Shah Begum (wife of Jahangir)

Shah Begum (lit. ''Royal Begum''); (c. 1570 - 16 May 1604) was a Rajput princess who married Mughal Prince, Salim (later Emperor Jahangir) and became his first wife and chief consort. She was the mother of the eldest son of Jahangir, Khusrau Mirza.

Shah Begum
Rajkumari of Amer
Zan-i-Kalan
Tomb of Shah Begum
BornManbhawati Bai
c. 1570
Amer, Kingdom of Amer
Died16 May 1604(1604-05-16) (aged 33–34)
Allahabad, Mughal Empire
Burial
Khusrau Bagh, Allahabad
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1585)​
IssueSultan-un-Nissa Begum
Khusrau Mirza
HouseKachhwaha (by birth)
Timurid (by marriage)
FatherRaja Bhagwant Das
ReligionHinduism

Family

Manbhawati Bai, known popularly as Man Bai,[1] was the daughter of Raja Bhagwant Das, the ruler of Amer.[2] She was the granddaughter of Raja Bharmal and daughter-in-law of Mariam-uz-Zamani who was also her paternal aunt.[3]

Marriage

At the age of fifteen, Salim was betrothed to his cousin, Man Bai. This marriage as stated by Abdul Qadir Badayuni was decided and fixed by the mother of Prince Salim, Empress Mariam-uz-Zamani. Akbar readily agreed to this match expressing that the bride belonged to the family having a "fine genetic pool". She was widely known for her beauty, high ideals, and principles. The marriage settlement was fixed at two crore tankas. Akbar himself, accompanied by all his nobles, went to the Raja's mansion, and on 13 February 1585, celebrated the wedding in the presence of Muslim qazis combined with distinctive Hindu ceremonies. [4]

The dowry bestowed by Bhagwant Das included a hundred elephants, several strings of horses, jewels, numerous and diverse golden vessels set with precious stones, utensils of gold and silver, and all sorts of riches, the quantity of which is beyond all computation. The imperial nobles were presented with Persian, Turkish, and Arabian horses, with golden saddles. Along with the bride, were given several male and female slaves, of Indian, Abyssinian, and Circassian origin.[5] As the Imperial procession returned along highways covered with rare and choice cloth, the Emperor scattered over the bridal litter, gold, and jewels in careless profusion. To honor her household which was the abode of the highest-ranking nobles of the Mughal court and was the paternal household of the chief consort of Akbar and mother of Prince Salim, Mariam-uz-Zamani, Akbar and Salim themselves carried the palanquin of the bride on their shoulders for some distance.[6]

The couple's first child was a daughter named Sultan-un-Nissa Begum, who was born on 25 April 1586 and died on 5 September 1646.[7] She lived for sixty years. The couple's second child was a son named Khusrau Mirza, who was born on 16 August 1587. At his birth, Man Bai was bestowed the prestigious title of "Shah Begum" meaning "The royal lady".[8][9]

She was described to be a very beautiful woman. With her fidelity and sincere devotion to Jahangir, she won a special place in his heart. Jahangir praises her for her high ideals and fidelity in his biography, Jahangirnama. She was a neurotic woman, quick to take offense over imagined insults, for which there was plenty of scope for the Rajput princess in Jahangir's polygamous. "The lady [Shah Begum] was ever ambitious of an ascendancy over the other inmates of the harem, and grew violent at the slightest opposition of her will" said Inayatullah. "From time to time her mind wandered, and her father and brothers all agreed in telling me she was insane," writes Jahangir.[10]

Shah Begum constantly advised Khusrau to be loyal to his father. When she saw that it was of no use, she decided to take her own life finding no way to reconcile father and son which was the token of her fidelity towards her husband, Salim.[11]

Death

Shah Begum died on 16 May 1604.[12] She was incapable of tolerating the misconduct of her son toward Jahangir, which despaired her life in a circumstantial trauma.[13] With her mind in a state of imbalance, she consumed excess opium and died thereafter committing suicide. Jahangir was devastated over the news of her death and much to his grief didn't consume meals for four days. Beholding his son's grief, Akbar sent him a robe of honor to deliver his condolences. He was eventually pacified by his mother, Mariam-uz-Zamani.[14]

Jahangir in her honor ordered the construction of her tomb and entrusted it to Aqa Reza, the principal artist at Allahabad court. Shah Begum's tomb is located in Khusrau Bagh, Allahabad. It was completed in 1606-07.[15]

Issue

With Jahangir, Shah Begum had at least two children:

  • Sultan-un-Nissa (25 April 1586, Mughal Empire – 5 September 1646, Mughal Empire, buried in Tomb of Akbar, Sikandar, Agra)
  • Khusrau Mirza (16 August 1587, Lahore, Mughal Empire – 26 January 1622, Deccan, Mughal Empire, buried in Mausoleum of Khusrau Mirza, Khusro Bagh, Allahabad)

See also

References
  1. Prasad, Ishwari (1974). The Mughal Empire. Chugh Publications. p. 294.
  2. The Proceedings of the Indian History Congress - Volume 64. Indian History Congress. 2004. p. 598.
  3. Flores, Jorge (20 November 2015). The Mughal Padshah: A Jesuit Treatise on Emperor Jahangir's Court and Household. BRILL. pp. 91 n. 23. ISBN 978-9-004-30753-7.
  4. Prasad 1930, p. 29.
  5. Ojha, P. N (1975). North Indian social life during Mughal period. Oriental Publishers & Distributors. p. 131.
  6. Prasad 1930, p. 29-30.
  7. Jahangir, Emperor; Thackston, Wheeler McIntosh (1999). The Jahangirnama: memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India. Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 7 n. 20, 29 n. 36.
  8. Sharma, S. R. (1999). Mughal Empire In India: A Systematic Study Including Source Material, Volume 2. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 310. ISBN 978-8-171-56818-5.
  9. Nicoll, Fergus (2009). Shah Jahan: The Rise and Fall of the Mughal Emperor. Penguin Books India. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-670-08303-9.
  10. Eraly, Abraham (2000). Emperors of the Peacock Throne the saga of the great Mughals. Penguin books. pp. 273. ISBN 9780141001432.
  11. Jahangir, Emperor; Thackston, Wheeler McIntosh (1999). The Jahangirnama: memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India. Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 51.
  12. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press for the Royal Asiatic Society. 1907. p. 604.
  13. Jahangir, Emperor; Rogers, Alexander; Beveridge, Henry (1909). The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri; or, Memoirs of Jahangir. Translated by Alexander Rogers. Edited by Henry Beveridge. London Royal Asiatic Society. pp. 56.
  14. Dutt, Guru. Ganga ki Dhara. p. 79. ISBN 9386336065.
  15. Asher, Catherine B. (24 September 1992). Architecture of Mughal India, Part 1, Volume 4. Cambridge University Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-521-26728-1.

Sources
  • Prasad, Beni (1930). History of Jahangir. The Indian Press, LTD, Allahbad.
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