Gul Bahar Begum (? – 1863), a Muslim girl, a resident of Amritsar, was a dancing girl and a courtesan. In October 1831, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Lord William Bentinck met at Ropar, she was brought there to dance before the royal personalities. She had fine complexions, dark eyes, long hair and a very fine figure. She was so pretty that Maharaja Ranjit Singh became very fond of her. Within less than one year Maharaja Ranjit Singh married her. The wedding was performed (not according to the Sikh rites) on September 27, 1832. Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave her a special status, which humbled his other wives. She used to sit in the court and ride with the Maharaja on elephant. Gul Bahar remained a Muslim throughout her life. She built a mosque at Lahore. She did not have any child, so she adopted a Muslim child. After the annexation of the Punjab by the British, she was awarded a pension. She spent the rest of her life at Lahore, where she died in 1863. Gul Bahar was different from Moran, another Muslim girl whom Ranjit Singh had earlier married.
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)