Begum Samru’s reputation lives on, as does the spectacular church she built at Sardhana. Veenu Sandhu glimpses the Begum in her work
Sardhana Church — officially the Basilica of Our Lady of Graces — is as extraordinary as Begum Farzana Joanna Samru, the Muslim woman of Arab descent who built it in 1822. Designed by Italian architect Anthony Reghelini, it cost her the princely sum of Rs 4 lakh. For the immensely rich Begum, who was a nautch girl until she married a European mercenary, this was but a small fortune. Today, the church which has remained largely untouched by time, contains the life history of the Begum.
It’s a cold, cloudy morning when we reach Sardhana, a two-and-a-half hour drive from Delhi not far beyond Meerut. The final stretch off the highway is a narrow road lined with sugarcane fields, mango groves and patches of bright yellow mustard. The church stands alone in a world of its own, oblivious to the squalor around it. Father Mathews, who was in charge of the basilica from 1989 to 1995 and now lives in the St John’s seminary nearby, aptly calls it “a pearl in the wilderness”. Two spires and three Roman domes, similar to the ones at the St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, rise up from the imposing structure. The guide later tells us that the domes and the spires are positioned to symbolise the five wounds of Christ.
The driveway from the gate to the church is over a century old and on either side stand old mango trees. Fourteen starkly white statues depicting the journey of Christ to his crucifixion line this drive. These are new, installed in 2000, and contrast sharply with the grey stone of the church. A verandah with 18 Greek columns runs around the church, giving the impression that the structure is square. But once inside, you realise it’s a perfect Latin cross. On this January morning it is also cold, though softly lit by the light coming through the stained-glass windows on the dome above the main altar.
It’s early yet and the guides are busy dusting every nook and corner. The first visitors have started coming in. “Even on a weekday, over 1,000 people turn up,” says Samuel Albert, who offers to take us around. A Sardhana local, Albert, 40, has been with the church for the last three years. He’s as fascinated by Begum Samru as anybody can be, and speaks as if he knows her personally. That is the kind of impression Begum Samru gives. I came to this church many times as a child. And on every visit, the Begum would reveal a new face.
One part of the church in particular brings out the various facets of the Begum’s personality. It is a striking 18 ft marble monument to the left of the main sanctuary. Beneath it are buried the remains of Begum Samru who died in 1836 aged 85.
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On top of the monument sits a figure of the Begum dressed in Muslim attire, a turban on her head and a Kashmiri shawl around her shoulders. In her right hand she holds the scroll from Emperor Shah Alam II which bestowed upon her the province of Sardhana after the death of her husband Walter Reinhardt. Reinhardt’s nickname, ‘Sombre’, was later distorted to Samru. A mercenary from Luxembourg, he was awarded Sardhana after he quelled a rebellion against the emperor. Legend has it that it was during the victory celebration in Delhi that Reinhardt first spotted Begum Samru, then Farzana the courtesan. When he died in 1778, the Begum, who had won the respect of Reinhardt’s 80-plus European officers and 4,000-odd troops, was installed his successor. Later she too led his army in the service of the Mughal emperor.
Standing below the Begum, to her right, is her adopted son David Dyce Sombre — who was also Reinhardt’s great-grandson from his first wife. To the Begum’s left is her minister Diwan Rae Singh, reportedly Motilal Nehru’s great-grandfather. There are also statues of her commander Innayat-ullah and of Julius Caesar Scotti — the only bishop-rank cleric the church has ever had.
On the lowest level are three panels depicting scenes from the Begum’s life. In one she holds court while smoking a hookah. In another she leads a victory procession on horseback. In the third she presents a golden chalice to Bishop Pezzoni of Agra in 1829. “The golden chalice is still in the church, but we don’t display it anymore,” says Father Mathews, who’s retired now but spends most of the day in the church. Albert points to another figure in the panel — George Thomas, her Irish commander who is said to have enjoyed her affections until she married a Frenchman named Le Vassoult in 1793. Philip Mason in his book Skinner’s Horse recounts how this jilted soldier, who’d left her service, returned to rescue and reinstate the Begum after her troops revolted.
Other sculptures show the Begum holding a baby in her arms: “She treated her people like her own children,” explains Albert. Or seated, with a veil covering her face and a snake in her hand: “She was shy and respectful towards her elders but venomous when confronted,” says Albert.
The monument was carved by Italian sculptor Adamo Tadolini. It was sent by ship from Italy to Kolkata, then transported on boats up the Ganga, and finally carried to the church on bullock carts. It was a tribute to her from her adopted son, David, who clearly doted on her. “David is also buried here, right there where you’re standing,” says Albert pointing to the ground below my feet — prompting me to jump aside. Until the monument arrived, Begum Samru’s body was kept in a shrine in the church.
In 1957, an image of Mary holding a cherubic Jesus was installed here. Prayers are now held in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Punjabi (on request). Unlike the ‘Roman’ monument, the main altar was brought from Jaipur and, like the Taj, is of marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. The church, like its builder, is a successful jumble of styles.
Other members of the Begum’s family, too, have a presence here. There is an oil painting, for instance, of her descendant Georgiana Samru Solaroli, who married and settled in Italy. “Last year on Easter Sunday [April 4],” says Albert, “the Begum’s descendants visited the church from Italy.”
As we turn to leave, the sun breaks through the clouds. Its rays fall on the stone Angel of Time that stands before the tomb looking up at the warrior begum on her throne.
