For other uses, see Mumtaz Mahal.
Mumtaz Mahal was a Mughal Empress and chief consort of emperor Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal
in Agra was constructed by her husband as her final resting place.
Born as Arjumand Banu Begum in Agra in a family of Persian nobility as a daughter of Abdul
Hasan Asaf Khan, making her a niece and later daughter-in-law of Empress Nur Jehan, the
wife of the emperor Jahangir. Arjumand Banu Begum was married at the age of 19, on 10
May 1612, to Prince Khurram, later known as Emperor Shah Jahan, who conferred upon her
the title "Mumtaz Mahal". Though betrothed to Shah Jahan in 1607, she ultimately became
his second wife in 1612 and was his favorite. She died in Burhanpur in the Deccan during
the birth of their fourteenth child, a daughter named Gauhara Begum.
Mumtaz Mahal mothered fourteen children by Shah Jahan, including Aurangzeb, the son who
temporarily succeeded Shah Jahan until deposed by his brother and the Imperial Prince Dara
Shikoh, the heir apparent anointed by Shah Jahan and Jahanara Begum, the Imperial Princess.
Biography
Arjumand Banu Begum was born in Agra in a family of Persian nobility as a daughter of
Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan, making her a niece of Empress Nur Jehan, the wife of the emperor
Jahangir. Her older sister, Parwar Khanum, married Sheikh Farid, the son of Nawab Qutubuddin
Koka, the governor of Badaun who was also the emperor Jahangir's foster brother. Empress
Mumtaz was religiously a Shia Muslim. In 1607 AD, Prince Khurram, also known as
Shah Jahan, was betrothed to Arjumand Banu Begum who was just 14 years old at the time,
but would nonetheless become the unquestioned love of his life. They would, however, have
to wait five years before they were married in 1612 AD, on a date selected by the court
astrologers as most conducive to ensuring a happy marriage. After their wedding celebrations,
Khurram "finding her in appearance and character elect among all the women of the time", gave
her the title 'Mumtaz Mahal' Begum. 18 AH). The intervening years had seen Khurram take
two other wives. But by all accounts however, Khurram was so taken with Mumtaz that he showed
little interest in exercising his polygamous rights with the two earlier wives, other than
dutifully siring a child with each. According to the official court chronicler, Motamid
Khan, the relationship with his other wives "had nothing more than the status of marriage.
The intimacy, deep affection, attention and favour which His Majesty had for the Cradle
of Excellence exceeded by a thousand times what he felt for any other."
Mumtaz Mahal had a deep and loving marriage with Shah Jahan. Even during her lifetime,
poets would extol her beauty, grace and compassion. She was Shah Jahan's trusted companion, travelling
with him all over the Mughal Empire. His trust in her was so great that he even gave her
his imperial seal, the Muhr Uzah. Mumtaz was portrayed as having no aspirations to political
power in contrast to her aunt, Empress Nur Jehan, the chief consort of Emperor Jahangir,
who had wielded considerable influence in the previous reign. A great influence on him,
apparently often intervening on behalf of the poor and destitute, she also enjoyed watching
elephant and combat fights performed for the court. It was quite common for women of noble
birth to commission architecture in the Mughal Empire, so Mumtaz devoted some time to a riverside
garden in Agra. Despite her frequent pregnancies, Mumtaz travelled
with Shah Jahan's entourage throughout his earlier military campaigns and the subsequent
rebellion against his father. She was his constant companion and trusted confidant,
leading court historians to go to unheard lengths to document the intimate and erotic
relationship the couple enjoyed. In their nineteen years of marriage, they had fourteen
children together, seven of whom died at birth or at a very young age.
When Shah Jahan travelled from Balapur Fort to Burhanpur, mother of Mirza Azam and elder
daughter of Shahzada Mirza Badi-uz-Zaman Safavi, alias Shah Nawaz Khan of the Safavid dynasty,
the princess Dilras Banu Begum, wife of Aurangzeb along with Mumtaz and cousin/brother Shah
Beg Khan, along with military personnel - stayed three nights near Argaon at Hiwarkhed, before
the birth of their fourteenth child. Mumtaz Mahal died in Burhanpur in 1631 AD
while giving birth to her fourteenth child. She had been accompanying her husband while
he was fighting a campaign in the Deccan Plateau. Her body was temporarily buried at Burhanpur
in a walled pleasure garden known as Zainabad originally constructed by Shah Jahan's uncle
Daniyal on the bank of the Tapti River. The contemporary court chroniclers paid an unusual
amount of attention to Mumtaz Mahal's death and Shah Jahan's grief at her demise. In the
immediate aftermath of his bereavement, the emperor was reportedly inconsolable. Apparently
after her death, Shah Jahan went into secluded mourning for a year. When he appeared again,
his hair had turned white, his back was bent, and his face worn. Shah Jahan's eldest daughter,
Jahanara Begum, gradually brought him out of grief and took the place of Mumtaz at court.
Her personal fortune was divided by Shah Jahan between Jahanara Begum, who received half
and the rest of her surviving children. Burhanpur was never intended by her husband as his wife's
final resting spot. As a result, her body was disinterred in December 1631 and transported
in a golden casket escorted by her son Shah Shuja and the head lady in waiting of the
deceased Empress back to Agra. There it was interred in a small building on the banks
of the Yamuna River. Shah Jahan stayed behind in Burhanpur to conclude the military campaign
that had originally brought him to the region. While there, he began planning the design
and construction of a suitable mausoleum and funerary garden in Agra for his wife. It was
a task that would take more than 22 years to complete: the Taj Mahal.
A crater was named in her honour on asteroid 433 Eros, along with another one after her
husband. Citations
References Koch, Ebba. The Complete Taj Mahal: And the
Riverfront Gardens of Agra. Thames & Hudson Ltd. pp. 288 pages. ISBN 0-500-34209-1.
Preston, Diana & Michael. A Teardrop on the Cheek of Time. London: Doubleday. pp. 354
pages. ISBN 978-0-385-60947-0. External links
Media related to Mumtaz Mahal at Wikimedia Commons