Janali Kamali: A Queer Love Story

 

The voice for the rights of LGBTQIA+ in India has been evolving rapidly in recent days and It's a shame that we have to wait for the people sitting in Delhi who have the right to decide who should we love, who should we marry, and how many legal rights we should have as per our gender preference.  

Even in the 21st century people don't feel comfortable talking about Queer Love. But at the same place, a famous love story of Jamali and Kamali in the 16th century took place which broke the parameters of love and acceptance. 

Sheikh Jamali Kamboh was a renowned Sufi saint who lived during Lodi Dynasty and the Mughal Dynasty. He was a poet who traveled widely around Asia and the Middle East and became a court poet during the Lodi Dynasty rule and continued his position in the Mughal rules. His poetry mirrored the Persian mysticism of the times. His two popular works are The Sun and Moon and The Spiritual Journey of the Mystics. 

There is not much written history about Kamali but it is said he was Jamali's disciple and his lover. 

Inside the tomb of Sheikh Jamali Kamboh, there are two graves, and one can find symbolic qalams on each of their graves, which signifies that two males are buried there. People say their graves are placed in a manner that implies that they were lovers. 

Karen Chase has described her take on their story beautifully in her book ‘Jamali-Kamali, A Tale of Passion in Mughal India’. 

Two historic structures related to Jamali and Kamali can be seen inside the Mehrauli Archaeological Park in Delhi, popularly known as Jamali Kamali Mosque and tomb constructed in 1528-1529, and Jamali was buried in the tomb after he died in 1535.