Jahanara Begum
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Shahzadi (Imperial Princess) Jahanara Begum (2 April 1614–16 September 1681) was the eldest daughter of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.
Jahanara was the most beloved daughter of Shah Jahan; she took the place of her mother Mumtaz Mahal after her death as first lady in the country. Though she was only seventeen, she brought her father out of mourning and restored normality to a court darkened by her mother's death and his father's grief. Her father took frequently her advice and gave her fortune and power. Jahanara demonstrated her important role within the politics of the empire by bringing the Emperor and the court back to the normality it enjoyed before the death of Empress. Shah Jahan's fondness for his daughter was reflected in the multiple titles he bestowed upon her, which include Sahibat al-Zamani, Mistress of the Age, and Padshah Begum, or Lady Emperor; Jahanara was known to members of the Moghul court as Begum Sahib.
Her power at court was unquestioned, and had her brother Dara Shikoh, whom she favored for ascension after their father, triumphed, her power would likely have continued. Historians report a deep love and genuine liking between the two, unlike the cool politeness that existed between Aurangzeb and herself.
She was instrumental in creating marital alliances. She saw to the betrothal of her brother, Dara Shikoh, to a begum, Nadira Banu, and planned out the wedding. While attending a garden party in 1644, Jahanara's heavily perfumed kameez, trousers, and pairhan, robes, caught fire. She became seriously sick and Jahan himself nursed his beloved daughter back to health, which took many weeks.
She took the side of Dara Shikoh in the struggle for the throne, when Shah Jahan was very ill. Dara had promised her to lift the ban on marriage for Moghul princesses, which Akbar had introduced. On Aurangzeb's usurpation of the throne, Jahanara joined her father in imprisonment at the Agra Fort. She was devoted in her care of her father, and took sole care of him until his death.
Jahanara was known for her active part in looking after the poor, gave lot of money for building of moshee and gardens, and was a poet of some repute herself. She also made a significant impact on the landscape of the capital city of Shahjahanabad. Of the eighteen buildings in the city of Shahjahanabad commissioned by women, Jahanara commissioned five of them. All of Jahanara's building projects were completed around the year 1650 inside the city walls of Shahjahanabad. The most well known monument is Chandni Chawk, the central bazaar.
Jahanara's tomb in the Nizammuddin complex in New Delhi is remarkable for its simplicity.de:Jahanara