Wali Nimat Mariam-uz-Zamani Begum | |||||
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Empress consort of Mughal Empire Queen mother of the Mughal Empire Rajkumari of Amer | |||||
![]() Artistic depiction of Mariam-uz-Zamani | |||||
Born | Harka Bai c. 1542 Amer, Kingdom of Amber | ||||
Died | 19 May 1623[1] Agra,[1] Mughal Empire | (aged 80–81)||||
Burial | |||||
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Dynasty | |||||
Father | Raja Bharmal of Amer | ||||
Mother | Rani Champavati Solanki | ||||
Religion | Hinduism |
Mariam-uz-Zamani (lit. 'Mary of the Age');[3] (c. 1542 – 19 May 1623), commonly known by the misnomer Jodha Bai, was the chief consort and principal Rajput wife as well as the favorite empress consort of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] She was also the longest-serving Hindu empress of the Mughal Empire with a tenure of forty-three years (1562 –1605).[12]
Born a Rajput princess,[13] she was married to Akbar by her father, Raja Bharmal of Amer due to political exigencies.[14][15] Her marriage to Akbar led to a gradual shift in the latter's religious and social policies. She is widely regarded in modern Indian historiography as exemplifying both Akbar's and the Mughals' tolerance of religious differences and their inclusive policies within an expanding multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire.[15] She was an extremely beautiful woman reported to possess uncommon beauty,[16] widely known for both, her grace and intellect. In the words of Akbar, she's described as 'a piece of the moon'.[17]
She was a senior-ranking wife of Akbar who in the words of Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, commanded a high rank in the imperial harem.[18] According to Henry Beveridge, she was head of the Hindu harem of Akbar. Several medieval historical chronicles, written during the reign of Emperor Akbar namely 'Tarikh-I-Farishta' and 'Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh' by Abdul Qadir Badayuni, cites Mariam-uz-Zamani to be the favorite and most influential consort of Akbar.[19][4]The Empress held a prodigious influence[20][21]in the matters of the court during Akbar's reign and was often consulted by Akbar in important matters.[22] Described as an intelligent,[23] amiable, kind,[24] gentle[25] and secular woman,[26] she was the mother of Akbar's eldest surviving son and eventual successor, Jahangir, and grandmother of Shah Jahan.
Name, Titles and Background
Background
Mariam-uz-Zamani was born in 1542 as the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amer by his wife Rani Champavati, daughter of Rao Ganga Solanki.[27][28][29] Her paternal grandparents were Raja Prithviraj Singh I and Apurva Devi, a daughter of Rao Lunkaran of Bikaner.[30]
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20220719081921im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/JodhaBai.jpg/220px-JodhaBai.jpg)
Name and Titles
Her birth name is unknown.[15] Later historical accounts give several suggestions for her birth name. In an 18th-century genealogy of her clan (the Kachwahas) for example, she is referred to as ' Harkhan Champavati '.[15] Other names provided by various sources include Harkha Bai,[14] Jiya Rani, Maanmati bai,[31] Harika bai, Hira Kunwari,[32] Heer Kunwari, and Shahi-Bai.
She was bestowed an honorific Muslim name, 'Wali Nimat Begum' (lit. 'Blessings of God') by Akbar, in 1564, after two years of her marriage.[33] 'Mariam-uz-Zamani' (lit. 'Mary/Compassionate of the Age') was a prestigious title bestowed on her by Akbar on the occasion of their son Jahangir's birth.[34] This was the title by which she was referred to in contemporary Mughal chronicles, including Jahangir's autobiography, the Tuzk-e-Jahangiri.[35] Apart from the title of Mariam-uz-Zamani, she also bore two more glorious titles of 'Mallika-e-Muezamma' (lit. 'Exalted Empress')[36] and 'Mallika-e-Hindustan' (lit. 'Empress of Hindustan').[36] She was commonly referred as 'Shahi Begum' (lit. 'Imperial Begum') throughout her reign.[37][38] She would officially use the name Wali Nimat Mariam-uz-Zamani Begum Sahiba.[2]
The misnomer of Jodha Bai
The name by which she is most popularly known in modern times is 'Jodha Bai'.[39] The name 'Jodha Bai' was first used in relation to Mariam-uz-Zamani in James Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, a colonialist history written in the early 19th century.[40] This naming appears to have been an error, given that it implies a relationship with the royal family of Jodhpur, rather than that with the Rajas of Amber.[41] Instead, it is believed that 'Jodha Bai' in fact refers to the wife of Jahangir, Jagat Gosain daughter of Raja Udai Singh of Jodhpur.[42]
Marriage to Akbar and Religion
Marriage
Mariam-uz-Zamani's marriage was the result of a conflict between her father and Akbar's brother-in-law, Sharif-ud-din Mirza, the Hakim of Mewat. Raja Bharmal had been facing harassment at Sharif-ud-din's hands, on account of his conflict with Sujamal. Bharmal agreed to pay peshkash and had given his son and Mariam-uz-Zamani's full brother, Jagannath, and two nephews, Raj Singh, son of Raja Askaran and Khangar, son of Jagmal, as hostages but Sharif-ud-din wished to destroy him.[43] So he approached Akbar to request his intervention. The Emperor agreed to mediate on the condition of Raja Bharmal's submission, as well as the suggestion that his daughter be given to Akbar in marriage.[14] Raja Bharmal then espoused his gentle daughter, who was veiled in chastity, in honorable wedlock to Emperor Akbar, and was enlisted in the rank of honored consorts.[44][45]
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20220719081921im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/AkbarMariamuzZamani.jpg/220px-AkbarMariamuzZamani.jpg)
The marriage, thus, a political one, took place amidst proper festivity on February 6, 1562, while Akbar was on his way back to Agra from Ajmer (after offering prayers at the tomb of Moinuddin Chishti) at the imperial military camp in Sambhar, Rajasthan, instead of the bride's natal home. As per Abu'l Fazl, Akbar accepted the marriage proposal of the daughter of Raja Bharmal due to a divine vision he had at Ajmer Sharif. The Amber princess's marriage provided her family's powerful support throughout the reign.[46]
Views of eminent historians about their marriage:
"Bihari Mal gave rich dowry to his daughter and sent his son Bhagwan Das with a contingent of Rajput soldiers to escort his newly married sister to Agra as per Hindu custom. Akbar was deeply impressed by the highly dignified, sincere, and princely conduct of his Rajput relations. He took Man Singh, the youthful son of Bhagwant Das into the royal service. Akbar was fascinated by the charm and accomplishments of his Rajput wife; he developed real love for her and raised her to the status of chief queen. She came to exercise profound impact on the socio-cultural environment of the entire royal household and changed the lifestyle of Akbar."
— Historian J.L. Mehta, Advanced study in the history of medieval India(1981)[5]
"The heavenly reward, was not long in coming... Raja Bihari Mal of Jaipur arrived to seek military alliance with the Mughals, and in the pledge of his loyalty, offered his eldest daughter in marriage to Akbar. The Emperor, still under the spiritual spell of Ajmer, thought the offer part of some grand design of the Khwaja and accepted it without hesitation... Jodha Bai entered the harem as a Hindu, not as a Muslim. The insistence on conversion was waived at the instance of her father. A small, exquisite temple was built within the four walls of the fort; she went there every morning to pray and also perhaps to underline her identity as a proud Rajput. With a blue-blooded Rajput princess in the harem, there came about a radical change in the style of life in the palace and at the court. Jodha Bai was as good-looking as she was tactful. Warm-hearted liberalism added luster to her physical charm. Akbar respected her. So did everybody else. Maham Anaga, in particular, became very fond of her. Soon she became a center around which life in the palace revolved. Akbar often consulted her on important matters; her responses were invariably high-minded and above partisanship. An equation of complete trust gradually developed between the two. The future greatness of Akbar was in no small measure due to the large-heartedness of Jodha Bai. With a lesser person in her place, the story of the reign of Akbar might have been different."[47]
— Muni Lal, 1980
"No marriage in medieval Indian history was, politically, so happy and fruitful, as the one contracted by Akbar with the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amer in January 1562. It symbolized the dawn of a new era in Indian politics; it gave the country a line of remarkable sovereigns; it secured to four generations of Mughal Emperors the services of some of the greatest captains and diplomats that medieval India produced."
— Historian B.P. Saxena, History of Shah Jahan of Dehli(1932)
"It was indeed, in more than one way, a marriage made in heaven. Not only was the princess of Amber to become a highly respected Qadasi Arkani Mariam-uz-Zamani (the pillar of purity, Mary of Age), the queen mother of Akbar's first born son and later successor: this marriage also sealed the mighty Rajput-Mughal alliance that would become the backbone of Akbar's military power and the very foundation of Mughal Empire. In itself, there was nothing unusual about Hindu kings offering their daughters to Muslim rulers as a token of their submission, but Akbar's attitude towards his wife and her family was significantly different. Contrary to the usual practice, he did not ask her to convert to Islam, but allowed her to maintain a Hindu shrine in the imperial residence, he himself occasionally would participate in the Hindu festivities. Her relatives were not treated as mere vassals, but as true allies, friends, and family members, in every respect, equal or superior to the leading Muslim amirs. In short, Akbar's alliance to Rajput house of Amber was the very cornerstone upon which his military might and the internal cohesion of his empire was founded."
— Dirk Collier, The Great Mughals and their India
Religion and Style
Akbar, at the insistence of Raja Bharmal, did not convert the princess to Islam and permitted her to perform Hindu rituals in her palace. [48] Although the marriage was a result of a political alliance, the two however gradually developed an intimate and affectionate bond. Akbar himself is recorded to participate in the Pooja performed by the beautiful empress though he married several other Hindu princesses in his life.[49][50] She gradually became his most loved wife and till his death remained his favorite and subsequently was also the only wife buried close to Akbar. She was a devotee of Lord Krishna. The palace commissioned for her by Akbar in the imperial harem was decorated with paintings of Lord Krishna, and, gems and frescoes.
Harka bai arrived at Akbar's court resplendent in the sensuous and excessively feminine style of the Rajput nobility.[51] She is illustrated to wear heavy, swinging, and gathered ghagra which would stop well above her ankle and a tightly fitting choli, tied at back with tasseled strings. Her head and shoulders were covered with an odhani but so translucent and fine that her bare midriff and arms were visible through that shimmering dupatta. Light would flicker against her heavy gold jewelry -swinging earrings, nose rings, clinging bracelets, and girdle of gold. In a few years, the culture and dressing style of this Rajput princess influenced the Mughal dresses and etiquette of the Mughal court.[51] Her roots were deeply embedded in the Rajput culture and style which was exhibited in her colorful and elaborated odhani or embroider lehengas.
Birth of Twins
On 19 October 1564, after two years of her marriage, Mariam-uz-Zamani gave birth to twin sons, Mirza Hassan and Mirza Hussain.[52][53]Akbar arrived in Agra on 9 October 1564 for the birth of twins.[54] Both of them died within a few days of their birth. Mirza Hussain died on 29 October 1564 and Mirza Hassan died on 5 November 1564.
Grief struck, Akbar took Mariam-uz-Zamani along with him after their sons' demise as he set out for a war campaign, and during his return to Agra, he sought the blessings of Salim Chisti, a reputed Khawja who lived at Fatehpur Sikri.[55] Akbar confided in Salim Chisti who assured him that he would be soon delivered of three sons who would live up to a ripe old age.
As noted by Christian missionaries of the court, Pelsaert and Van Den Broecke, Akbar and Mariam-uz-Zamani went on a barefoot pilgrimage to Ajmer Dargah to pray for a son in the year 1566.[56][57]
Birth of Prince Salim
In 1569, Akbar heard the news that his chief consort was expecting a child again and hoped for the first of the three sons that had been promised to him after the death of the twins by Khawaja Salim Chisti. The expectant empress was sent to the Salim Chisti humble dwelling in Fatehpur Sikri during the latter period of her pregnancy. Akbar himself travelled often from Agra to Fatehpur Sikri during her period of pregnancy to take care of the empress for whom a royal palace named Rang Mahal was constructed in Fatehpur Sikri.[58] On 31 August 1569, the empress gave birth to a boy who received the name, Salim, in acknowledgment of his father's faith in the efficacy of the holy man's prayer. Akbar's ecstasy in having his heir-apparent born to Heer Kunwari was enormous and publicly proclaimed, "It is right for that piece of moon".[17] The Empress was presented with jewelry worth one lakh gold coins immediately when Akbar met her for that first time in Sikri after the birth of sultan Salim and gave a 'Rajvanshi pat' on her head expressing his love.[59][60] She was subsequently honored with the prestigious title of 'Mariam-uz-Zamani' (Mary/Compassionate of the Age).
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20220719081921im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Birth_of_jahangir.jpg/250px-Birth_of_jahangir.jpg)
Some sources cite her to be the mother of Akbar's second son, Murad Mirza too. She was also the foster mother of Daniyal Mirza, the favorite son of Emperor Akbar. Several marriages of her eldest son Salim and her foster son, Daniyal, were held at her palace.
Family advancement
Mariam-uz-Zamani's family became the highest-ranking nobles in the Akbar's court. The Rajas of Amber especially benefited from their close association with the Mughals and acquired immense wealth and power. Her family was held in high esteem by Akbar for their unmatchable courage, devotion, and loyalty all of which greatly endeared to the Emperor. Of twenty-seven Rajputs in Abu'l-Fazl list of mansabdars, thirteen were of the Amber clan, and some of them rose to positions as high as that of imperial princes.
Her father Raja Bharmal, after her marriage to Akbar, was immediately made the commander of 5000 cavalry units, the highest rank that could be held by the noble in the court. Mariam-uz-Zamani's brother Bhagwant Das in the year 1585, became commander of 5000 cavalry units and bore the proud title Amir-ul-Umra (Chief Noble). His son, Man Singh I, rose even higher to become commander of 7000 forces which was at par with the mansab of royal princes. Akbar referred to Raja Man Singh as his farzand(son).[61]
Akbar's respect for the family of Mariam-uz-Zamani was profound. As per historian Badani, who specializes in Rajputana history, Akbar shared an intimate relationship with the Amer clan. After the death of the fiance of one of the daughters of Raja Bharmal and younger sister of Mariam-uz-Zamani, Sukanya, in the Battle of Paronkh in October 1562, Akbar personally took the responsibility for her marriage in a Rajput clan and adopted her as her own daughter.[62] To honor them, he visited her native town, Amer, in the year 1569 and enjoyed the largesse bestowed over him by his in-laws. During this time, Mariam-uz-Zamani was into the fourth month of her pregnancy and thereafter was shortly delivered with Salim. Abul Fazl notes that his stay in Amer was of a month and a half and Akbar was showered with several noticeable gifts.
Mariam-uz-Zamani also arranged the marriage of the daughter of her brother, Raja Bhagwant Das, to Salim on 13 February 1585. Man bai became the first and chief consort of Prince Salim. For this marriage Akbar personally visited the town of Amer and as a token of respect for her family carried the palanquin of her daughter-in-law on his shoulders for some distance. Man Bai later became the mother to Akbar's favorite grandson, Khusrau Mirza,[63][64] and received the prestigious title of 'Shah Begum'. [65]
The Empress of Hindustan
The Empress held a significant influence over Akbar and exercised considerable powers in the Mughal court.[66] She wielded massive powers in the imperial harem owing to her superior rank and was designated as in charge of the Hindu harem of Akbar.[51] Findly proclaims it was her retirement as the Empress Consort of the Mughal Empire after the demise of her husband, Akbar that led to the decline of Rajput influence in the Mughal court. She is described as a charismatic and adventurous woman[67] having a high-spirited disposition and a taste for the unusual.[68]
She has high praises reserved in the biography of her husband. As stated by Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak in Akbarnama, she's described as both intellectual and tactful and is termed as an auspicious lady having lights of chastity and intellect shining on her forehead.[23] Abul Fazl calls her “the choicest apple from the garden of paradise.[60] Badayuni in his book states Akbar's affection and endearment for her with the statement "magic the kind daughter of Raja Bharmal did on Akbar".[69] Another contemporary account describes her as a 'great adventurer'.
She was a major driving force and prime inspiration for Akbar's promotion of secularism.[70] In the words of historian Lal, "The personality and beauty of Mariam-uz-Zamani were indeed partly responsible for Akbar's religious neutrality."[71] Nizamuddin Ahmad professes 'daughter of Raja Bihari Mal, who was veiled in chastity, was ennobled by a marriage with His Majesty and was enlisted in the rank of honored consorts.' [44] Abdul Qadir Badayuni describes her as a woman with a gentle disposition.[45]
" In the perspective of my work, Harkha Bai’s depiction has been particularly problematic. Because of the movie Jodha-Akbar, the identity of this Rajput princess has been forever confused because Harkha Bai belonged to the clan of the Kachwahas of Amber, not to Jodhpur at all. Moreover, because the Bollywood version focuses intensely on the so-called love story between Akbar and his Rajput bride, we forget the many complicated and nuanced ways in which Harkha Bai influenced Akbar and the Mughal court. We ignore the cultural, culinary, artistic, and religious impact of this Rajput queen, reducing her instead to the usual, tired trope of a love interest of the central male figure. She has been terribly written out of history. She had an amazing life and went on to become a very influential, powerful, and wealthy woman. Her life was not a typical Mughal life of a queen that we imagine, of putting on ittar and perfume and changing clothes every hour."[72]
— Ira Mukhoty, The Perspective Magazine
She had her garden in Agra which was gifted to her by Akbar and had several palaces constructed for her by Akbar in Fatehpur Sikri, Mandu, Lahore, and Allahabad.[70] In Agra, her palace of residence is believed to be Jahangiri Mahal, constructed by Akbar for his Hindu wives. When Akbar moved his court to Fatehpur Sikri in 1571, she resided in one of the most magnificent and beautiful palaces of Fatehpur Sikri which was built in the zenana complex. This palace was built as per Rajasthani architecture and was the biggest palace of his harem. This palace commonly known as Jodha Bai palace was also internally connected to the Khawabgah of Akbar. Her palace was decorated with paintings of Lord Krishna and in its time is reported to be studded with gems and frescoes. This palace also includes a temple used by the empress for her prayers and a Tulsi math.
Her palace in Mandu called Nilkanth temple (Mandu) or as recorded by Jahangir in his biography, Imarat-i-Dilkhusha (the heart pleasing abode), was the favorite retreat place of Jahangir where he would celebrate his birthdays with his mother as recorded by Thomas Roe, a Christian missionary in Jahangir's court. This palace was commissioned by Akbar for her in the year 1574 and has a Lord Shiva temple inside with a Shiv Ling and is built as per Mughal architecture on a hilltop. She was also the patron of several towns during her reign and held many jagirs like Bayana, pargana, Jansath, etc.[73]
After the demise of their twins, Hassan Mirza and Hussain Mirza in the year 1564, the empress was taken to the war by Akbar and later to the abode of Salim Chisti.[74] In the year 1566, Akbar and Mariam-uz-Zamani went on a pilgrimage barefoot to Dargah Ajmer to pray for a son.[56] The Empress also had the privilege to accompany Akbar often during his campaigns. The freedom Akbar bestowed on her was immense. During his Gujarat campaign when her brother Bhopat had fallen in the battle of Sarnal, Akbar personally sent Mariam-uz-Zamani, who was traveling with him during this campaign, to her native town Amer to pay condolences to her parents.[18] She is recorded to be a virtuous woman with high ideals and fidelity. She had been faithful and highly devoted to her husband throughout her life having sided with Akbar than her son Salim, during the latter's rebellion against his father.
Jahangir's nature of the relationship with his mother
Jahangir paid obeisance to his mother by touching her feet. He records these instances with a sense of pride. His reference to his mother was preceded by the epithet 'Hazrat'. Jahangir referred to her as "Hazrat Mariam-uz-Zamani", "Her Majesty" or at times "my exalted mother" out of his love for her in his memoirs.[75] Jahangir states, "I ordered Khurram to attend upon Hazrat Maryam-Zamani and the other ladies and to escort them to me. When they reached the neighbourhood of Lahore.. I embarked on a boat and went to a village named Dahr to meet my mother, and I had the good fortune to be received by her. After the performance of obeisance and prostration (rites of Korunish, Sajda, and Taslim before my exalted mother)..."[76][77] Jahangir would greet her mother by performing Korunish, Sajda, and Taslim and after paying her homage used to pay respect to other elders and royals. The stature and reverence Jahangir held for his mother were exceptional, he used to carry her palanquin on his shoulders.[78] During the plague of Agra when Jahangir was in Fatehpur Sikri, he says, "On January 1618, Mallika Mariam-uz-Zamani came from Agra to meet me and I attained the happiness of waiting on her. I hope that the shadow of her protection and affection will always be over the head of this supplicant."[79]
In 1595, when Mariam-uz-Zamani was traveling for her business exigency, she was robbed of all her personal possessions in the city of Kabul and was left out of the ordinary necessities of life. Jesuit Benedict Goes hearing this assisted her before prince Salim could reach her. He granted the queen 600 pieces of gold and was subsequently paid in jade by the queen. When this news was delivered to Akbar's court, he in astonishment thanked Benedict for his services to her queen as the assistance she sought from her countrymen was delivered to her by a stranger. Salim who was at a distance of eight days from his mother came in haste to meet his mother and meeting Benedict he embraced him and ordered full repayment of the advances he lent to the queen. When Mariam-uz-Zamani reached Akbar's court safely, several people arrived there to welcome her and presented her with many gifts.[80][81]
The courtesies and largesse demonstrate by Jahangir surface the proof of the amount of respect and love he held for his mother, Mariam-uz-Zamani. In the words of Edward Terry, a foreign traveler to the Mughal court, "Jahangir's affection for his mother Her Majesty Mariam-uz-Zamani were exceptional, and not seldom would he show many expressions of duty and display his strong affections for her". Several royal functions took place in the household of Mariam-uz-Zamani like Jahangir's solar and lunar weighings,[82] all his birthday celebrations, Jahangir's marriage to the Amer princess, daughter of Kunwar Jagat Singh, [83] Shahzada Parviz's wedding to the daughter of Sultan Murad Mirza and the henna ceremony of Ladli Begum, daughter of Nur Jahan and Shahryar Mirza.[84] Several royal functions and events were hosted at her palace.[85][67]
Jahangir also commissioned a mosque, Mosque of Mariam Zamani Begum Sahiba in her honor, owing to the love and strong affections he had for her. It is situated in the Walled City of Lahore, present-day Pakistan. This mosque was named after Empress Mariam-uz-Zamani, in her honor, and is known as the Begum Shahi Mosque. The foundation of this mosque was laid by Dowager Empress Mariam-uz-Zamani herself in the year 1611. It is one of the biggest mosques in the city of Lahore. Historians of Lahore state that the color combination and frescoes of this mosque, which are similar to the colored frescoes on the ceiling of the palace of Mariam-uz-Zamani, known as Jodha bai Palace in Fatehpur Sikri, were unrivaled for the beauty in their prime having the finest of niches and fountains. This mosque has four Arabic-Persian verses, and one of them includes the prayer of Mariam-uz-Zamani for her son, Jahangir.
Powers and Influence
The Empress held considerable freedom of speech in the political matters of court.[66] She was one of the few wives of Akbar who had the privilege to attend and express her views on the matters of the court. One of the episodes recorded in the book of Badayuni notes that once on the execution of a Brahmin by a conservative Muslim courtier of Akbar while Akbar had ordered the investigation to be continued, the daughter of Raja Bharmal taunted Emperor Akbar publicly for failing to maintain the abidance of his order.[24] She would exercise her influence to secure a pardon for offenders. Once on her intervention, Niyabat Khan, son of Hashim Khan, Nishapuri, who had revolted against Akbar, was admitted to Akbar's presence and was saved from the death penalty.[86]
The religious ulemas of Akbar's court were utterly displeased by the influence of Mariam-uz-Zamani and his Hindu wives on him in making him follow rituals and practices of Hindu culture. Since his marriage with the daughter of Raja Bharmal, he is said to have complimented her by ordering the continuous burning of the hom in which occasionally he would join her during her prayers.[87]
Akbar taking note of the disapproval of Mariam-uz-Zamani and his other Hindu wives stopped eating beef as the cow was regarded as a sacred animal in their religion. His Hindu wives insisted that he must refrain from eating onions and garlic which Badayuni says he agreed to. They also exerted enough influence on him to never keep a beard and abstain from association with people who kept beards. In order to gain the love of his Hindu wives and their goodwill, Badayuni notes, he abstained entirely from everything which was a natural abhorrence to them and took it as a mark of special devotion to himself if men shaved their beards so that it became common practice.[88] The marriages of the sons of Akbar, Mirza Salim, Mirza Murad, and Mirza Daniyal were also decided and fixed by his Hindu wives as per Badayuni.
The influence of Mariam-uz-Zamani and his Hindu wives was highly resented by the Muslim conservatives of the court, even more, when Akbar had ordered everyone in the court to stand up during the evening prayers of his Hindu wives when they would light up the hom in their temples to honor their traditions and culture and made sure that he was no exception to it.[24]
Akbar's Imperial harem was re-organized into a fortress-like institution which is quite in contrast to the image of the reigns of Babur and Humayun. Harbans Mukhia attributed this change to the growing influence of Rajput cultural ethos on Akbar ever since his marriage in 1562 to Mariam-uz-Zamani.[89]
One of her intercessions in the inclination of his son include in May 1603, when Akbar suggested that Salim should undertake a military expedition for chastizement of Rana Amar Singh who was making encroachments on Mughal territories in Rajasthan. Salim suspicious of his father's motives expressed his reluctance to accept the assignment however this provoked Akbar to issue a formal firman appointing Shahzada Salim to the command of the proposed expedition. The ladies of the harem, Mariam-uz-Zamani and Salima Sultan Begum requested the Emperor not to press the matter, and let Salim continue to live under his eye at the court. Akbar succumbed to their pleas and withdrew the firman.[90] Muni Lal says that at the time when Akbar marched towards Salim to wage a war, Mariam-uz-Zamani was torn by conflicting loyalties between father and son.[91]
Muni Lal notes another intervention of her alongside Salima Sultan Begum to revoke the orders of house arrest for Salim by Akbar. After the death of Hamida Bano Begum, in order to cease his rebellions and put an end to his alcoholism and debauchery, Akbar ordered he should be kept in solitary confinement in ghusalkhana and ordered no serving of alcohol and opium. Salim begging for wine the entire time behaved like a madman. Akbar appointed his physician to recommend the minimum necessary alcohol for his health. Muni Lal claims, 'the taming of the temperamental Salim bristled with complications, especially when Mariam Zamani and Salima Begum took into their scheming heads to leave no design unused to win freedom for their Baba'. The pressure from the senior queens became too compelling to be resisted for long. Akbar gave in and allowed Salim to shift to his palace.[92]
The Empress of Hindustan was the wealthiest and most distinguished woman of her time.[51] She was honored by various members of the regality of prominent nations during her husband and son's reign by receiving several precious and exorbitant gifts. The Empress was the recipient of a noble gift, in the year 1601, from the Queen of England.[49] Mariam-uz-Zamani had numerous agents, middlemen, and financial advisers in and out of the harem appointed to help her oversee her trading activities and advise her on investments, "mirroring in miniature the Emperor's own finance ministry".[51] She had her own vakils, who supervised her jagirs and the construction of buildings on various of her properties.[93]
The woman was perhaps, well ahead of her time. She was the first woman of the Mughal empire to have been given the privilege of holding a military rank. The Empress was one of the four senior-most figures in the Mughal court and the only woman to hold the highest military rank which was at par with the rank of the emperor itself, 12,000 cavalries.[94] She is recorded to be a skilled warfare practitioner.[94] She was known to receive a jewel from every nobleman "according to his estate" each year on the occasion of the New Year's festival, an honor bestowed upon no other Mughal Empress. [94]
Mariam-uz-Zamani was the senior-most woman in the imperial harem and held a high rank since the reign of Akbar.[51] She was consented to the right to issue official documents and edicts, called Farman (sovereign mandates).[95] Issuing of such orders was confined to the highest ladies of the harem such as Hamida Banu Begum, Nur Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal and Jahanara Begum.[96][97] Mariam-uz-Zamani used her wealth to build gardens, wells, mosques, and other developments around the countryside and was in charge of the Hajj department since Akbar's reign.[49][98]
Khusrau's affair
Mariam-uz-Zamani's retirement after her husband's death along with the death of Jagat Gosain led to the decline of Rajput influence in the Mughal court.[49] After the death of Akbar in the year 1605, she became the prime shield of Khusrau Mirza and as noted by a Christian missionary present in Mughal court, she secured a pardon for the prince along with Salima Sultan Begum, Shakr-un-Nissa Begum, and Emperor Jahangir's other sisters upon Jahangir's succession.[99] Nur Jahan is noted to have faked tears in front of her mother-in-law, Queen Mother Mariam-uz-Zamani for the possession of the charge of Prince Khusrau who was considered a powerful contender to the throne by the ambitious empress Nur Jahan however, she did not succeed.[100]
Ellison Banks Findly notes a strong-worded letter of Mariam-uz-Zamani to her son, Jahangir, written by her in the year 1616 expressing her concern for the safety of Khusrao Mirza and cites that she had anticipated that if Khusrau's charge was to be entrusted to Nur Jahan junta whom she believed was eager to eliminate Khusrau they would eventually kill Khusrau and it would be disastrous for the Mughal dynasty as the future descendants would use it as a specimen to murder their brothers for the possession of the royal throne. Succumbing to the pleas of his mother, sisters, Khusrau's stepmothers and sisters, Jahangir did not transfer the control of Khusrau to Nur Jahan or prince Khurram. She, in fact, was so worried about the danger to Khusrau's life at this time that she “is gone to the king with an ouerture of all the Practice".[101] Further, Findly adds that this foretelling of her substantiated soon afterward in the Mughal Empire when Shah Jahan's kids, Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh had a face-off for the royal throne eventually leading to the murder of Prince Dara Shikoh by his brother.
As a Businesswoman
Mariam-uz-Zamani was a woman with a strong personality who laid the foundation of a highly astute international trade in the Mughal Empire and was a remarkable businesswoman herself. She owned ships that carried pilgrims to and from the Islamic holy city Mecca, ran an extensive trade of silk and several spices to international borders, and oversaw the trade with Gulf countries and nations. Akbar took a significant note of Mariam-uz-Zamani's activities of interest like her trading expedition. He personally invested time and money in her trading endeavors and had long discussions with the empress about her business which were held often.[102] She was the only wife of Akbar authorized for international trade.
The most influential queen of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1542-1605), and mother of Emperor Jahangir, was the beautiful Empress Mariam-uz- Zamani ... She stands out as an adviser who maintained that without a strong navy, the Mughal Empire would be overtaken by foreign armies. As the Mughals had come from Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, both landlocked countries, the concept of a navy was just not in their DNA. But then Akbar allowed his favourite and most loved wife to build ships for trade and Haj pilgrims at the Khizri Darwaza on the River Ravi.[9]
— Muhammad Azam Khan
Regarded as a woman who built the first large sea-faring ships of the Mughals at Lahore, she was the owner and patron of the largest ships named Rahīmī and afterward Ganj-i-Sawai.[103] The value of her cargo named Rahimi, built on the orders of Akbar was estimated to be around 100,000 pounds (95,33,839 INR).[104] She would often travel to various cities of her empire and seaports to manage her trade business. This honor continued to be bestowed on the ladies holding the highest rank in the imperial harem like Nur Jahan and Jahanara Begum.
In the words of Findly, no other noblewoman on record seems to have been as adventurous a trader as the Queen Mariam-uz-Zamani however no trader's ship seems to have gotten into as much trouble as hers.[80] For example, as noted by the English ambassador in the Mughal court, William Hawkins, on February 1, 1609, he witnessed a great stirre touching the Mariam-uz-Zamani's ship as it prepared to carry goods to Mocha, an Arabian port south of Mecca at the Red Sea's entrance.[105] The Portuguese threatened to abscond with the ship to Diu unless she paid an exorbitant fee for a cartaz or pass.[12] It is recorded that the Portuguese demanded 1,00,000 mamudies for their cartaz or pass and then 20,000; eventually, to forestall violence, the two sides were able to compromise on a much smaller payment of 1,000 rialls and some odd money.[105][12]
In 1613, her ship, the Rahīmī, was seized by Portuguese pirates along with the 600–700 passengers on board and the cargo. Rahīmī was the largest Indian ship sailing in the Red Sea and was known to the Europeans as the "great pilgrimage ship". When the Portuguese officially refused to return the ship and the passengers, the outcry at the Mughal court was quite unusually severe. The outrage was compounded by the fact that the owner and the patron of the ship was the revered Dowager Empress, Mariam-uz-Zamani. The whole affair was meant to gain leverage at a time when the Portuguese were threatened by competition from other European companies. But as it happened, the move backfired. As one observer noted, The Empress in retaliation ordered her son, Jahangir to seize the Portuguese town, Daman, block all Portuguese trade in Surat, and “hath likewise taken order for the seizing of all Portingals (sic) and their goods within his kingdoms". Furthermore, she had her son “sealed up their church doors and hath given an order that they shall no more use the exercise of their religion in these parts".
Rattled, the Portuguese made amends by offering Rs three lakh as compensation, but on the condition that the Mughals expel the English from Agra. Jahangir refused to blink, however, calling the Portuguese bluff, and welcoming soon afterward in 1615 Thomas Roe, the famous English ambassador. “The Portuguese folly in the capture of the Rahimi, then," writes Findly, “tipped the scales in favor of the English." This episode is considered to be an example of the struggle for wealth that would later ensue and lead to colonisation of the Indian sub-continent. But it was not as if the English newcomers were granted a red-carpet reception, on the contrary, the playing field was merely leveled somewhat. Mariam-uz-Zamani herself wasn't sympathetic to the English.
Around the end of 1610, William Hawkins, commander of the English East India Company's first mission to India, instructed one of his fellow merchants, William Finch, to travel about 80 km southwest from Agra to Bayana, a town well known for its high-quality indigo production. At this time, one of Mariam-uz-Zamani's ships was being equipped for a voyage to Mocha. An agent had consequently been sent on her behalf to procure indigo, presumably an important part of the royal cargo. But just as the deal was being concluded, Finch swooped in with a higher bid, an infraction no Indian would have dared to commit knowing her social standing, and made away with the indigo the Queen Mother had reserved.
An insult to the Queen Mother was an insult to the emperor himself, while Finch was long on his way out of Bayana by this time, his boss, Hawkins, already in trouble with Jahangir for other reasons, had to suffer consequences. She exerted enough pressure on her son to ensure that Roe's unofficial predecessor, William Hawkins, the “English Khan" who till then was friendly with Jahangir, had to pack his bags and leave for good. The repercussions were so severe for Europeans after Hawkins outbid Queen Mother that local merchants refused to trade their goods abroad until Europeans leave from India.[80] In any case, if there was any doubt that the Emperor's mother was a force to reckon with, the affair around the Rahimi dispelled such thinking.
After the loss of her ship Rahimi, the Dowager Empress then ordered the build of even a larger ship with 62 guns and the placement of over 400 musket men. It was named 'Ganj-I-Sawai' and in its day was the most fearsome ship in the sea with the objective of trade and taking pilgrims to Mecca and on the way back converting all the goods into gold, silver, and bringing back the pilgrims.[106]
Death
Mariam-uz-Zamani died in May 1623, immensely rich and powerful, and due honor was given by burying her in a mausoleum close to that of an equally redoubtable man she was married to, Akbar.[107] Her desire of being close to her husband even in death is visible in the proximity of her tomb to that of her husband, Akbar. There is no concrete evidence stating the reason for her death though it is believed to have been because of sickness. Jahangir had made several references in his autobiography towards her declining health since 1616 and calls her decrepit.
Her tomb, built between 1623–27, is on the Tantpur road in Jyoti Nagar, next to the tomb of Akbar. Mariam's Tomb, commissioned by her son, is only a kilometer from Tomb of Akbar the Great and she stands as the only wife buried close to Akbar being his favorite and most devoted wife. The grave itself is underground with a flight of steps leading to it.
Issue
Mughal Emperor Akbar and Mariam-uz-Zamani Begum are confirmed to have at least three children:
- Hassan Mirza (19 October 1564, Agra, Mughal Empire — 5 November 1564, Agra, Mughal Empire) (twin with Hussain)
- Hussain Mirza (19 October 1564, Agra, Mughal Empire — 29 October 1564, Agra, Mughal Empire) (twin with Hassan)
- Shahzada Salim (30 August 1569, Fatehpur Sikri, Mughal Empire — 28 October 1627, Rajouri, Mughal Empire)
She is purported to have had another child:
- Murad Mirza (15 June 1570, Fatehpur Sikri, Mughal Empire — 12 May 1599, Mughal Empire)
She was also the foster mother of one of her stepsons:
- Daniyal Mirza (11 September 1572, Ajmer, Mughal Empire — 8 April 1605, Mughal Empire)
Notes
Professor Ellison B. Findly claims the reason for the absence of her name and background in historical accounts is inter-religious marriage and that her name has been suppressed by Muslim historians out of prejudice. [108][109]
See also
In popular culture
Movies and T.V. serials
- Sulochana portrayed Rani Jodha Bai in the 1953 film Anarkali.[110]
- Durga Khote portrayed Jodha Bai in the 1960 Indian epic film Mughal-e-Azam.[111]
- Jamuna played the role of Jodha bai in the Telugu movie Akbar Salim Anarkali
- Puja Acharya dawned the role of Mariam-uz-Zamani as 'Jodha Bai' in the Doordarshan television series Akbar The Great(1988-1989)
- Aishwarya Rai portrayed Jodha Bai in the 2008 film Jodhaa Akbar directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar.[112]
- Paridhi Sharma played the role of Jodha Bai in the historical drama series Jodha Akbar which ran from 2013 to 2015.[113]
- Delnaaz Irani portrayed Jodha Bai in the historical comedy series Har Mushkil Ka Hal Akbar Birbal from 2014 to 2016. She was replaced by Pragati Mehra in 2016 for a few episodes as she was unavailable due to personal issues.[114]
- Tasha Kapoor portrayed the role of Heer Kunwari aka Jodha Bai in Bharat Ka Veer Putra - Maharana Pratap
- Jodha Bai was portrayed by Gurdeep Kohli in the Colors TV series Dastaan-E-Mohabbat Salim Anarkali.[115]
- Aditi Sajwan portrayed the empress in the Star Bharat comedy series Akbar Ka Bal Birbal.[116]
- Anuradha Tarafdar played the role of Jodha Bai in Manohar Arshi's film, 'Akbar's Bridge'.[117]
Literature
- Jodha Bai is also a major character in Salman Rushdie's 2008 novel The Enchantress of Florence.
Bibliography
- Eraly, Abraham (2000). Emperors of the Peacock Throne the saga of the great Mughals. Penguin books. ISBN 9780141001432.
- Findly, Ellison Banks (April–June 1988). "The Capture of Maryam-uz-Zamānī's Ship: Mughal Women and European Traders". Journal of the American Oriental Society. American Oriental Society. 108 (2): 227–238.
- Bargoti, Rajeev (1991). "Maryam Zamani's Baoli at Bayana". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. Indian History Congress. 52: 464–469.
- Findly, Ellison B. (1993). Nur Jan:Empress of Mughal India. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195360608.
- Lal, Muni (1980). Akbar. University of Michigan. ISBN 978-0-7069-1076-6. OCLC 7796032.
- Mukhoty, Ira (2018). Daughters of the Sun: empresses, queens and begums of the Mughal Empire. New Delhi. ISBN 978-93-86021-12-0. OCLC 1040634538.
- Jahangir, Emperor; Thackston, Wheeler McIntosh (1999). The Jahangirnama: memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India. Washington, D.C.: Freer Gallery of Art, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; New York: Oxford University Press. pp. [2], 316. ISBN 978-0-19-512718-8.
References
- ^ a b Rogers, Alexander; Beveridge, Henry, eds. (1909). The Tūzuk-i-Jahāngīrī or Memoirs of Jahāngīr, Volume 2. Royal Asiatic Society, London. p. 261.
- ^ a b Sujan Rai, Bhandari (1695). Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh. Zafar Hasan. p. 374.
- ^ Mukhia, Harbans (2004). India's Islamic Traditions, Islam in Kashmir (Fourteenth to Sixteenth Century). New Delhi [India]: The Medieval History Journal, New Delhi. p. 126.
- ^ a b Hindu Shah, Muhammad Qasim (1595–1612). Gulshan-I-Ibrahimi. Vol. 2. p. 223.
Akbur, after this conquest, made pilgrimage to Khwaja Moyin-ood-Deen Chishty at Ajmere and returned to Agra; from whence he proceeded to visit the venerable Sheikh Sulim Chishty, in the village of Seekry. As all the king's children had hitherto died, he solicited the Sheikh's prayers, who consoled him, by assuring him he would soon have a son, who would live to a good old age. Shortly after, his favourite sooltana, being then pregnant, on Wednesday the 17th of Rubbee-ool-Awul, in the year 997 was delivered of a son, who was called Sulim.
- ^ a b Mehta, Jaswant Lal (1984). Advance Study in the history of Medieval India:Mughal Empire. Vol. II (2nd ed.). Sterling Publisher Private Limited. p. 222. ISBN 978-81-207-1015-3.
Bihari Mal gave rich dowry to his daughter and sent his son Bhagwan Das with a contingent of Rajput soldiers to escort his newly married sister to Agra as per Rajput custom. Akbar was deeply impressed by the highly dignified, sincere and princely conduct of his Rajput relations. He took Man Singh, the youthful son of Bhagwant Das into the royal service. Akbar was fascinated by the charm and accomplishments of his Rajput wife; he developed real love for her and raised her to the status of chief queen. She came to exercise profound impact on socio-cultural environment of the entire royal household and changed the lifestyle of Akbar. Salim (later Jahangir), heir to the throne, was born of this wedlock on 30th August, 1569.
- ^ Chaudhary, S.N. Roy (2011). Restoration of Split Milk. Gyan Publishing House. p. 77. ISBN 9788121210461.
The mother of Jahangir was a pious Hindu princess, the most favorite queen of Akbar
- ^ "Jodha Bai's 474th birth anniversary: 17 facts about the Queen Mother".
- ^ Hunter, William W. (1881–1895). Lodge, Henry Cabot (ed.). The History of Nations: India and Modern Persia. Vol. 5. P.F. Collier & son, New York. p. 114.
His favorite wife was a Rajput princess, mother of his successor, Jahangir.
- ^ a b Safdar, Aiysha; Khan, Muhammad Azam (January–June 2021). "History of Indian Ocean-A South Indian perspective" (PDF). Journal of Indian Studies. 7 (1): 186.
The most influential queen of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1542-1605), and mother of Emperor Jahangir, was the beautiful Empress Mariam-uz- Zamani, commonly known as Jodha Bai. She stands out as an adviser who maintained that without a strong navy, the Mughal Empire would be overtaken by foreign armies. As the Mughals had come from Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, both landlocked countries, the concept of a navy was just not in their DNA. But then Akbar allowed his favourite and most loved wife to build ships for trade and Haj pilgrims at the Khizri Darwaza on the River Ravi.
- ^ Lal 1980, p. 322.
- ^ Esposito, John L. (1999). The Oxford History of Islam. Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN 9780195107999. OCLC 40838649.
- ^ a b c Findly, Ellison B. (1990). "The Capture of Maryam-uz-Zamānī's Ship: Mughal Women and European Traders". Journal of the American Oriental Society. American Oriental Society. 105 (3): 229, 233.
- ^ Aftab, Tahera (2008). Inscribing South Asian Muslim Women: An Annotated Bibliography & Research Guide. Leiden: Brill Publishers. p. 44.
- ^ a b c Chandra, Satish (2005). Medieval India: from Sultanate to the Mughals (Revised ed.). New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications. pp. 111–112. ISBN 9788124110669.
- ^ a b c d chief, Bonnie G. Smith (2008). The Oxford encyclopedia of women in world history. Oxford [England]: Oxford University Press. p. 656. ISBN 9780195148909.
- ^ Price, Mahor David, ed. (1829). Tarikh-i-Salim Shahi.
- ^ a b Badayuni, Abdul Qadir (1590). Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh. Vol. 2. p. 125.
- ^ a b Fazl, Abul (1590). Ain-I-Akbari. Vol. 3. p. 49.
When the world-conquering armies had been deputed, the Shāhinshāh proceeded stage by stage. On the day that he reached Sirohī, Mādhū* Singh and a number of men were sent to fetch that nursling of fortune's garden, Shahzāda Sultān Daniel, who had been conveyed from Ajmīr to Amber, so that he might be brought back to Ajmīr, and might come under the shadow of the Presence. In order to do honor to Rajah Bhagwān Das, his auspicious sister, who held high rank in the imperial harem, was sent off in order so that she might be present at the mourning for her brother Bhūpat, who had fallen in the battle of Sarnāl.
- ^ Smith, Bonnie G., ed. (2008). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History. Vol. 4. Oxford University Press. p. 656. ISBN 9780195148909.
- ^ Schimmel, Annemarie (2004). The empire of the great Mughals: history, art and culture. Corinne Attwood, Burzine K. Waghmar, Francis Robinson. London. p. 148. ISBN 1-86189-185-7. OCLC 61751123.
- ^ Srivastava. A.l. (1957). A Short History Of The Akbar The Great. pp. 22.
- ^ Lal 1980, p. 104: "With a blue-blooded Rajput princess in the harem, there came about a radical change in the style of life in the palace and at the court.' Jodha Bai was as good-looking as she was tactful. Warm-hearted liberalism added lustre to her physical charm. Akbar respected her. So did everybody else. Maham Anaga, in particular, became very fond of her. Soon she became a center around which life in the palace revolved. Akbar often consulted her on important matters; her responses were invariably high-minded and above partisanship. An equation of complete trust gradually developed between the two. The future greatness of Akbar was in no small measure due to the large-heartedness of Jodha Bai. With a lesser person in her place, the story of the reign of Akbar might have been different."
- ^ a b Mubarak, Abul -Fazl (1593). Ain-i-Akbari. p. 36.
- ^ a b c Badayuni, Abdul Qadir (1590). Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh. Vol. III.
- ^ Badayuni, Abdul Qadir (1590). Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh. Vol. II. p. 46.
- ^ "Unknown fact about Queen Mother Mariam uz Zamani". India Today. 1 October 2016.
- ^ L. McJannet, Bernadette Andrea, Early Modern England and Islamic Worlds (2011), p.106
- ^ C. M. Agrawal, Akbar and his Hindu officers: a critical study (1986), p.27
- ^ Sarkar, J. N. (1994) [1984]. A History of Jaipur (Reprinted ed.). Orient Longman. p. 43. ISBN 81-250-0333-9.
- ^ Sarkar 1994, p. 31-4.
- ^ Schimmel, Annemarie (2004). The empire of the great Mughals: history, art and culture. Corinne Attwood, Burzine K. Waghmar, Francis Robinson. London. p. 143. ISBN 1-86189-185-7. OCLC 61751123.
- ^ Manuel, Paul Christopher; Lyon, Alynna; Wilcox, Clyde (2013). Religion and Politics in a Global Society. Plymouth [England]: Lexington Books. p. 68.
- ^ Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal (1947). The History and Culture of the Indian People. Vol. 7. p. 368.
- ^ Verma, Chob Singh (1999). Splendour of Fatehpur Sikri. Agam Kala Prakashan. p. 6.
- ^ Rogers & Beveridge 1909, p. 78.
- ^ a b Lal, Muni (1977). Akbar. V.P. House Private ltd., Delhi. p. 133.
- ^ Asher, Catherine Blanshard (1992). Architecture of Mughal India, Part 1, Volume 4. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521267281. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ Badayuni, Abdul Qadir (1590). Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh. Vol. 2. p. 307.
- ^ Hooja, Rima (2006). A history of Rajasthan. Rupa & Co. p. 484.
- ^ Jhala, Angma Dey (2011). Royal Patronage, Power and Aesthetics in Princely India. Pickering & Chatto Limited. p. 119.
- ^ Chatterjee, Ramananda (1962). The Modern Review, Volume 112. Prabasi Press Private Limited. p. 117.
- ^ Atul Sethi (24 June 2007). "Trade, not invasion brought Islam to India". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
- ^ Sarkar, Jadunath. A History of Jaipur: C. 1503-1938. pp. 35 & 43.
- ^ a b Ahmad, Nizamuddin. Tabaqat-i-Akbari. Vol. II. p. 258.
When he arrived in the town of Sambar, Raja Bihari Mai, who was one of the renowned Rajas of that country, came with his son, Bhagwan Das, and entered the imperial service, with great loyalty and sincere devotion; and was honored with various favors and royal benefactions; and his daughter, who was veiled in chastity, was ennobled by a marriage with His Majesty, and was enlisted in the rank of honored consorts.
- ^ a b Badayuni, Abdul Qadir. Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh. Vol. 2. p. 45.
Raja Bharmal then espoused his gentle daughter to Emperor Akbar in an honorable wedlock.
- ^ Smith, Vincent Arthur (1917). Akbar the Great Mogul. Oxford, Clarendon Press. p. 58. ISBN 0895634716.
- ^ Lal, Muni (1980). Akbar.
- ^ Eraly 2000, p. 136.
- ^ a b c d Findly, Ellison B. (1993b). Mughal Women. American Oriental Society. p. 233.
- ^ Eraly, Abraham. Emperors of the Peacock throne. p. 136.
- ^ a b c d e f Mukhoty, Ira (2018). Daughters of the Sun: empresses, queens and begums of the Mughal Empire. New Delhi. ISBN 978-93-86021-12-0. OCLC 1040634538.
- ^ Lal 1980, p. 133.
- ^ References In The Press To The Visit Of Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince And Princess Of Wales To India, 1905-06. Calcutta. 1907. p. 421.
- ^ Fazl, Abul (1590). Ain-I-Akbari. Vol. 1. p. 49.
- ^ Thompson, Della (1995). The 9th edition of the concise oxford Dictionary of English. Vol. 7. Oxford University Press.
- ^ a b Ahmad, Aziz (1964). Studies of Islamic culture in the Indian Environment. Clarendon Press.
- ^ Findly 1993, p. 189: "Jahangir opened his memoirs with a tribute to the Sufi, calling him 'the fountainhead of most of the saints of India', and in late 1608 he recalled his father's pilgrimage with Mariam-uz-Zamani to Khawja Moinuddin Chisti's shrine in hopes of sons by making his own pilgrimage to Akbar's tomb in Sikandra."
- ^ Ahmed, Nizamuddin (1599). Tabaqat-i-Akbari. p. 144.
- ^ Chatterjee, Nandani (1576). Rajasthan State Archives-Imperial records.
- ^ a b Lal 1980, p. 159.
- ^ Eraly 2000, p. 146.
- ^ Professor, Badani (1990). "Akbar's intimate relationship with Rajput clan". Aligarh Muslim University.
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- ^ Eraly 2000, p. 273.
- ^ Rogers & Beveridge 1909, p. 56.
- ^ a b Iftikhar, Rukhsana (2014). "An analytical study of political domination of Mughal women". Behind the Veil: 21.
- ^ a b Findly 1993, p. 177.
- ^ Findly 1993, p. 150.
- ^ Badayuni, Abdul Qadir (1590). Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh. Vol. III.
- ^ a b Lal, Muni (1977). Akbar. V.P. House Private ltd., Delhi.
- ^ Lal 1980, p. 213.
- ^ "Transcending the Stereotypical Portrayal of Mughal Women". 6 March 2021.
- ^ Bargoti, Rajeev. "Maryam Zamani's baoli at Bayana". Indian History Congress: 466.
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(help) - ^ Ahmad, Aziz (1969). An Intellectual History of Islam in India. p. 111.
- ^ Rogers, Alexander; Beveridge, Henry, eds. (1625). Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri. p. 292.
- ^ Emperor of India, Jahangir (1999). The Jahangirnama: memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India. Translated by Thackston, W. M. Washington, D. C.: Freer Gallery of Art, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; New York: Oxford University Press. p. 61. ISBN 9780195127188.
- ^ Rogers & Beveridge 1909, p. 76.
- ^ Terry, Edward (1616). A voyage to East India. p. 82.
- ^ Emperor of India, Jahangir (1999). The Jahangirnama: memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India. Translated by Thackston, W. M. Washington, D. C.: Freer Gallery of Art, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; New York: Oxford University Press. p. 292. ISBN 9780195127188.
- ^ a b c Findly 1988, p. 233.
- ^ Payne, C.H. (1930). Jahangir and the Jesuits. George Routledge and sons. pp. [1].
- ^ Rogers & Beveridge 1909, p. 78, 230.
- ^ Rogers & Beveridge 1909, p. 145.
- ^ Findly 1993, p. 165.
- ^ Rogers & Beveridge 1909, p. 81.
- ^ Badayuni, Abdul Qadir (1590). Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh. Vol. 2. p. 307.
- ^ Badayuni, Abdul Qadir (1590). Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh. Vol. II. p. 269.
- ^ Badayuni, Abdul Qadir (1590). Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh. Vol. 2. pp. 312–313.
- ^ Mukhia, Harbans (2004). The Mughals of India. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub. pp. 132–133. ISBN 978-0-470-75830-4. OCLC 214282198.
- ^ Lal 1980, p. 299.
- ^ Lal 1980, p. 301: "Akbar's mind was made up. Salim had to be saved from himself. Orders were issued for a force to be got ready immediately. The expedition was to be led by the Emperor himself. Here was a bold decision—perhaps the boldest of his life—by the 62-year-old, grief-stricken monarch to wage a war against his own son. Mariam Zamani Jodha Bai was torn by conflicting loyalties. So was the old and weak Mariam Makani Hamida Banu Begum. They pleaded with Akbar for restraint, but to no avail. The Emperor had geared himself to a pitch of resolve from where there was no going back. He moved out of Agra on 21 August 1604. This time there were no ladies in his entourage."
- ^ Lal 1980, p. 303: "Some chroniclers aver that Emperor gave smack on his son's face, felled him and ordered that he should be kept in solitary confinement in one of the ghusalkhanas of the fort. Alcoholic drinks and opium were not permitted to be served to him. Salim was in agony. On the second day, he raved like a madman and begged for a cup of his favorite wine. The Emperor relented and deputed one of his personal physicians to examine the Prince and prescribe such quantities of alcohol as he considered necessary for his health. The taming of the temperamental Salim bristled with complications, especially when Mariam Zamani and Sultan Salima Begum took into their scheming heads to leave no design unused to win freedom for their Baba. The pressure from the senior ladies became too compelling to be resisted for long. Akbar gave in and allowed Salim to shift to his palace."
- ^ Findly 1993, p. 96.
- ^ a b c Findly 1988, p. 232.
- ^ Tirmizi, S.A.I. (1979). Edicts from the Mughal Harem, Farman of Marium uz Zamani. Idarah-I-Adabiyat-I-Delli. p. 69.
- ^ Tirmizi, S.A.I. (1979). Edicts from the Mughal Harem. Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli. pp. 127–128. OCLC 465427663.
- ^ Mishra, Rekha (1967). Women in Mughal India, 1526–1748 A.D. Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 67. ISBN 9788121503471.
- ^ Mishra 1967, p. 112.
- ^ Xavier, Jesuit (1606). "Missoes Jesuitas Na India". British Library London, MS 9854: 44.
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(help) - ^ Findly 1993, p. 365.
- ^ Findly 1993, p. 122.
- ^ Collier, Dirk (2011). The Emperor's writings: Memories of Akbar the great. p. 326.
- ^ "Harking back: The Empress and her two doomed pilgrim ships". 11 April 2021.
- ^ Findly, Ellison Banks. "The capture of Maryam Zamani's ship": 227.
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(help) - ^ a b William Finch, in Foster, Early travels. pp. 129–130.
- ^ Khan, Muhammad Azam (2021). "History of Indian Ocean-A south Indian perspective". 7: 186–188.
The Empress, Mariam Zamani then ordered the building of an even larger ship with 62 guns and placements for over 400 musket men. It was named Ganj-i-Sawai, and it was in its day the most fearsome ship on the seas, and its objective was to trade and take pilgrims to Mecca, and on the way back convert all the goods sold into gold and silver as well as bring the pilgrims back. But then the English, posing as pirates, attacked with a 25-ship armada of alleged pirates. At Mecca, they claimed they were slave traders.
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(help) - ^ "Jodha, More than Akbar's wife". 17 February 2018.
- ^ Findly 1988, p. 229.
- ^ "Harking back: Mystery of the Rajput empress Mariam Zamani". DAWN.COM. 22 March 2020.
- ^ "The emperor's healing touch". DAWN.COM. 17 September 2009.
- ^ Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1998) [1994]. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema (PDF). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 365. ISBN 978-0-19-563579-9.
- ^ "Will U B My Jodha?". Sify. 14 July 2005. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ Unnikrishnan, Chaya (26 June 2013). "Show review: So far, so good". DNA India.
- ^ "After being replaced, Delnaaz is back on 'Akbar Birbal' – Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ "Gurdeep Kohli Punjj dons 10kg costume for TV show – Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ "Akbar Ka Bal Birbal's Aditi Sajwan aka Rani Saheba's new best friend on the sets of the show". The Times of India.
- ^ "Akbar's Bridge". India Today. 30 April 1996. Retrieved 18 June 2022.