Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan| Birth name: | Ghiyas-ud-din Shah Jahan |
| Title: | Emperor of Mughal Empire
|
| Birth: | January 5, 1592 |
| Place of birth: | Lahore, Punjab (Pakistan) |
| Death: | January 22, 1666 |
| Succeeded by: | Aurangzeb |
| Marriage: |
*Quandari Begum
*Mumtaz Mahal |
| Children: |
*Aurangzeb, son
*Murad Baksh, son
*Dara Shikoh, son
*Shah Shuja, son
*Jahanara Begum, daughter
*Roshanara Begum, daughter
*Gauhara Begum, daughter
|
Shahbuddin Mohammed Shah Jahan (also spelled
Shah Jehan,
Shahjehan.
Persian:
شاه جهان),
January 5,
1592 –
January 22,
1666) was the ruler of the
Mughal Empire in
India from
1628 until
1658. The name Shah Jahan comes from
Persian شاه جهان meaning "King of the World". Shah Jahan is best known as the builder of the
Taj Mahal, a shrine to his
Persian second wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, popularly known as
Mumtaz Mahal ("Ornament of the Palace") whom he married on
May 10,
1612, at the age of 20.
Shah Jahan was born with the name Prince Khurram to
Jahangir and the
Hindu Rajput Princess Manmati, and was reportedly close to his grandfather
Akbar as a child. Khurram raised an army against Jahangir in
1622, but the insurgency failed. He was forgiven and accepted back into the fold but two of his sons, Prince
Aurangzeb and
Dara Shikoh, were sent to Jahangir's court against the possibility of Prince Khurram revolting again.
After Jahangir's death in
1627, Khurram captured power after a fratricidal war against his weaker brother, Shahryar, who was supported by Jahangir's powerful widow
Nur Jehan with the help of
Abdul Hassan Asaf Khan I . It was shortly after this that he took the rule name
Shah Jahan,
February 4 1628.
Although his father's rule was generally peaceful, the empire was experiencing challenges by the end of his reign. Shah Jahan reversed this trend by putting down a Muslim rebellion in
Ahmednagar, repulsing the
Portuguese in the
Bengal, capturing the
Rajput kingdoms of
Baglana and
Bundelkhand to the west, and the kingdoms of
Bijapur and
Golconda in the
Deccan and the northwest beyond the
Khyber Pass. Shah Jahan's military campaigns drained the imperial treasury. Under his rule, the state became a huge military machine and the nobles and their contingents multiplied almost fourfold, so did the demands for more revenue from the peasantry. However, his political efforts encouraged the emergence of large centers of commerce and craftslinked by roads and waterways to distant places and ports. He moved the capital from
Agra to
Delhi, the traditional seat of
Muslim power.
Under Shah Jahan's rule, Mughal artistic and architectural achievements reached their zenith. Shah Jahan was a prolific builder with a highly refined aesthetic. He built the legendary
Taj Mahal in
Agra as a tomb for his beloved wife,
Mumtaz Mahal. Among his surviving buildings are the
Red Fort and
Jama Masjid in Delhi, the
Shalimar Gardens of
Lahore, sections of the
Lahore Fort and his father's mausoleum,
Jahangir mausoleum.
Although the empire's financial expenditures were excessive when resources were shrinking, by the end of Shah Jahan's reign, the empire was again expanding.
Legend has it that Shah Jahan wanted to build a black
Taj Mahal, to match the white one[
1]. There is no reputable scholarship to support this hypothesis, however.[
2][
3][
4].
When Shah Jahan fell severely ill beginning in
1657, the struggle to succeed him began. His second son,
Shah Shuja declared himself emperor in
Bengal. Aurangzeb also challenged his father and the expected successor,
Dara Shikoh, Aurangzeb's elder brother. Despite strong support from Shah Jahan, who had recovered enough from his illness to remain a strong factor in the struggle for supremacy, and Dara's victories over
Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb finally defeated Dara. Dara attempted to rally support after this defeat, but was betrayed and turned over to his brother. Aurangzeb beheaded Dara Shikoh on the charge of heresy and, it is said, had his severed head taken to their father. He also ordered the execution of his brother
Murad Baksh, who had briefly fought along with Aurangzeb against Dara Shikoh in the battle of Samogarh.
Aurangzeb put his father under house arrest in
Agra Fort tended only by his eldest daughter
Jahanara Begum. The conditions of Shah Jahan's five years detention are the subject of disagreement and legend. Some say that the Fort was a luxurious residence, others say it was restrictive. Aurangzeb permitted him to retain "the whole of his female establishment, including the singing and dancing women" (Bernier, p.166 and p. 21) Legends include one that says that though the Taj is not directly visible from the
Sheesh Mahal (Agra) in the Agra Fort, it is constructed such that it can be seen in its multitude of mirrors. It is also rumored that Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with an excellent view of the Taj Mahal. Note that these stories are directly contradictory.
Shah Jahan is buried in the Taj Mahal, next to his second wife
Mumtaz Mahal.
Shah Jahan had four surviving children: His son the emperor
Aurangzeb, and daughters
Jahanara Begum,
Roshanara Begum and
Gauharara Begum. His three sons
Murad Baksh,
Dara Shikoh and
Shah Shuja died or were executed during the war of succession.
*
Taj Mahal*
Red Fort or "Lal Qila" (in Hindi) in
Delhi* Large sections of
Agra Fort*
Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque),
Delhi,
India*
Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque),
Lahore,
Pakistan*
Shalimar Gardens of
Lahore,
Pakistan* Sections of the
Lahore Fort,
Lahore,
Pakistan*
Jahangir mausoleum (his father's mausoleum)
*
Takht e Taus*
History of Islam in India at IndiaNest.com*
A Handbook to Agra and the Taj - Sikandra, Fatehpur-Sikri and the Neighbourhood by E. B. Havel (Project Gutenberg)*
Indian & Mughal History Discussions at
History Forum
