Mariam uz-Zamani

Mariam uz-Zamani alias Jodha Bai

Mariam uz-Zamani (born October 1, 1542 ; died May 19, 1623 ), also known as Heer Kunwari , Hira Kunwari , Harka Bai or (incorrectly) Jodha Bai , was the main wife of the Mughal ruler Akbar I and the mother of his eldest Son and later successor Salīm (Jahangir). Before Salīm, she gave birth to twins Hussain and Hassan , who died very early in the year of their birth.

biography

Her real name was Heer Kunwari ; she was the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber (r. 1548–1574); she was thus a Hindu princess . On February 6, 1562, at the age of 19, she was married to the Mogul Akbar (1542-1605), who was the same age and who had several wives, none of whom had given him a son. Although from then on she lived at the Mughal court, she remained true to the Hindu faith, which was accepted by Akbar, who developed a more tolerant relationship to Hinduism and other religions through the marriage . With the birth of the heir to the throne Salim in 1569, she assumed a leading position in the harem and at the court and was given the honorary name Mariam uz-Zamani ('Mary of the Age'). Akbar had previously been prophesied of the birth of a son and heir to the throne by the Sufi Salim Chishti , who lived in Sikri , where Akbar moved the capital of his empire in the following years. Although Akbar married other Hindu princesses for political reasons, Mariam remained his favorite.

Jodha Bai's Palace in Fatehpur Sikri

She was highly honored by Akbar as well as by her son Salim and soon assumed a prominent position in political matters. In addition, she ran trading in spices and silk and worked as a shipowner ; that gave her her own income. When in 1613 one of their ships, which had cargo and Mecca pilgrims on board, was captured by the Portuguese , Jahangir ordered the capture of the Portuguese port of Daman . Mariam held the highest rank of officer at the Mughal Court and was the only woman of her time to sign imperial edicts ( fermane ) - an honor that was later also bestowed on Nur Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal .

Mariam died very old in May 1623. Her body was not cremated - as is common with Hindus - but buried. Mariam thus received her own mausoleum, which is about a kilometer from her husband's grave .

Mariam's Tomb , Sikandra

buildings

Although there is no evidence that she was active as a builder in addition to her other activities, three buildings from the Mughal period are still associated with her name - the two-storey so-called Jodha Bai's Palace in the Fort of Fatehpur Sikri , her grave, the single-storey Mariam's Tomb , near the village Sikandra , which stands out from its models with its unusual constellation of roof structures (4 chhatris and 4 chaparkats ) and the Begum Shahi Masjid , built in her honor by her son Jahangir in Lahore .

Films etc.

Her life has been filmed several times since 1960.

literature

• Rekha Mishra: Women in Mughal India, 1526-1748 AD Munshiram Manoharlal, 1967, ISBN 978-8121503471

Web links

Commons : Mariam uz-Zamani  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Mariam-uz-Zamani - Photos + Info (English)