a great musician. One day while hunting he saw the beautiful Rupmati in the dense forest singing melodious songs. Instantly he fell in love with her. In order to win her hand in marriage he requested Than Singh, a proud Thakur of the area and father of Rupmati. A fierce battle raged between them and Baz Bahadur ultimately defeated Than Singh and rode away with Rupmati and made her his queen.
Their love for each other and their mutual interest in music made their lives and their union idyllic. The forest drenched in pristine moonlight was their haunt. The king and queen used to ride together in the forests of Mandu composing and innovating new ragas and singing through these magical nights of their love. But their love was not a “happily ever afterwards” tale. Baz-Bahadur was defeated by the invading Mughal army of Emperor Akbar under Adham Khan and Rupmati became a captive. Adham Khan offered to marry her but she refused and preferred death. The brave and loyal queen eluded her captor through a lethal dose of poison. The lady of the lotus, as poets and bard singers called her, lies buried in her mausoleum at Sarangpur near Mandu with her beloved husband Baz-Bahadur, together in their final rest as they were in their lives.