Portrait of Chandabibi

Pencil portrait of Chandabibi in standing posture. White crescent halo around the head. Hands hold the garment. Body ornamented.

She was a well known poet in Persian and Urdu. She is the first woman sahib-e-diwan, a poet whose works have been put together as a collection or diwan. Her Persian works have been lost; her Urdu works survive in some libraries. Not only was she intelligent, beautiful but could sing, dance write, had a great sense of humour and a gift of repartee.

The Asaf Jahi ruler Nizam Ali Khan, Nizam II took Chandabibi who had learnt horse-riding and archery, along with ten of her companions with him when he went to the battles of Kolar, Nirmal and Panagal. He gave her the title Mahlaqa (visage of the moon).