Jahanara Begum

Key Accomplishments

• Served as Padshah Begum (First Lady) of the Mughal Empire for decades
• Authored Sufi spiritual works including the Munis al-Arwah
• Designed Chandni Chowk, the main bazaar of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi)
• Patronized major architectural and charitable projects across the empire

The Full Story

As the eldest surviving daughter of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, Jahanara assumed the title of Padshah Begum (First Lady) after her mother's death in 1631. She was only seventeen, yet she took on the role of managing the imperial household and wielding the considerable political influence that came with it. She received an enormous income, reportedly half of what her brother Dara Shikoh received as crown prince.

Jahanara was a devoted Sufi mystic of the Qadiriyya order, initiated under the guidance of Mullah Shah Badakhshi, the same master who guided her brother Dara Shikoh. She authored several spiritual works, including Munis al-Arwah (The Confidant of Spirits), a biography of the great Sufi masters of the Chishti order, and Risala-i Sahibiyya, an account of her spiritual experiences.

Her architectural patronage was substantial. She designed Chandni Chowk, the great central bazaar of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi), with its reflecting pool and tree-lined avenue. She also commissioned the Jama Masjid in Agra and a beautiful garden at Shalimar in Delhi. Her patronage contributed significantly to the architectural splendor of her father's reign.

During the succession war of 1658, Jahanara supported her brother Dara Shikoh but later reconciled with the victorious Aurangzeb. She voluntarily shared her father's imprisonment at Agra Fort, caring for the aged emperor until his death. She died in 1681 and was buried in a simple open-air grave near the shrine of Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi, as she had requested.

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Connected Figures

Sources

• [1]Afshan Bokhari, "Gendered Landscapes: Jahan Ara Begum's Patronage, Piety and Self-Representation in 17th c. Mughal India" (PhD diss., University of Vienna, 2009)
• [2]D. N. Marshall, Mughals in India: A Bibliographical Survey (Asia Publishing House, 1967)
• [3]Ruby Lal, Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan (W. W. Norton, 2018)