history doses
The Naughty Mughals - III

By Bilal Tanweer

Even if we confine ourselves to the eccentricities, there is much to be said about the Mughals and their history. Their history is one of endless fascination. Hence, in this last episode I would try to outline the role played by some important Mughal women - princesses and queens. I choose to do this in hope that someday, some writer will choose to re-write the Mughal history from the perspective of these women.

As compared to their male counterparts, there is relatively little information to be found about the lives of the Mughal women. However, there were those who left an indelible mark on history by playing much more than their expected roles.

Mughal princesses and queens were expected to abide by the traditional roles of being good wives and daughters. Their principal aim was to keep their men happy, rear them children (read: sons) and they were often offered in marriage to other royal families or exchanged to settle disputes as a friendly gesture. In such circumstances, one would imagine, women with little agency. However, when Hamida Bano refused to marry Humayun, it took continuous efforts, forty days, by other tactful women to convince her about the propitious nature of the offer. She agreed and bore Akbar.

Women of the Mughal court became adept at court politics. This entailed pulling legs and ladders of possible competitors for position of power and helping their own sons and relatives take those positions. Nur Jahan is my favourite example. Because of her over-weaning influence over Jehangir, her family was raised to nobility. Her father, Itimad-ud Daula and brother, Asaf Khan, became two of the most important figures in Mughal history. In fact, Shah Jahan's wife was Asaf Khan's daughter.

Nur Jahan was a woman of many qualities: she could write poetry in Persian, designed carpets, brocade and lace, and developed a distinctive style in interior design. In fact, her designs remained in high fashion many decades after her death. She was a cook par excellence as well, and many of the famous Mughal recipes are attributed to her.

Besides being a woman of 'imperious beauty' she was a skilful administrator, astute political manipulator and, believe it or not, a sharp shooter! She astounded everyone with her shooting once when she felled four tigers in six shots, while being mounted on an elephant. Jehangir presented her with a royally expensive diamond bracelet and showered her with 1,000 gold ashrafis.

Nur Jahan's real name was Mehrunnissa. She was given the title, Nur Mahal, Light of the Palace. As her hold over the Mughal throne grew with time she was then given the title, Nur Jahan, Light of the World. Being an ambitious woman in older times was not imaginable. However, Nur Jahan was the ruler in absentia and she governed the Mughal Empire through the power she wielded over Jehangir. Nur Jahan's power grew to such a degree that her signatures were required on the imperial orders. So dependant was Jehangir on her that he did not take important decisions without consulting her.

However, upon Jehangir's death and Shah Jahan's accession to the throne, she left a lesson for the rulers about how to make a graceful transition after losing power. She did not cause a fuss or try to ruffle up trouble. She took to a corner in Lahore where she built her husband's tomb and then died ten years later.

Another woman like Nur Jahan appeared a generation later in Mughal history as Mumtaz Mahal. She was Shah Jahan's wife and close companion. Shah Jahan depended upon her as Jehangir depended upon Nur Jahan, though not as openly as the latter. Unfortunately, she died four years after Shah Jahan acceded the throne. Her memory was immortalized by her husband as Taj Mahal in Agra.

The other female I admire in Mughal history was Shah Jahan's daughter, Jahanara. Jahanara, besides being beautiful was talented and had an interest in philosophy. Religiously she was inclined towards Sufism and had Sheikh Moinuddin Chishti's biography, 'Munis ul-Arwah', to her credit. She loved Shah Jahan very much, and enjoyed an extremely close relationship with him. At his death she wrote the following verse: 

I cry from grief like a reed, with only wind

to grasp;

I burn from sorrow like a candle, but only smoke rises from my head.

For comments: bilalt@gmail.com