The Forgotten Story Of Begum Wilayat Mahal, The Woman Who Lived At Delhi Railway Station, Claimed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah As Her Ancestor, And Left Be...

In the heart of the Chanakyapuri area of Delhi, hidden behind thick foliage and guarded silence, stands a ruin that refuses to fade into anonymity. Malcha Mahal does not sit on tourist maps like the Red Fort or Humayun’s Tomb. Instead, it survives through whispers, unanswered questions, and a life story so extraordinary that it blurs the line between history and obsession. At the centre of this tale is Begum Wilayat Mahal, a woman who once turned the VIP waiting room of New Delhi Railway Station into her royal court, demanded justice from the Indian state, and left behind what many now call the Capital’s most haunted ruin. Her story is not merely about royalty or loss. It is about belief, identity, and the unsettling question of what happens

when history refuses to give you closure. For nearly a decade, commuters rushing for trains barely registered the silent woman in a dark sari standing defiantly on Platform Number One. Yet, behind that stillness was a fierce claim. She insisted she was descended from Wajid Ali Shah, the exiled Nawab of Awadh, and that independent India owed her a palace, dignity and restitution. What followed was a saga so improbable that it continues to fascinate journalists, historians, and urban explorers decades later.Also Read: The Forgotten Story Of Maharaja Duleep Singh, The Child Ruler Who Lost Punjab, The Koh-i-Noor, And His Kingdom To The British Empire

Malcha Mahal Before The Mystery

Long before it became synonymous with secrecy and sorrow, Malcha Mahal was a shikargah built in the fourteenth century by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Designed as a hunting lodge, it sat strategically within the Central Ridge, offering solitude, protection and commanding views of the surrounding forest. Constructed from rugged stone, the structure reflected the austere confidence of Tughlaq architecture. There was no ornamental excess, only strength and purpose. Over centuries, as dynasties fell and Delhi reshaped itself repeatedly, the hunting lodge slipped into obscurity. By the time India became a republic, Malcha Mahal was little more than a forgotten relic claimed by the forest and the silence. Then came Begum Wilayat Mahal.

A Royal Claim At A Railway Platform

In the mid 1970s, Delhi’s most unlikely protest unfolded at the railway station. Begum Wilayat Mahal arrived with her two children and a retinue of dogs and servants. They occupied the VIP waiting lounge and refused to leave. Railway records from January 1975 describe her presence as an occupation, noting her dogs and the unusual permanence of her stay. She claimed to be the great-granddaughter of Wajid Ali Shah, whose kingdom of Awadh was annexed by the British in 1856. After the Nawab’s exile to Calcutta, his descendants scattered, dispossessed and marginalised. Begum Wilayat insisted that her family properties in Lucknow had been taken over by the state and repurposed as libraries, courts, and government institutions. She was not asking for charity. She was demanding recognition. According to The Hindu, her refusal to accept token compensation turned her into a symbol of unresolved royal grievances in postcolonial India. For nearly ten years, she lived at the station, eating from the refreshment room, standing for hours on the platform, and waiting for what she believed history owed her. The late writer R V Smith captured her presence with haunting clarity, describing her as a woman seemingly sustained by memory rather than food, her eyes fixed on a past that refused to release her.

The Government Offer And A Palace No One Wanted

After years of embarrassment and media scrutiny, the government intervened. In May 1985, Begum Wilayat Mahal and her children were allotted Malcha Mahal as a residence. The move was widely seen as an attempt to resolve an uncomfortable standoff rather than a genuine settlement of her claims. According to India Today reports, the Begum initially rejected the idea, furious at the condition of the structure. There was no electricity, no plumbing and the roof leaked. Yet, she eventually accepted, declaring that even a crumbling palace was preferable to a waiting room. She moved in with her children, Sakina Mahal and Raza Mahal, and sealed herself off from the world.

Life Inside The Palace Of Isolation

Life at Malcha Mahal was marked by extreme isolation. Barbed wire surrounded the property. Dogs guarded the gates. One by one, servants left. Some dogs were poisoned by thieves. The forest crept closer. The palace fell deeper into decay. There was no running water. No power. The family cooked on open fires and lived by daylight. Visitors were discouraged. Questions were unwelcome. Behind the walls, Begum Wilayat wrote anguished notes about neglect and betrayal. She believed she had been cheated of her legacy. She believed enemies surrounded her. The line between paranoia and self preservation grew dangerously thin.

Death By Diamonds And A Chilling Aftermath

On September 10, 1993, Begum Wilayat Mahal died by suicide. Reports state she consumed a mixture of crushed diamonds and pearls, a method she reportedly referred to as the drink of silence. She was 62. According to journalist Abhimanyu Singh, her children slept beside her body for days before burying her with her jewels. When grave robbers attempted to dig her up, they cremated her remains instead. The tragedy did not end there. Sakina Mahal died in 2013. Raza, also known as Cyrus, continued living alone at Malcha Mahal until his death in 2017. By then, the palace had become synonymous with gloom, abandonment and fear.Also Read: The Forgotten Story of Rani Lakshmibai’s Adopted Son, Damodar Rao

The Royal Lineage Questioned

For years, historians and members of erstwhile royal families questioned Begum Wilayat’s claims. Investigative reports suggested she may have been the widow of a university registrar rather than Awadhi royalty. The most damning revelation came in 2019 when The New York Times published an investigation titled The Jungle Prince of Delhi. Journalist Ellen Barry traced the family’s past to Bradford in England, revealing that Raza’s real name was Mickey Butt and Sakina was born Farhad. A relative named Shahid had been sending them money via Western Union for years. The report concluded there was no verified royal lineage. Yet, by then, truth almost felt irrelevant. The myth had already outlived the people.

A Haunted Ruin In Modern Delhi

Today, Malcha Mahal stands abandoned, its walls crumbling, its rooms overtaken by bats, lizards and silence. Warning signs threaten intruders with dire consequences. Locals whisper about strange sounds and an unsettling presence. Ghost hunters, journalists and curious tourists continue to arrive, drawn by its reputation as Delhi’s most haunted structure. The Delhi government has acknowledged its historical value, and organisations like INTACH have proposed restoration plans. However, legal hurdles and environmental restrictions within the Central Ridge have stalled progress. Despite heritage walks and renewed public interest, Malcha Mahal remains suspended between preservation and decay.