Tho Raksha Bandhan has passed just reading a heart warming story of 14th Mughal Emperor and a Brahmin lady named Ram Kumari/Kor
Alamgir II
Alamgir II (2 June 1754 – 29 November 1759) was the reigning Mughal Monarch but all powers vested in the hand of his Wazir, Ghazi-ud-Din Imad-ul-Mulk. The latter hated the Emperor and kept thinking of ways to kill him.
He did not have the courage to do it inside the Fort so devised a clever method of drawing the Badshah out.
Alamgir II was a very pious man and had great faith in Sufi faqeers ( menndicants).
Whenever he heard a faqeer had come to Delhi he would call him to the Fort and if he didn’t come would go to meet him, himself.
Imad-ul-Mulk spread the rumour of a very esteemed faqeer coming for a visit to Delhi and staying in Firoz Shah Kotla.
The rumours were that he didn’t go anywhere or meet anyone.
As these rumours were cleverly fed to the Emperor his anxiety to meet the faqeer grew.
One night he set off alone to the Kotla.
He was set upon by the wazir’s men and brutally killed.
The Emperor’s body was thrown into the River Yamuna.
A Brahmin lady named Ram Kumari / Kor was passing by on her way for early morning puja of the Yamuna. She saw the dead body and recognised it as that of the Emperor.
The Mughal Emperors always enjoyed the goid will of their subjects – Hindu & Muslim alike.
She immediately sat down there and kept his head on her lap and crying softly waited for dawn.
At dawn she was joined by other worshippers of the Yamuna. They all sat with their Emperor till help came.
Shah Alam II called Ram Kumari and declared her to be his sister. He rewarded her.
After that on every Raksha Bandhan she would come and tie a rakhi on his wrist and he would gift her clothes as is the norm.
Shah Alam II
Till Bahadur Shah Zafar was not exiled from the Fort this practice continued with women of her family coming to tie a rakhi on the wrist of the Mughal Emperor and other Princes.
