Baiju Bawra or Baijnath
Prasad or Baijnath Mishra
(1542–1613) was an Indian
dhrupad singer. He was the
court musician of Raja
Mansingh Tomar of
Gwalher, now Gwalior ,
along with Nayak Charju,
Bakshu,Tansen and others.
Much of the information on
Baiju Bawra is legendary
and not historically
verifiable.
Early life
Bawra was born in
Chanderi ( Gwalior
division )on Sharad Purnima
in the month of Ashwini in
1599 according to Vikram
Samvat calendar (1542 CE).
He was called Bawra
(crazy) because he was
insanely in love with
Kalavati dancer in
Chanderi. Baiju learnt
Dhrupad music by Guru
HariDas Goswami in
Vrindavan .
↑Jump back a section
Career
Bawra was a musician at
the court of the Raja of
Chanderi (now in the Guna
District of Madhya
Pradesh). Later, he became
a musician at the court of
Raja Mansingh of Gwalher
(modern Gwalior in
Madhya Pradesh). Sultan
Bahadur Shah of Gujarat
had also patronized Baiju.
[1]
Like Tansen , the musician
at the court of Mughal
Emperor Akbar, Bawra was
a disciple of Swami Haridas
(1512–1607).
According to historical
books preserved in Jai Vilas
Mahal in Gwalior , he would
light oil lamps by singing
Raga Deepak, make it rain
by singing the ragas Megh ,
Megh Malhar, or Gaud
Malhar, and bloom flowers
by singing raga Bahar as
well as melting of stone by
singing raga malkauns.
Contemporary singers
Swami Haridas teaching
Tansen
Besides Tansen, renowned
singers, Baba Ram Das,
who composed raga
Ramdasi Malhar, and Nayak
Charju, who composed
raga Charju ki Malhar, were
Baiju's contemporaries.
Historian Abul Fazal at
Emperor Akbar's court and
historian Faqirullah at
Emperor Aurangzeb 's court
have written that Baiju
defeated Tansen in a
singing competition at the
court of Akbar. Tansen then
touched Baiju's feet and
asked for his own life. In
response, kind-hearted
Baiju went back to Gwalior.
↑Jump back a section
A Legend on Baiju
A legend goes as follows.
Gopal Nayak was a beloved
student of Baiju. After
Gopal Nayak and his wife
(Prabha) deserted Baiju to
seek a performing career
elsewhere, Baiju lost his
senses. From this point
onwards, he was known as
Baiju Bawra (crazy Baiju).
The king of Kashmir
employed Gopal Nayak as a
court musician; Gopal
Nayak claimed that he was
a self-taught musician. On
learning this, Baiju reached
that city in tattered
clothes. His crazed
appearance and singing
caused a sensation but
Gopal Nayak refused to
recognize his guru after
that Baiju with depressed
mood went to the temple
and sung a song.People
heard their song and told
the king. The king called
him to court and then
contest was arranged
between Baiju and Gopal
Nayak at the royal court.
Baiju was to sing first and
Gopal Nayak was to
respond. Baiju sang raga
BhimpalasiAnd that song
has melted stone after that
Gopal Nayak sang but
could not win .According to
the condition Gopal
Nayak's head had to be cut
but Baiju saved Gopal
Nayak but Gopal Nayak's
full of foolish king had cut
off its head. Gopal Nayak's
body was cremated by his
daughter Meera on the
bank of river Satluj . When
the bones in Gopal's body
were thrown in the river
following the cremation,
they sank. According to a
legend, Gopal's widow then
asked Baiju to retrieve her
husband's bones.
Responding, Baiju taught a
new version of Malhar to
her daughter, Meera, and
after a week's training,
Meera sang that raga on
the bank of Satluj in front
of a crowd. As soon as she
finished the Dhrupad, her
father's bones emerged on
the bank out of the river.
From that time on, that
raga is known as Meera ki
Malhar. After this incident,
Baiju with unhappy mind,
went to Chanderi.
↑Jump back a section
Later life
Baiju died of typhoid at the
age of 71 on the eve of the
Indian festival, Basant
Panchami in Vikram Samvat
1670 (1613 CE)in chanderi.
Prasad or Baijnath Mishra
(1542–1613) was an Indian
dhrupad singer. He was the
court musician of Raja
Mansingh Tomar of
Gwalher, now Gwalior ,
along with Nayak Charju,
Bakshu,Tansen and others.
Much of the information on
Baiju Bawra is legendary
and not historically
verifiable.
Early life
Bawra was born in
Chanderi ( Gwalior
division )on Sharad Purnima
in the month of Ashwini in
1599 according to Vikram
Samvat calendar (1542 CE).
He was called Bawra
(crazy) because he was
insanely in love with
Kalavati dancer in
Chanderi. Baiju learnt
Dhrupad music by Guru
HariDas Goswami in
Vrindavan .
↑Jump back a section
Career
Bawra was a musician at
the court of the Raja of
Chanderi (now in the Guna
District of Madhya
Pradesh). Later, he became
a musician at the court of
Raja Mansingh of Gwalher
(modern Gwalior in
Madhya Pradesh). Sultan
Bahadur Shah of Gujarat
had also patronized Baiju.
[1]
Like Tansen , the musician
at the court of Mughal
Emperor Akbar, Bawra was
a disciple of Swami Haridas
(1512–1607).
According to historical
books preserved in Jai Vilas
Mahal in Gwalior , he would
light oil lamps by singing
Raga Deepak, make it rain
by singing the ragas Megh ,
Megh Malhar, or Gaud
Malhar, and bloom flowers
by singing raga Bahar as
well as melting of stone by
singing raga malkauns.
Contemporary singers
Swami Haridas teaching
Tansen
Besides Tansen, renowned
singers, Baba Ram Das,
who composed raga
Ramdasi Malhar, and Nayak
Charju, who composed
raga Charju ki Malhar, were
Baiju's contemporaries.
Historian Abul Fazal at
Emperor Akbar's court and
historian Faqirullah at
Emperor Aurangzeb 's court
have written that Baiju
defeated Tansen in a
singing competition at the
court of Akbar. Tansen then
touched Baiju's feet and
asked for his own life. In
response, kind-hearted
Baiju went back to Gwalior.
↑Jump back a section
A Legend on Baiju
A legend goes as follows.
Gopal Nayak was a beloved
student of Baiju. After
Gopal Nayak and his wife
(Prabha) deserted Baiju to
seek a performing career
elsewhere, Baiju lost his
senses. From this point
onwards, he was known as
Baiju Bawra (crazy Baiju).
The king of Kashmir
employed Gopal Nayak as a
court musician; Gopal
Nayak claimed that he was
a self-taught musician. On
learning this, Baiju reached
that city in tattered
clothes. His crazed
appearance and singing
caused a sensation but
Gopal Nayak refused to
recognize his guru after
that Baiju with depressed
mood went to the temple
and sung a song.People
heard their song and told
the king. The king called
him to court and then
contest was arranged
between Baiju and Gopal
Nayak at the royal court.
Baiju was to sing first and
Gopal Nayak was to
respond. Baiju sang raga
BhimpalasiAnd that song
has melted stone after that
Gopal Nayak sang but
could not win .According to
the condition Gopal
Nayak's head had to be cut
but Baiju saved Gopal
Nayak but Gopal Nayak's
full of foolish king had cut
off its head. Gopal Nayak's
body was cremated by his
daughter Meera on the
bank of river Satluj . When
the bones in Gopal's body
were thrown in the river
following the cremation,
they sank. According to a
legend, Gopal's widow then
asked Baiju to retrieve her
husband's bones.
Responding, Baiju taught a
new version of Malhar to
her daughter, Meera, and
after a week's training,
Meera sang that raga on
the bank of Satluj in front
of a crowd. As soon as she
finished the Dhrupad, her
father's bones emerged on
the bank out of the river.
From that time on, that
raga is known as Meera ki
Malhar. After this incident,
Baiju with unhappy mind,
went to Chanderi.
↑Jump back a section
Later life
Baiju died of typhoid at the
age of 71 on the eve of the
Indian festival, Basant
Panchami in Vikram Samvat
1670 (1613 CE)in chanderi.
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