Mumtaz Mahal

Mumtaz Mahal.

Arjumand Banu Begum, in Persian: ارجمند بانو بیگم‎, better known as Mumtaz Mahal (Persian: ممتاز محل, meaning "the Chosen of the Palace"; April 27 1593 – June 17, 1631), was the fourth wife of the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal, in Agra, was built by her husband as a mausoleum.

She was born in Agra, into a Persian noble family, the daughter of Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan, and the niece and daughter-in-law of Empress Consort Nur Jehan, wife of Emperor Jahangir. Ajurmand Banu Begum married at the age aged 19, on May 10, 1612, with Imperial Prince Yurram, better known as Shah Jahan, who granted him the title of "Mumtaz Mahal". Although she was betrothed to the emperor in 1607, she did not become his fourth wife until 1612, becoming his favorite wife. Mumtaz died while giving birth to her fourteenth child, a girl named Gauhara Begum in Burhanpur in the Deccan (now Madhya Pradesh).

Mumtaz Mahal had fourteen children by Shah Jahan, including: Imperial Prince Aurangzeb (who deposed his father on the throne), Imperial Prince Dara Shikoh (assassinated by his brother Aurangzeb), Imperial Princess Jahanara Begum (who succeeded her mother as First Lady of the Empire) and Imperial Princess Roshanara Begum. She was also the foster mother of Iranar, one of the most famous dancers and poets of the 17th century , daughter of one of the slaves to her, who had died giving birth.

Biography

Ajurmand Banu Begum was born in the city of Agra, into a family of Persian nobility, the daughter of Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan and the niece and daughter-in-law of Empress Consort Nur Jehan. Her elder sister Parwar Khanum married Sheikh Farid son of Nawan Qutubuddin Koka, the Governor of Badaun, who was also the adoptive brother of Shah Jahan. Empress Mumtaz was a devout Shiite Muslim.

In the year 1607 AD. C. (1016 AH) Prince Yurram, also known as Shah Jahan, became engaged to Ajurmand Banu Begum, then 14 years old. She would become the unquestionable love of his life. However, the imperial couple would have to wait five years to carry out the wedding ceremony, in the year 1612, since it was considered by court astrologers as a date that would bring happiness to the marriage. After the wedding celebration, Yurram "...finding her superior in appearance and character to the women of his time", bestowed on her the title of "Mumtaz Mahal" Begum (The Palace's Chosen) Before they were married, Yurram had already taken three other wives, however, the emperor was so taken with Mumtaz that he showed little interest in exercising his polygamous rights with the three previous wives.. According to the official court chronicler Motamid Khan (as recorded in Iqbal Namah-e-Jahangiri), his relationship with his other wives & # 34;had nothing more than the status of marriage. The intimacy, attention, affection and favor that Her Majesty had for the Cradle of Excellence (Mumtaz Mahal) exceeded a thousand times more than what she felt for any other woman' .

Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan had a very close and deep love relationship. Even during the empress's lifetime, poets extolled her beauty, her grace, and her compassion. She was the great companion of Shah Jahan and accompanied him during his travels throughout the Mughal Empire. The emperor's confidence in her was so great that he gave him the imperial seal of her, the Muhr Uzah. Mumtaz was portrayed as an empress who had no political aspirations, in contrast to her aunt and mother-in-law, Empress Nur Jehan, who wielded considerable political influence over the previous reign. She had a very positive influence on the emperor and, although not he had political aspirations, often used to intervene on behalf of the poor and homeless. At that time it was very common for the noblewomen of the Mughal Empire to be in charge of architecture. The empress designed her own garden (garden where the Taj Mahal now stands) along the river in Agra.

Despite her frequent pregnancies, Mumtaz accompanied Shah Jahan during his military campaigns and in the subsequent rebellion against his father. She was his most loyal companion and confidante. In their nineteen years of marriage, they had fourteen children, seven of whom died at birth or in infancy.

The Taj Mahal, where the remains of Mumtaz Mahal rest with her beloved husband.

Mumtaz passed away in Burhanpur, in the year 1631 AD. C. (1040 A.H.), giving birth to her fourteenth child. She had been accompanying her husband during a military campaign in the Deccan Plateau. Her body was temporarily entombed at Burhanpur, in a walled garden known as Zainabad originally built by Shah Jahan's uncle, on the banks of the Tapti River.After her passing, the emperor's grief was inconsolable. Apparently, after his death, Shah Jahan dressed in mourning and kept out of public life for a year.When the emperor appeared in public again, his hair was graying, his back stooped, and his face aged. His eldest daughter, the devout Jahanara Begum gradually helped him through his grief and took Mumtaz's place at court.

Her personal fortune (10 million rupees) was divided by Shah Jahan between Jahanara Begum, who received half, and the rest of her surviving children. The emperor never intended to leave her entombed in Burhanpur. As a result of this, Mumtaz's body was exhumed in the year 1631 and transported in a golden coffin, escorted by his son Sha Shuja and Imperial Princess Jahanara Begum, to the city of Agra. While there, she was buried in a small building on the banks of the Yamuna River. Shah Jahan stayed in Burhanpur to conclude the military campaign that initially brought him to the region. As soon as he arrived in Agra, he began planning the design and construction of a funerary mausoleum and garden suitable for the eternal rest of his wife. It was a construction that took more than 22 years to finish: the Taj Mahal.