Baz Bahadur ruled the region of Malwa during the reign of
Akbar. During his time, the kingdom became the celebrated center of music and his love for his beloved wife Rupmati was famous throughout the land.
Stories about the romance of poet-prince Baz Bahadur and Rupmati, who was famous for her beauty as well as for music and poetry, are well known. The balladeers of Malwa still sing of the romance of royal lovers.
Baz Bahdur’s neglect of his army proved costly for him. He was defeated in AD 1561, by Adham Khan, son of Akbar’s foster-mother, Maham Anaga. Rupmati committed suicide when she was captured by Adham Khan.
At Mandu in Madhya Pradesh several structures speaks tales of bravado and romance of Baz Bahadur and Rupmati. High up on the crest of a hill at Mandu, Rupmati's pavilion still gazes down at Baz's palace, a magnificent expression of Afghan architecture.
