Historical aspects

The Nawab of Lucknow, Wajid Ali Khan, was one of history’s greatest patrons of Mujras. Wajid Ali Khan had hundreds of nautch girls, or dancing girls at his behest. Some of them were history’s greatest beauty queens, legendary pride of northern India. It is said that he had more than 300 nautch girls to his personal enjoyment.

The culture of Lucknow stood in stark contrast to the Punjabi development with Lahore at its capital. Maharajah Bhupinder Singh of Patiala was another hedonistic ruler, who took to mujra dancing with a passion. With a zest for life and beauty, Maharajah Bhupinder singh took upon himself to promote mujra dancing and developed the dance culture in the Punjab. Although he was based in Patiala, Lahore received great influence from his cultural pursuits.