981 Bollywood film, directed by Muzaffar Ali. It is based on the Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada , written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa based on the famous Lucknow courtesan...
and Devdas
Devdas
Devdas is a Bengali Romance novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Essentially, it is a retelling of the Krishna, Radha, and Meera myths, the relationships between its three protagonists - Devdas, Parvati, and Chandramukhi - paralleling the Hindu deities'.-Plot summary:Devdas is a young man from...
or other films that show the past Mughal rule and its culture. Most of the mujra movies are generated in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The women trained in mujras often end up in prostitution. One of the famous centers of mujra and prostitution in Pakistan is Hira Mandi, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. It is also a tradition in Islamic Republic of Pakistan for men to throw paper currency over partially nude women dancing to mujra.
In 2005, when dance bar
Dance bar
The term dance bar is used in India to refer to bars in which adult entertainment in the form of dances by relatively well-covered women are performed for male patrons in exchange for cash. Though dance bars were banned in the Maharashtra state, in August 2005, with the passing of the Police Bill,...
s were closed across Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
state, many former bar girls moved to Congress House near Kennedy Bridge on Grant Road
Grant Road
Grant Road , named after Sir Robert Grant, the Governor of Bombay between 1835 and 1839, is currently a suburban railway station and former terminus of the erstwhile Bombay Baroda and Central India Railway...
area in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, city oldest hub for mujra, and started performing mujra.
Further reading
- Martha Feldman, Bonnie Gordon. The courtesan's arts: cross-cultural perspectives. pp. 312–352.