Baiju Bawra or Baijnath Prasad or Baijnath Mishra (1542–1613) was an Indiandhrupad singer. He was the court musician of Raja Mansingh Tomar of Gwalher, nowGwalior, along with Nayak Charju, Bakshu,Tansen and others. Much of the information on Baiju Bawra is legendary and not historically verifiable.
Bawra was born in Chanderi (Gwalior division)on Sharad Purnima in the month of Ashwini in 1599 according to Vikram Samvat calendar (1542 CE). He was called Bawra (crazy) because he was insanely in love with Kalavati dancer in Chanderi. Baiju learnt Dhrupad music by Guru HariDas Goswami in Vrindavan
Bawra was a musician at the court of the Raja of Chanderi (now in the Guna District of Madhya Pradesh). Later, he became a musician at the court of Raja Mansingh of Gwalher (modern Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh). Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat had also patronized Baiju.[1]
Like Tansen, the musician at the court of Mughal Emperor Akbar, Bawra was a disciple of Swami Haridas (1512–1607).
According to historical books preserved in Jai Vilas Mahal in Gwalior, he would light oil lamps by singing Raga Deepak, make it rain by singing the ragas Megh, Megh Malhar, or Gaud Malhar, and bloom flowers by singing raga Bahar as well as melting of stone by singing raga malkauns
Besides Tansen, renowned singers, Baba Ram Das, who composed raga Ramdasi Malhar, and Nayak Charju, who composed raga Charju ki Malhar, were Baiju's contemporaries.
Historian Abul Fazal at Emperor Akbar's court and historian Faqirullah at EmperorAurangzeb's court have written that Baiju defeated Tansen in a singing competition at the court of Akbar. Tansen then touched Baiju's feet and asked for his own life. In response, kind-hearted Baiju went back to Gwalior.
A legend goes as follows. Gopal Nayak was a beloved student of Baiju. After Gopal Nayak and his wife (Prabha) deserted Baiju to seek a performing career elsewhere, Baiju lost his senses. From this point onwards, he was known as Baiju Bawra (crazy Baiju). The king ofKashmir employed Gopal Nayak as a court musician; Gopal Nayak claimed that he was a self-taught musician. On learning this, Baiju reached that city in tattered clothes. His crazed appearance and singing caused a sensation but Gopal Nayak refused to recognize his guru after that Baiju with depressed mood went to the temple and sung a song.People heard their song and told the king. The king called him to court and then contest was arranged between Baiju and Gopal Nayak at the royal court. Baiju was to sing first and Gopal Nayak was to respond. Baiju sang raga BhimpalasiAnd that song has melted stone after that Gopal Nayak sang but could not win .According to the condition Gopal Nayak's head had to be cut but Baiju saved Gopal Nayak but Gopal Nayak's full of foolish king had cut off its head. Gopal Nayak's body was cremated by his daughter Meera on the bank of river Satluj. When the bones in Gopal's body were thrown in the river following the cremation, they sank. According to a legend, Gopal's widow then asked Baiju to retrieve her husband's bones. Responding, Baiju taught a new version of Malhar to her daughter, Meera, and after a week's training, Meera sang that raga on the bank of Satluj in front of a crowd. As soon as she finished the Dhrupad, her father's bones emerged on the bank out of the river. From that time on, that raga is known as Meera ki Malhar. After this incident, Baiju with unhappy mind ,went to Chanderi.
Baiju died of typhoid at the age of 71 on the eve of the Indian festival, Basant Panchami in Vikram Samvat 1670 (1613 CE)in chanderi.
Baiju Bawra, a Hindi-language film was made on him in 1952. In the movie, Baiju is a musician who believes that Tansen is responsible for his father's death. He attempts to avenge his father's death by challenging Tansen to a musical duel and is successful in defeating him.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiiFXvnnotc
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