Nautch performers of Patna.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In a ruined tomb within the precincts of Rauza Masjid at Maharaj Ganj in Patna rests the queen of thumri, Zohra Bai. Born in Azeemabad (Patna) in the mid 1860s or 1870s, Zohra arrived with her mother in the court of Maharaja Sir Lakshmeshwar Singh of Darbhanga in 1885, when she was still a young girl.
A patron of Hindustani music, Sir Lakshmeshwar Singh had turned Darbhanga into a hub of music after the revolt of 1857. Learning from the masters in the maharaja’s court, Zohra excelled in singing, and soon became the unrivalled queen of thumri. Often called Ragini Devi for her majestic voice, she came to be known as Tawaef Zohra Bai Patnewali after settling down in Patna. Tawaef Zohra Bai Patnewali.
Maharaja Sir Lakshmeshwar Singh of Darbhanga.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
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