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Life of Begum Samru
Commonly known as the Bhagirath Palace and North India's biggest electrical goods wholesale market, Begum Samru's Palace was originally owned by a witty Kashmiri Muslim woman, Begum Samru. Born in 1753, Begum Samru pompously lived in this mammoth white mansion that was considered one of the grandest houses in Delhi with huge columns and large rooms. Such was her authority that Mughal Emperor Shah Alam called upon her trained private army when required.
When she was in her early teens, Begum Samru married an English mercenary soldier from Luxembourg named Walter Reinhard who was holder of the fief of Sardhana in Meerut district. He was lovingly called Sombre by his friends because of his long brooding face and thus the title Samru was derived and became locally popular.
After the death of her husband, the Begum converted herself to Christianity for strategic and personal reasons in Agra in 1781 and managed the fief tactfully. Her new name became Joanna, but she remained popular as Begum Samru in the region. Under her administration the Begum Samru's Palace, named then as Dilkusha Kothi, was built in 1822. She was also well-known in the European social circle for organizing opulent social gatherings at her residence in the early 19th century. Begum Samru died in 1836.
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