Nur Jahan-Twentieth wife of Jahangir and her role in Moghul Court
Table
of Contents
1- Background2- Women and Jahangir Court3- Nur Jahan beyond her Romance life4- Elite women Culture5- Conclusion
Background
Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri
is the autobiography of Jahangir and it is one of the primary sources to know
the history during his reign. It reflects the royal ideology and the emperor’s
view on various political, religious, and social structures. It has been seen as
a subjective and objective source for the period on the basis of a historiographical viewpoint. The original book is recorded in Persian and
Arabic language and later European and Indian historians translated it. Many
historians believed that no original version of the illustrated
Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri has survived. On the same hand, it is still questionable to
know the authenticity due to the incomplete version during the lifetime of the
monarch.
We
have to acknowledge the contribution of Mr. Rogers and Mr. Beveridge for a
valuable contribution to the history of the Mughal Empire in India. They have translated Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri narrated mere historical facts. He ruled
for 22 years and left plenty of contributions to the Mughal court. He was fond
of Art, Poetry, and Calligraphy, but his ill health and sorrow made him
give up the writing of his memoir in the 17th century of his reign.
The first 12 years of his reign were written by himself and later Rogers and
Beveridge’s compiled under the name of Volume 1 and the Second Volume deals with
the Muhammad Khan and Muhammad Hadi. He
adopted the policy of spiritual kingship and legitimize his authority to
proclaim the superiority of his status over his subjects. As the tradition of
early rulers and Muhammadans kings to record the history of chronicles and
autobiographies and left the importance of common masses. He adopted the same tradition
to write his memoir and mentioned his own version of history. His memoir
brings out a coherent and original political voice, in which he skillfully
connects his identities of the sovereign, naturalists, and collectors.[1]
He
always looking to medieval authors to take advice about literature and bestowed
them with Gold and other precious items. He was a keen interest in hunting and
discuss animal stories to show moral and political fables.[2] In his memoir, he sprinkles
his text with poetic quotations from classical Persian authors such as Hafiz,
Firdausi, and Nizami. His court language is Persian, Turkish, Hindustani, and
Kashmiri and he sprinkles these words in his memoir. He had the sense not to
confine his narrative to an account of himself. Thus he gives us a picture of
his father, the great Akbar, Grand Grandfather Babur. Though his account
himself has also its charm, for it reveals the real man.[3]
Though
he was inclined to the Sufi version of Islam and believed that sovereignty
belonged to God. He handled his subjects equally and did not grant any special
and biased powers to Muslims, nor did he burden the Hindus with special taxes.
He himself married to Hindu princess and banned the forceful marriages
happening in Kashmir between Hindus and Muslim girls. His tension started with
the fifth Sikh Guru for a very long time. He executed Guru Arjan Dev on the
basis of political grounds and thus convinced people to know the real face of
Jahangir about Hindus and Sikhs. On one occasion he ordered the removal of a
Varaha Statue while visiting a Hindu temple. Such political incidents show his
dislike of other religions. When he came in power he banned his father’s
Din-e-Ilahi to get popularity among Muslims. Because in Mughal Court majority
of nobles were Muslim and he got support from them. He invited Christians to
know the theological stance about polygamy and monogamy. Once he knew that
this religion also daunts polygamy and monogamy he himself sided from this
religion. He only allowed the British traders to conduct trade in his
territory. However, Nur Jahan was holding ships and had trade relations with
Europeans. [4]
Jahangir
had a total of 20 wives, including his favorite wife and consort, Nur Jahan.
During his reign, the role of women was considered very powerful at the court.
They had a great influence on him and thereby had a direct influence on the
affairs of the state. They were actively involved in political and military
affairs and even they held independent courts whenever required. He was very
fond of Art and gave great importance to painting. In his court, many portraits
of himself were hanged and held Art sessions to know the philosophical
dimensions of it. During his reign, many Mughal paintings flourished and
carefully preserved his father’s paintings. His court was always open for the
Artists and poets and provide financial and security assistance to them. Almost
his 74 special collections of paintings still in the British Museum in London.
Women
and Jahangir Court
India
is a male-dominated society in each and every aspect of the life cycle and it
is encouraged and fostered patriarchy in numerous ways? However, the patriarchal
system was enjoyed by almost all Mughal rulers. The essence was embedded
through a radical interpretation of the religious manuscript. But the fact was
that women are central to the presentation of men. The cultural values and mores
intact women into the walls of the house and related her closeness to their
masculinity and insecurity over her. The consciousness regarding the gender
imbalance and subversion of women at large has been a recent one, a product of
the modern period. In the past human history, the male had been seen as
superior and dominated over all aspects of collective and family life and it
was not challenged. Such traditions were the same is in the medieval period where
she was living in Harem (Zanana). She was considered to be weak and unable to
sustain the rule. She was completely banished from political participation. [5]
During
the reign of Jahangir, intelligent and accomplished women tried to influence
political decision-making from behind the veil. The introduction of Islam in
India changed the political and social structure in many ways. But it is quite
difficult to argue that in which capacity she enjoyed the freedom. On the one
hand, Islam imposed the veiling of women while on the other it allowed women to
participate in political activities. For instance in medieval times- the case
of Raziya Sultana and Nur Jahan, Maham Anga, etc. Other than these women we do
not see such open participation of women in the Mughal Court.[6]
However,
Islamic political pundits giving credit to Islam for women's participation in
political activity. Before Islam, there was no example to justify their
argument. Only elite women were the main concentration of Mughal emperors. Even
though, they had three important pillars which facilitated to endure a Mughal
ruler-such as Military, Treasury, and Women. In the memoir of Jahangir, he
mentioned many women's names and related her role and social status in the court.
But we could not find a detailed account of their role in the court. Almost all
women were his wives, aunts, daughters, and famous court dancers. He did not
mention anything other than these women. Sultana-n-nisa begum was his one of the wives
and she was the sister of Raja Man Singh. He married her for political motives.
He only mentioned their name and referred to them as a court woman and his
relation with her. However, the women members of the emperor family were living
in the Harem. In his memoir, he frequently discussed the Harem as an
institution. In fact, it was the most secure place in the Mughal Court. The
term Harem is derived from Arabic Harem which means sacred or forbidden. This
institution was guarded by eunuchs and no one is allowed to enter the Harem.
All women including his various wives, mothers, stepmothers, foster mothers,
sisters, foster sisters, and daughter and, cousins were living at the Harem.
Several second lines of relatives also resided here. Jahangir was famous for
his generosity to provide shelter to needy women. As one of the wives, Nur
Jahan also took refuge in his Court.[7]
Many
European travelers and historians depicted the accounts of Harem who were much
engrossed by fantasy and rumors. Even in the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, he mentioned a
story of a woman who maintained explicit relation with a man with the help of a eunuch guard. Later he found them and punished both eunuch and harem
women. In medieval history, we have only one source to contain detailed information about the Harem is Gulbadan Begum’s
Humayun Namah. The Harem administrations and security were ensured by the
emperor himself. The staff too consisted of only women. The Harem was divided
into three categories; high, middle, and lower strata.
However,
the official post of Daroga (in charge of women) was given to Nur Jahan’s mother
Asmat Banu Begum for some time. Jahangir always praised her efficiency to keep
the Harem in order. He married to Rajput Princess named Jodha Bai, and he says
that these marriages helped them to subjugate the opponents and build a court
image in the continent. During his reign, every festival and ceremony was held
in his court, during the Novroz festival he saw Nur Jahan and married her.
After becoming his wife, her intelligence convinced him, and spent his remaining
life with her. She was one of the women who ruled behind the veil. In his
memoir, he mentioned plenty of good things about her and her contribution to
conquering northern India.
Moreover,
his memoir shows that only elite women have the right to participate and learn skills. In his whole memoir, we could not find any lower castes' accounts to
justify the meaning of diversity. The elite women were allowed to trade and
learn art and calligraphy. The women received religious and non-religious
education. Several of them made important literary contributions such as
Gulbadan Begum. Hamida Banu Begum also wrote some books and collected
manuscripts. His granddaughter Jahanara wrote on mysticism and spirituality and the biography of Muin ud-din Chishti.
Each
woman had a stipend and salary for personal expenses. Few of them owning ships
and holding agricultural land. The income obtained from various sources was not
wasted by these women. In fact, it was put to use for noble causes like
building public constructions and patronizing artisans. They were known for
charity and philanthropic activities. Nur Jahan made three tombs, traveler
lounges, and several gardens in Lahore and Agra. She was exceptionally generous.
She also regularly financed marriages of young women and also supported
orphans. Her mother also contributed to the invention of rose attar or perfume.[8]
Nur
Jahan beyond her romance life
Nur Jahan was born as a
Mehr-un-Nissa and now we remembered her as a Nur-Jahan (light of the world).
She was born in 1577 near Kandahar and later came to India. Her father was an aristocrat and noble who were served, Akbar. She was first married to Sher
Afghan and when he died she took refuge in Mughal Harem with her mother. In his
memoir, he himself narrates a love story between his most loyal wives Nur
Jahan. During Nowruz Festival he saw her and offered for marriage. In 1611 they
married and became his 20th and final wife. She was a beautiful,
intelligent, brave, and great hunter. She holds plenty of skills and courage to
know military tactics.
Though
she is known for her romantic love story with her husband and people little is known about her bravery, leadership, and powerful ambitions. She was a
fascinating woman who came to rule an empire against extraordinary odds. These qualities and skills took her to the
top of the list of one of the most favorite wives of Jahangir.
She
had a great sense of innovative architect and poetry. She was famous for her
hunting skills and saved a village tormented by a man-eating tiger. She shot it
down from her perch on top of an elephant. So far these powerful skills came
from her upbringing, the supportive network of men and women, and the special
relationship she enjoyed with Jahangir, her ambition, and her land and its
people. In the memoir of Jahangir, he mentioned all of his wives but the account of
Nur Jahan is quite lengthy and admiring. He admired her services and charity
work for poor people. From 1614, his relation with Nur Jahan making strong and
she advise him as a co-ruler in different ways. He painted an admiring portrait
of her along with Firdausi’s verses. He declared her as a sensitive companion,
a superb caregiver, an accomplished adviser, a skilled hunter, a diplomat, and
an art lover.
In
Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri he mentioned the folktale of his love story and trying to
convince the readers to know about the only love story on the earth. He says
that when I married Nur Jahan my spiritual journey enhanced and light came from
our bondage and I was cured. We may criticize his historical exaggeration to
give great importance to her.
However,
her political correctness and participation in court proven the diplomatic
capabilities of her during Jahangir's reign. She was the only woman who had the
authority to take care of his personal and political activities. She enjoyed
enough freedom and conducted empress court to take decisions and granted
justice in many ways. She patronized poets, calligraphers and, painters and
provided monthly stipends and security to them. In the weak years of Jahangir,
many nobles and influential revolt against her power and policies but he refused
their demands and maintain the decorum of the court.
Elite women culture in Mughal court
In
Medieval India, history was recorded by travelers, poets, and rulers. They discussed the personal and political life of Elite women and men in court. It portrays the beautification and generosity of women and the glorified history of rulers, artisans, travelers, traders. Even though, these expressions and historical experiences can be seen in the architecture of Mughals. Elite women were in the position to play diplomacy to select the
heir of the ruler. However, a ruler had many wives and each one is living in
the Harem (a separate place to keep women including wives, concubines, war booty), so everyone was involved in the politics to lead the Harem.
Harem was completely isolated to not access by any men. Jahangir hired transgender to protect the Harem. Women of Harem had the privilege to equip skills and contribute accordingly. Jahangir appointed painters and Calligraphers to improvise the skills of Princess in the painting and music. Only elite women have had the right to equip such
skills including daughters of high officials, courtesans, and concubines. Even
the elite women were completely dependent on their husbands and male relatives.
The elite women have far excess to participate in trade and hold their business
ventures. During the reign of Jahangir, Nur Jahan had business linkages with
European traders and also elite women have had the excess to sell and purchase jewelers and ornaments in the premises of the court. They also engaged in
farming and weaving. Nur Jahan’s mother was a perfume (attar) producer and
Jahangir admired her sense of fragrances. So the full liberation of women was
not noticed in the court of Mughal and especially in Jahangir.
Moreover,
many social evils like female infanticide, child marriages, Sati, and purdah
system have existed in the Jahangir court. Polygamy was one of the famous and
unchallenged practices in the Mughal court. Albeit, women came to be regarded
as instruments of sensual satisfaction.
On
the contrary, the ordinary women were completely abandoned in history and so
far her life and history are gauges in respect of elite women in Mughal court. Ordinary
women were supposed to entertain kings, nobles, and even the members of the upper
classes. The lower-class women were affected due to the prevalent rituals of
Sati, Jauhar, and child marriages. They were not protected even in their houses.
Indian
society has perceived females from the point of view of sex. Such a mentality and
similar culture had seen in the time of Muslim Medieval rulers. Though male and
female co-exist in this society and contribute equally in all respect of life.
In the memoir, the gender imbalances and differences are vital and we can be labeled as the patriarchal historical account of the ruler. In the second Sex De
Beauvoir says:
Thus
humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself but as relative to him:
she is not regarded as an autonomous being. The body of man makes sense in
itself quite apart from that of woman, whereas the latter seems to wait in
significance by itself… Man can think of himself without a woman. She cannot
think of herself without a man. And she is simply what man decrees: thus she is
called the ‘the sex’, by which is meant that she appears essentially to the
male as a sexual being. For him, she is sex – absolute sex, no less. She is
defined and differentiated with reference to man and not he with reference to
her, she is the incidental, the inessential as opposed to the essential. He is
the Subject, he is the Absolute- She is the Other.[9]
If
we take the concept of ‘Other’ to the intention that only the male has the right
to live freely in the Mughal society. They considered women as their supporters
and treat them as secondary gender. On the same hand, the practice of Sati
justifies the above argument that during medieval time female was neglected gender
and considered her secondary. The concept of Sati was quite horrible; if a
husband dies, society believes that now women have no role to stay alive. She
goes with her husband to the funeral pyre. It was an accepted system and women
were victimized on the basis of rootless rituals for the love of their husbands.
Such
cultures affected our society and we have the same rituals even in the
twentieth-first century. Even in Pakistan, the elite women enjoy their freedom
but the lower class women still living under the burden of male-dominated
structures.
Conclusion
The
accounts of Jahangir are full of his own political and personal adventures. He
narrated stories on the basis of his conquests and travel. He was quite
familiar with the animal kingdom and mentioned many animals and his hunting
skills. He had mentioned many women names in his memoir and relate them with
his personal and political motives. In his memoir, he reflects his state
ideology and how far he was inclined to the spiritual life. The role of women
in his court was nominal in the early days of his political rule. Once he
married Nur Jahan he consolidated her power and ruled as a co-ruler. He
mentioned minute details of his military expeditions and also he discussed
animals and birds. Many believed that he was well versed and know the animal
kingdom in detail. However, he neglected the role of ordinary women in a harem
and he only discussed those women who were relative or had blue blood. During his
reign, his memoir is one of the primary resources to know the political, economic,
and social, and religious structure of the whole society.
List
of women mentioned in Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri
1- Sultana-n-nisa Begum D/o Raja
man Singh Page # 15
2- Bihar Banu Begum D/o
Jahangir Page # 19
3- Jagat Gosa D/o Mota
Raja Page # 20
4- Zamana Beg Page # 24
5- Shahzada Khanum Page
# 34
6- -Shakaru-n-nisa Begum foster
mother of Jahangir Page # 36
7- -Bibi Daulat Shad sister
of Jahangir Page # 36
8- - Aram Banu Begum Page
# 37
9- - Ruqaya Sultan Begum D/o
Hindal Mirza Page # 45
10- Shah Begum Page
# 57
11- Shahr banu begum D/o
Mirza Abu Said Page # 106
12- Javish Begum Page
# 130
13- Nijibu-n-nisa Begum Aunt
of Jahangir Page # 149
14- Ram Chand Bandilab Page
# 160
15- Salima Sultan Begum Page
# 230
16- Gul Rukh Begum Page # 232
17- Nur Jahan Begum Page
# 277
18- Saliha Begum Page
# 286
References
and Sources
Corinne
Lefevre, “ Recovering a Missing Voice
from Mughal India: The Imperial Discourse of Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) in His
Memoirs”, Journal of the Economic and Social History of the
Orient, vol.50, part 4, Leiden, The Netherlands, 2007, p. 453
De
Beauvoir, Simone. Introduction. The
Second Sex. Trans. and ed. H. M. Parshley. London: Picador, 1988. 13 – 29.
Lal, Ruby, Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan,
London: 2018, W.
W. Norton & Company,
Sajita
S. Alvi, “Religion and State during the
Reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir (1605-1627): Non-Juristical Perspectives, Studied
Islamic, no. 69, pp. 95-119, Maisonneuve & Larose, 1989, p. 115.
Tuzuk-i-
Jahangiri, or the Memoirs of
Jahangir, trans. Alexander Rogers, ed., Henry Beveridge, Vol, I, rpt.
Munshiram Manoharlal, Publication, New Delhi, 1968
[1] Corinne
Lefevre, “ Recovering a Missing Voice
from Mughal India: The Imperial Discourse of Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) in His
Memoirs”, Journal of the Economic and Social History of the
Orient, vol.50, part 4, Leiden, The Netherlands, 2007, p. 453
[2] Ibid.,
pp. 464,465
[3] Sajita S. Alvi, “Religion
and State during the Reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir (1605-1627): Non
Juristical Perspectives, Studied Islamic, no. 69, pp. 95-119,
Maisonneuve & Larose, 1989, p. 115.
[4] Tuzuk-i-
Jahangiri, or the Memoirs of
Jahangir, trans. Alexander Rogers, ed., Henry Beveridge, Vol, I, rpt.
Munshiram Manoharlal, Publication, New Delhi, 1968
[5] Tuzuk-i-
Jahangiri, or the Memoirs of Jahangir, Trans [1]. Alexander Rogers, ed.,
Henry Beveridge, Vol, I, rpt. Munshiram Manoharlal, Publication, New Delhi, 1968
[6]
Ibid
[7] Tuzuk-i-
Jahangiri, or the Memoirs of Jahangir, trans[1]. Alexander Rogers, ed.,
Henry Beveridge, Vol, II, rpt. Munshiram Manoharlal, Publication, New Delhi,
1968
[8] Tuzuk-i-
Jahangiri, or the Memoirs of Jahangir, trans[1]. Alexander Rogers, ed.,
Henry Beveridge, Vol, II, rpt. Munshiram Manoharlal, Publication, New Delhi,
1968
[9] De
Beauvoir, Simone. Introduction. The
Second Sex. Trans. and ed. H. M. Parshley. London: Picador, 1988. 13 – 29.
Great write up!
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