Jodhabai
Encyclopedia
Mariam uz-Zamani Begum Sahiba (Imperial Princess), née
Rajkumari (Princess) Hira Kunwari, alias Harkha Bai (October 1, 1542 – 1622) was a Rajput
princess who became the Mughal
Empress, after her marriage to Mughal
Emperor
Akbar. She was the eldest daughter of Kachwaha
Rajput, Raja Bharmal
of Amber, the older name of the Rajput State
of Jaipur
.
Her notability arises from her marriage to the Mughal
emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar
. She was also the mother of emperor Nuruddin Salim Jahangir
, her husband's heir.
Her name as recorded in Mughal
chronicles was Mariam-uz-Zamani. This is why the mosque
of Mariyam Zamani Begum
was constructed in Lahore
, Pakistan
, in her honour. She has been also referred to as Jodha Bai or Jodhabai. Hira Kunwar, Akbar's first Rajput wife, was the eldest daughter of Raja
Bhar Mal of Amber. She was also the sister of Bhagwandas and the aunt of Man Singh I of Amber
, who later became one the nine jewels (Navaratnas
) in the court of Akbar.
The Mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum
was built by her son Nuruddin Salim Jahangir and is situated in the Walled City of Lahore
, Pakistan, while Mariam's Tomb
is situated one km away from Tomb of Akbar the Great
, at Sikandra
, near Agra
.
, , India. Aarushi bai was very beautifu She was Akbar's third wife and one of his three chief queens. Akbar's first queen was the childless Ruqaiyya Begum, and his second wife was Salima Sultan, the widow of his most trusted general, Bairam Khan
. After her marriage, Hira Kunwari was given the title Mariam-uz-Zamani ("Mary
of the Age").
She is said to have been politically involved in the court until Nur Jahan became empress.
Like few other women at the Mughal court, Maryam-uz-Zamani could issue official documents (singularly called farman), which was usually the exclusive privilege of the emperor. Maryam Zamani used her wealth and influence to build gardens, wells, and mosque
s around the country.
In 1586, she arranged a marriage of her son, Prince Salim (later Jahangir
), to her niece, Princess Manmati
(Manbhawati Bai), who was the mother of Prince Khusrau Mirza
.
Maryam Zamani owned and oversaw the ships that carried pilgrim
s to and from the Islamic holy city Mecca
. In 1613, her ship, the Rahīmī was seized by Portuguese pirates along with the 600-700 passengers and the cargo. When the Portuguese officially refused to return the ship and the passengers, the outcry at the Moghul court was quite severe. Zamani's son, the Indian emperor Jahangir ordered the seizure of the Portuguese town Daman. This episode is considered to be an example of the struggle for wealth that would later ensue and lead to colonization of India.
Maryam Zamani died in 1622. As per her last wishes, a vav or step well was constructed by Jahangir. Her tomb, built in 1611, is on the Tantpur road now known as in Jyoti Nagar. Her tomb is now known as "Jodhabai ki chhatri". She was buried according to Islamic custom.Her tomb is situated in a colony which reduced its chances of becoming a tourist place and this also increased the carelessness by the Government.But in the mid of year 2010 Historical department showed their interest for saving it when this news spread through media. Now Government is taking a good care of tomb and is guarded and much safe.
In Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri she is referred as Mariam Zamani. Neither the Akbarnama
(a biography of Akbar commissioned by Akbar himself), nor any historical text from the period refer to her as Jodha Bai. Tuzk-e-Jahangiri
, the autobiography of Jahangir, doesn't mention Jodha Bai either.
According to Professor Shirin Moosvi, a historian of Aligarh Muslim University
, the name "Jodha Bai" was first used to refer to Akbar's wife in the 18th and 19th centuries in historical writings. According to the historian Imtiaz Ahmad, the director of the Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library in Patna
, the name "Jodha" was used for Akbar's wife for the first time by Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod
, in his book Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan.
According to Professor N R Farooqi, a historian of Allahabad Central University, Jodha Bai was not the name of Akbar's Rajput queen; it was the name of Jahangir's Rajput wife Princess Manmati
of Jodhpur, whose real name was Jagat Gosain.
The controversy over the name "Jodha Bai" is a matter of historical debate in Rajasthan
, with various Rajput organisations taking the field against the director of the movie, Ashutosh Gowariker
, for not portraying history correctly.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Rajkumari (Princess) Hira Kunwari, alias Harkha Bai (October 1, 1542 – 1622) was a Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
princess who became the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Empress, after her marriage to Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Akbar. She was the eldest daughter of Kachwaha
Kachwaha
Kachwaha are a Suryavanshi Kshatriya clan who ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states in India such as Alwar, Maihar, Talcher, while the largest kingdom was Jaipur which was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727...
Rajput, Raja Bharmal
Bharmal
Raja Bharmal or Biharimal was a Kachwaha ruler of Amber which was later known as Jaipur in the present day Rajasthan state of India. Bharmal is more known for marrying his daughter, Heera Kunwar or Mariam-us-Zamani to the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1562...
of Amber, the older name of the Rajput State
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
of Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
.
Her notability arises from her marriage to the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar
Akbar the Great
Akbar , also known as Shahanshah Akbar-e-Azam or Akbar the Great , was the third Mughal Emperor. He was of Timurid descent; the son of Emperor Humayun, and the grandson of the Mughal Emperor Zaheeruddin Muhammad Babur, the ruler who founded the Mughal dynasty in India...
. She was also the mother of emperor Nuruddin Salim Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
, her husband's heir.
Her name as recorded in Mughal
Mughal era
The Mughal era is a historic period of the Mughal Empire in South Asia . It ran from the early 15th century to a point in the early 18th century when the Mughal Emperors' power had dwindled...
chronicles was Mariam-uz-Zamani. This is why the mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
of Mariyam Zamani Begum
Begum
Begum, Begam or Baigum is a Turkic title given to female family members of a Baig or 'Beg', a higher official. The term Begum is derived from the word Beg, and means a female member of the Beg's family.Also used Begzadi, for Ex...
was constructed in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, in her honour. She has been also referred to as Jodha Bai or Jodhabai. Hira Kunwar, Akbar's first Rajput wife, was the eldest daughter of Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
Bhar Mal of Amber. She was also the sister of Bhagwandas and the aunt of Man Singh I of Amber
Man Singh I of Amber
Raja Shri Man Singh Ji Saheb was the Kacchwaha King of Amber, a state later known as Jaipur...
, who later became one the nine jewels (Navaratnas
Navaratnas
Navaratnas Nauratan was a term applied to a group of nine extraordinary people in a emperor's court in India...
) in the court of Akbar.
The Mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum
Mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum
Mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum also known as Begum Shahi Mosque is a mosque situated Walled City of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was built by Nuruddin Salim Jahangir, for his mother Mariam-uz-Zamani, and the wife of Mughal Emperor, Akbar...
was built by her son Nuruddin Salim Jahangir and is situated in the Walled City of Lahore
Walled City of Lahore
The Walled City of Lahore, also known as the "Old City," or "Anderoon Shehr ," is the section of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, that was fortified by a city wall during the Mughal era.-Origins:The origins of the original Lahore are unspecific...
, Pakistan, while Mariam's Tomb
Mariam's Tomb
Mariam-uz-Zamani was the wife of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Her tomb is located in Sikandra, a suburb of Agra. It is located just 1 km from the Tomb of Akbar the Great ....
is situated one km away from Tomb of Akbar the Great
Tomb of Akbar the Great
The Tomb of Akbar the Great is an important Mughal architectural masterpiece, built 1605-1613, set in 48 Ha of grounds in Sikandra, a suburb of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.-History:...
, at Sikandra
Sikandra
Sikandra is a town and a nagar panchayat in Kanpur Dehat district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Sikandra is also spelled as Sikandara....
, near Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
.
Life
Rajkumari Hira Kunwari was married to Akbar on January 20, 1562, at SambharSambhar, Rajasthan
Sambhar is a city and a municipality in Jaipur district in the Indian state of Rajasthan.-Geography:Its importance is primarily because of it is situated along the Sambhar Lake, the largest saline lake in India....
, , India. Aarushi bai was very beautifu She was Akbar's third wife and one of his three chief queens. Akbar's first queen was the childless Ruqaiyya Begum, and his second wife was Salima Sultan, the widow of his most trusted general, Bairam Khan
Bairam Khan
Bairam Khan also Bayram Khan was a important military commander, general of the Mughal army, a powerful statesman and regent at the court of the Mughal emperors Humayun and Akbar.-Background:...
. After her marriage, Hira Kunwari was given the title Mariam-uz-Zamani ("Mary
Mary (given name)
Mary is a feminine given name, the English form of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ, or Mariam, and Μαρια, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Both New Testament names were forms of the Hebrew name מִרְיָם or Miryam.The usual meaning given by various...
of the Age").
Like few other women at the Mughal court, Maryam-uz-Zamani could issue official documents (singularly called farman), which was usually the exclusive privilege of the emperor. Maryam Zamani used her wealth and influence to build gardens, wells, and mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s around the country.
In 1586, she arranged a marriage of her son, Prince Salim (later Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
), to her niece, Princess Manmati
Princess Manmati
Princess Manmati, Taj Bibi Bilqis Makani Begum Sahiba Jodh Bai, née Rajkumari Shri Manavati Baiji Lall Sahiba was a lady of Rajput birth who became the wife of Mughal Emperor Jahangir and mother of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.Manmati was born the daughter of Raja Shri Udai Singhji Sahib Bahadur ,...
(Manbhawati Bai), who was the mother of Prince Khusrau Mirza
Khusrau Mirza
Khusrau Mirza was the eldest son of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. His mother Manbai or Shah Begam was a Kachhwaha princess and the daughter of Raja Bhagwant Das. Prince Khusrau was born in Lahore on August 16, 1587...
.
Maryam Zamani owned and oversaw the ships that carried pilgrim
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
s to and from the Islamic holy city Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. In 1613, her ship, the Rahīmī was seized by Portuguese pirates along with the 600-700 passengers and the cargo. When the Portuguese officially refused to return the ship and the passengers, the outcry at the Moghul court was quite severe. Zamani's son, the Indian emperor Jahangir ordered the seizure of the Portuguese town Daman. This episode is considered to be an example of the struggle for wealth that would later ensue and lead to colonization of India.
Maryam Zamani died in 1622. As per her last wishes, a vav or step well was constructed by Jahangir. Her tomb, built in 1611, is on the Tantpur road now known as in Jyoti Nagar. Her tomb is now known as "Jodhabai ki chhatri". She was buried according to Islamic custom.Her tomb is situated in a colony which reduced its chances of becoming a tourist place and this also increased the carelessness by the Government.But in the mid of year 2010 Historical department showed their interest for saving it when this news spread through media. Now Government is taking a good care of tomb and is guarded and much safe.
The misnomer Jodha Bai
There is a popular perception that the Rajput wife of Akbar, mother of Jahangir, was known as "Jodha Bai".In Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri she is referred as Mariam Zamani. Neither the Akbarnama
Akbarnama
The ' , which literally means Book of Akbar, is the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor , commissioned by Akbar himself and written in Persian by his court historian and biographer, Abul Fazl who was one of the nine jewels in Akbar's court...
(a biography of Akbar commissioned by Akbar himself), nor any historical text from the period refer to her as Jodha Bai. Tuzk-e-Jahangiri
Tuzk-e-Jahangiri
Tuzk-e-Jahangiri or Tuzk-i-Jahangiri is the autobiography of Mughal Emperor Nor-u-Din Muhammad Jahangir . Also referred to as Jahangirnama , Tuzk-e-Jahangiri is written in Persian, and follows the tradition of his great-grandfather, Babur , who had written the Baburnama; though Jahangir went a...
, the autobiography of Jahangir, doesn't mention Jodha Bai either.
According to Professor Shirin Moosvi, a historian of Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
, the name "Jodha Bai" was first used to refer to Akbar's wife in the 18th and 19th centuries in historical writings. According to the historian Imtiaz Ahmad, the director of the Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library in Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
, the name "Jodha" was used for Akbar's wife for the first time by Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod
James Tod
Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod was an English officer of the British East India Company and an Oriental scholar.Tod was born in London and educated in Scotland, later joining the East India Company as a military officer. He travelled to India in 1799 as a cadet in the Bengal Army where he rose...
, in his book Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan.
According to Professor N R Farooqi, a historian of Allahabad Central University, Jodha Bai was not the name of Akbar's Rajput queen; it was the name of Jahangir's Rajput wife Princess Manmati
Princess Manmati
Princess Manmati, Taj Bibi Bilqis Makani Begum Sahiba Jodh Bai, née Rajkumari Shri Manavati Baiji Lall Sahiba was a lady of Rajput birth who became the wife of Mughal Emperor Jahangir and mother of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.Manmati was born the daughter of Raja Shri Udai Singhji Sahib Bahadur ,...
of Jodhpur, whose real name was Jagat Gosain.
The controversy over the name "Jodha Bai" is a matter of historical debate in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, with various Rajput organisations taking the field against the director of the movie, Ashutosh Gowariker
Ashutosh Gowariker
Ashutosh Gowariker is an Indian film director, actor, writer and producer. He is known for directing the films Lagaan , Swades , Jodhaa Akbar , What's Your Raashee and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey...
, for not portraying history correctly.