Thread by @LiveHIndia

For over 400 years, history has been haunted by Anarkali, the beautiful court dancer who was buried alive by Emperor Akbar, for her love affair with Prince Salim (Akbar’s son and the future Emperor Jahangir). But is the story fact or #fiction? The truth will surprise you! 1/11

This tragic love story has many modern retellings, including the 1960s classic Hindi film Mughal-e-Azam. But if Anarkali is just #folklore, whose grave lies in the magnificent ‘Tomb of Anarkali’ in the heart of #Lahore, the former Mughal capital? 2/11

The grave bears the couplet in #Persian: ‘Ah! If I could behold the face of my beloved once more, I would thank God until the day of resurrection’. It is signed by ‘Majnun Salim Akbar’ ('Enamoured Son of Akbar'). It’s the only clue we have. 3/11

There are two dates on the grave – 1599 CE and 1615 CE. They are presumably the dates of death and of completion of the tomb. No one knows for sure, neither does history reference the occupant of the grave. 4/11

It is said that when Salim became Emperor, he built the tomb over his beloved’s grave. But historians point out that although the relationship between #Akbar and his son was at its lowest in 1599, there is nothing to confirm that they fell out over a woman named #Anarkali. 5/11

Neither does Jahangir’s autobiography, Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, name any Anarkali, nor does any other account name her, not even Akbar’s autobiography, Abul Fazl’s Akbarnama. 6/11 #Literature

The first historical mention of Anarkali is the travelogue of William Finch, a British trader who lived in Lahore from 1608-11. He says she was one of Akbar’s wives. Jahangir fell in love with her and it enraged his father, who entombed her. The theory has been discredited. 7/11

19th century writers such as Noor Ahmed Chishti and Syed Abdul Lateef say that Anarkali may have been one of Akbar’s concubines. It appears Jahangir was head-over-heels in love with her, which is why a furious Akbar buried her alive. An Oedipal war ending in tragedy? 8/11 #Freud

The most interesting explanation for the Anarkali legend becoming so compelling is a drama written by a local playwright named Imtiaz Ali Taj in 1922. Based on the story of the star-crossed lovers, he called it Anarkali but clarified that it was a work of fiction. 9/11 #theatre

The play was a hit and Imtiaz Ali got a film adaptation made in 1928. It was titled Anarkali: Loves Of A Mughal Prince. In 1931, he roped in historians to make another version of the film, and that's when the line between fact and fiction started to blur. 10/11

When a film poster by Imtiaz Ali put a face to the legendary heroine, Anarkali began to take on a life of her own. Later, a series of films was made on Anarkali, including the iconic Mughal-e-Azam. Cursed in ‘life’, Anarkali has achieved immortality in popular culture. 11/11

Read the full story here: livehistoryindia.com/story/people/t…