She entered the royal harem as a khawasin after having been sold to Royal agents, where she was promoted to a pari,[3] and was known as Mahak Pari.[citation needed] She became a Begum after being accepted as a royal concubine of the King of Awadh,[4] the last Tajdaar-e-Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah; became his junior wife[5] and the title 'Hazrat Mahal' was bestowed on her after the birth of their son, Birjis Qadr.