Jahanara Begum

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Jahanara Begum (around 1635)

Jahanara Begum (first name Persian جهان آرا, DMG Ǧahān-Ārā , 'the one who adorns the world', b. April 2, 1614 ; died September 16, 1681 ) was the eldest surviving daughter of the Grand Mogul of India Shah Jahan (Prince Khurram) and his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal . Her father Asaf Khan was a vizier at Jahangir and paved the way for her husband to the throne at the death of Jahangir.

Jahanara took on the role of first lady at court after the early death of her mother. Her father loved her very much and provided her with plenty of income. She was a generous patron of the arts, donated several mosques (including the Jama Masjid in Agra ), had gardens, pavilions and houses built, and was a valued poet herself. It can be assumed that she had a great influence on the artistic design of the Taj Mahal , her mother's tomb.

Jahanara was very respected at her father's court, had a great influence on him and enjoyed relatively great freedom, even if he did not lift the marriage ban for Mughal princesses, which Akbar I had issued, although there are indications that Jahanara would have liked to get married. There are references to romances in her life, but these were discovered and ruthlessly ended.

In March 1644, Jahanara's clothes caught fire and she was badly burned. This was generally perceived as a catastrophe at court. It took several doctors over a year for the wounds to heal. The recovery was celebrated with a state festival.

Jahanara supported her eldest brother Dara Shikoh in the struggle for the throne. However, he was defeated and murdered by the younger Aurangzeb . Dara Shikoh had promised to lift the marriage ban if he won the throne.

Aurangzeb imprisoned his father in 1658 and Jahanara nursed him until his death. After that the sources of Jahanara dry up - presumably she was put out of the way by her fanatical religious brother Aurangzeb; in any case, he got hold of her considerable fortune. With Aurangzeb the decline of the Mughal art began.

See also

literature

  • WE Begley: Taj Mahal, the Illumined Tomb. The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1989, ISBN 0-295-96944-X .
  • Ellison Banks Findley: Nur Jahan, Empress of Mughal India. Oxford University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-19-507488-2 .
  • Stephen P. Blake: Shahjahanabad, The Sovereign City in Mughal India 1639-1739. Cambridge University Press, 1991, ISBN 0-521-52299-4 .
  • Banarsi Prasad Saksena: History of Shahjahan of Delhi. Bharatiya Kala Prakashan, 2013, ISBN 978-81-8090-310-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Banarsi Prasad Saksena: History of Shahjahan of Delhi. 2nd Edition. Central Book Depot, Allahabad 1962, p. 316. (1st ed. 1932.)
personal data
SURNAME Jahanara Begum
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Daughter of the Grand Mogul of India Shah Jahan
DATE OF BIRTH April 2, 1614
DATE OF DEATH September 16, 1681