Mariam uz-Zamani
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.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Harem_at_Fatehpur_Sikri.jpg/170px-Harem_at_Fatehpur_Sikri.jpg)
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 .
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
- Mariam-uz-Zamani - Photos + Info (English)
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Mariam uz-Zamani |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Jodha Bai |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Wife of the Grand Mogul Akbar; Mother of the heir to the throne Jahangir |
DATE OF BIRTH | October 1, 1542 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Amber (India) |
DATE OF DEATH | May 19, 1623 |
Place of death | unsure: Agra |