Baiju Bawra
| Baiju Bawra | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Baijnath Mishra |
| Died | Chanderi, Mughal Empire |
| Genres | Hindustani classical music |
| Occupation(s) | singer |
Baijnath Mishra, better known as Baiju Bawra ("Baiju the Crazy"), was a dhrupad musician from medieval India. Nearly all the information on Baiju Bawra comes from legends, and lacks historical authenticity. According to the most popular legends, he lived in the Mughal period during the 15th and 16th centuries. He was one of the court musicians of Raja Mansingh Tomar of Gwalher (now Gwalior).
Some medieval narratives, mentioned in works such as Mirat-i-Sikandari (17th century), describe an incident about a Gujarati singer called Bacchu (also known as Bakshu or Manjhu). According to the narrative, Bacchu was a musician in the court of Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. When the Mughal emperor Humayun attacked Bahadur Shah's contingent in Mandu, Bacchu fell in the hands of a Mughal soldier. He was about to be killed, when he was recognized by a Raja allied with the Mughals. The Raja introduced him to emperor Humayun, who was pleased with his singing and granted his wish to release the Gujarati prisoners. Bacchu remained in service of the emperor for some days, but then ran away to Sultan Bahadur Shah, who had escaped from Mandu to Champaner.
Bacchu is identified with Baiju by a section of scholars. Howevers, others believe that Bacchu and Baiju were two distinct persons.
According to another legend, mentioned by Susheela Misra in Some immortals of Hindustani music, Baiju Bawra was born as Baijnath Mishra in a poor Brahmin family in Champaner, Gujarat Sultanate. After his father's death, his mother, a devotee of Krishna, went to Vrindavan. There, Baiju met his teacher Swami Haridas, and was trained in a gurukula. He also adopted an orphan named Gopal, and trained him to be a musician.
Gradually, Baiju became famous, and was invited to the court of the Raja of Chanderi. In Chanderi, Baiju's adopted son Gopal also became famous. Gopal married his disciple Prabha, and the couple had a daughter named Meera. Around this time, Raja Man Singh invited him to Gwalior, where he reached the height of his fame. The queen of Gwalior, Rani Mriganayani, also became his disciple.
...
Wikipedia