Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Shah Jahan I (full title:
Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram, Abu'l-Muzaffar
Shihab ud-din Muhammad, Sahib-i-Qiran-i-Sani, Shah Jahan I Padshah
Ghazi Zillu'llah [Firdaus-Ashiyani]) (also spelled
Shah Jehan,
Shahjehan, ,
Persian:
شاه جهان; January
5, 1592 January 22, 1666) was the ruler of the
Mughal Empire in the
Indian subcontinent from 1628 until
1658. The name Shah Jahan comes from Persian meaning "King of the
World." He was the fifth Mughal ruler after
Babur,
Humayun,
Akbar, and
Jahangir. While
young, he was a favourite of
Akbar.
Even while very young, he could be pointed out to be the successor
to the
Mughal throne after the death
of Jahangir. He succeeded to the throne upon his father's death in
1627. He is considered to be one of the greatest
Mughals and his reign has been called the Golden Age
of
Mughals. Like Akbar, he was eager to
expand his empire.
The chief events of his reign were the
destruction of the kingdom of
Ahmadnagar (1636), the loss of Kandahar
to the
Persians (1653), and a second war
against the Deccan princes (1655). In 1658 he fell ill,
and was confined by his son Aurangzeb in
the citadel of Agra
until his
death in 1666. On the eve of his death in 1666, the
Mughal Empire spanned almost , about 9/10 the
size of modern India.
The period of his reign was the golden age of
Mughal architecture.
Shah Jahan erected
many splendid monuments, the most famous of which is the Taj Mahal
at Agra built as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal (birth name Arjumand Banu
Begum). The
Pearl Mosque at Agra
, the palace and great mosque at Delhi also commemorate him. The
celebrated
Peacock Throne, said to be
worth millions of dollars by modern estimates, also dates from his
reign. He was the founder of
Shahjahanabad, now known as 'Old Delhi'.
The
important buildings of Shah Jahan were the Diwan-i-Am and Diwan-i-Khas in the fort of Delhi, the Jama
Masjid
, the Moti
Masjid and the Taj. It is pointed out that the Palace of Delhi
is the most
magnificent in the East.
Biography
Birth And Early Years
Shah Jahan
was born as Prince Khurram Shihab-ud-din Muhammad, in 1592 in
Lahore
as the third and favorite son of the emperor
Jahangir, his mother being a Rathore Rajput Princess, known as Princess Jagat
Gosain who was Jahangir's second wife. The name Khurram -
Persian for 'joyful' - was given by his grandfather
Akbar.
His early years saw him receive a cultured,
broad education and he distinguished himself in the martial arts
and as a military commander while leading his father's armies in
numerous campaigns - Mewar (1615 CE, 1024 AH),
the Deccan
(1617 and
1621 CE, 1026 and 1030 AH), Kangra (1618
CE, 1027AH). He was responsible for most of the territorial
gains during his father's reign. He also demonstrated a precocious
talent for building, impressing his father at the age of 16 when he
built his quarters within Babur's Kabul fort and redesigned
buildings within Agra fort.
Marriage
In 1607 CE (1025 AH), at the age of fifteen, Khurram was to marry
Arjumand Banu Begum, the grand
daughter of a
Persian noble, who was
14 years old at the time. She would become the unquestioned love of
his life. They would, however, have to wait five years before they
were married in 1612 CE (1021 AH). After their wedding
celebrations, Khurram "finding her in appearance and character
elect among all the women of the time," gave her the title
Mumtaz Mahal (Jewel of the Palace).
She had 18 children. Despite her frequent pregnancies,
Mumtaz Mahal travelled with Shah Jahan's
entourage throughout his earlier military campaigns and the
subsequent rebellion against his father.
Mumtaz Mahal was utterly devoted — she was his
constant companion and trusted confidante and their relationship
was intense. She is portrayed by Shah Jahan's chroniclers as the
perfect wife with no aspirations to political power. This is in
direct opposition to how
Nur Jahan had
been perceived.
The intervening years had seen Khurrum take two other wives known
as
Akbarabadi Mahal (d.1677 CE,
1088 AH), and
Kandahari Mahal (b.
c1594 CE, c1002 AH), (m.1609 CE, 1018 AH).
According to the official court chronicler Qazwini, the
relationship with his other wives "had nothing more than the status
of marriage. The intimacy, deep affection, attention and favor
which His Majesty had for the Cradle of Excellence [Mumtaz]
exceeded by a thousand times what he felt for any other."
Accession
A 19th century illustration of Shah
Jahan.
Inheritance of power and wealth in the Mughal empire was not
determined through
primogeniture, but
by princely sons competing to achieve military successes and
consolidating their power at court. This often led to rebellions
and wars of succession. As a result, a complex political climate
surrounded the Mughal court in Khurram's formative years. In 1611
his father married
Nur Jahan, the widowed
daughter of a Persian immigrant. She rapidly became an important
member of Jahangir's court and, together with her brother
Asaf Khan, wielded considerable influence.
Arjumand was Asaf Khan's daughter and her marriage to Khurrum
consolidated Nur Jahan and Asaf Khan's positions at court.
Khurram's
intense military successes of 1617 CE (1026 AH) against the
Lodi in the Deccan effectively
secured the southern border of the empire and his grateful father
rewarded him with the prestigious title 'Shah Jahan Bahadur' (Brave
King of the World) which implicitly sealed his inheritance.
Court intrigues, however, including Nur Jahan's decision to have
her daughter from her first marriage wed Shah Jahan's
youngest brother and her support
for his claim to the throne led Khurram, supported by Mahabat Khan,
into open revolt against his father in 1622.
The rebellion was quelled by Jahangir's forces in 1626 and Khurram
was forced to submit unconditionally. Upon the death of Jahangir in
1627, Khurram succeeded to the Mughal throne as Shah Jahan, King of
the World, the latter title alluding to his pride in his Timurid
roots.
Rule
Shah Jahan's court
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 Islamic
rebellion in Ahmednagar
, repulsing the Portuguese
in Bengal
, capturing
the Rajput kingdoms of Baglana and Bundelkhand to the west 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, as did the demands for more revenue from the peasantry.
It was however a period of general stability — the administration
was centralised and court affairs systematised.
Historiography and the arts increasingly
became instruments of propaganda, where beautiful artworks or
poetry expressed specific state ideologies which held that central
power and hierarchical order would create balance and harmony. The
empire continued to expand moderately during his reign but the
first signs of an imperial decline were seen in the later
years.
Under Shah Jahan the Mughal Empire attained its highest union of
strength with magnificence. The land revenue of the Mughal Empire
under Shah Jahan was 20¾ millions. The magnificence of Shah Jahan’s
court was the wonder of European travelers. His Peacock Throne,
with its trail blazing in the shifting natural colors of rubies,
sapphires, and emeralds, was valued by the jeweler Tavernier at 6½
millions sterling.
His
political efforts encouraged the emergence of large centres of
commerce and crafts — such as Lahore, Delhi, Agra, and
Ahmedabad
— linked by roads and waterways to distant places
and ports. He moved the capital from Agra to Delhi.
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 other surviving buildings are the
Red
Fort
and Jama Masjid in Delhi, the Shalimar Gardens
of Lahore, sections of the Lahore Fort
(such as Sheesh Mahal,
and Naulakha
pavilion
), and his father's
mausoleum.
Legend
has it that Shah Jahan wanted to build a black Taj Mahal for himself. There is no reputable
scholarship to support this hypothesis, however, nor other horrific
legends that Shah Jahan maimed, blinded, or killed those
responsible for designing and building his tomb.
Fate
His son
Aurangzeb led a rebellion when
Shah Jahan became ill in 1657 CE (1067 AH) and publicly executed
his brother and the heir apparent
Dara
Shikoh. Dara was the eldest of the sons and was the favorite of
both the Emperor and the people. With this Dara assumed the role of
Regent in his father’s stead which brought animosity towards him
swiftly by his brothers. Upon receiving this information, his
younger brothers, Shuja, Viceroy of Bengal, and Marad, Viceroy of
Gujarat, declared their independence, and marched upon Agra in
order to claim their riches. Aurangzeb, the third son, the ablest
and most virile of the brothers join them and being placed in chief
command, attacked Dara's army close to Agra and completely defeated
him.
Although Shah Jahan fully recovered from his
illness, Aurangzeb declared him incompetent to rule and put him
under house arrest in Agra Fort
.
Jahanara Begum Sahib
voluntarily shared his 8-year confinement and nursed him in his
dotage. In January of 1666 CE (1076 AH), Shah Jahan fell ill with
strangury and
dysentery. Confined to bed, he became
progressively weaker until, on January 22, he commanded the ladies
of the imperial court, particularly his consort of later years
Akbarabadi Mahal, to the care of Jahanara. After reciting the
Kalima and verses from the Qu'ran, he died.
Jahanara planned a state funeral which was to include a procession
with Shah Jahan's body carried by eminent nobles followed by the
notable citizens of Agra and officials scattering coins for the
poor and needy. Aurangzeb refused to accommodate such ostentation
and the body was washed in accordance with Islamic rites, taken by
river in a sandalwood coffin to the Taj Mahal and was interred
there next to the body of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Legacy
Shah Jahan's legacy was one of the most profound of all the
Mughals. A patron of the fine arts, he continued the Mughal
patronage of painting, although his passion was architecture, with
the highlight being undoubtedly the Taj Mahal. Painting during his
reign reflected the serene prosperity that the Mughals enjoyed with
many scenes reflecting Shah Jahan's interest in romance.
One of the greatest legacy that Shah Jahan was a part of during the
Mughal rule of India was that of the ferocity of his successor to
gain control of the empire. Shah Jahan exemplified one of the
highest points in the Mughal Empire but also foreshadowed its
downfall through the succession of emperors in the Mughal line.
With his accession and downfall at the hands of his sons aside,
Shah Jahan can clearly be seen as a leader who changed the
landscape of India dramatically in the course of his reign; when
you take into consideration that the legacy that brought him down
as well as his great accomplishment, Shah Jahan gives us a great
wealth of knowledge into the internal workings of an empire that
was built from conquering, violence, and tolerance while alluding
to the unstable hierarchy and the right to power in the Mughal
Empire. He came to power through violence and betrayal and was
ultimately brought down by the same means, exacerbating the legacy
of the Mughals.
Notable structures associated with Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan has left behind a grand legacy of structures constructed
during his reign.
The most famous of these is the Taj Mahal in Agra built to
hold the tomb for his favorite wife, Mumtaz
Mahal. Upon his death, his son
Aurangazeb had him interred in it next to Mumtaz
Mahal.
Among his other constructions are Delhi Fort also called the Red Fort or Lal
Qila (Urdu) in Delhi, large
sections of Agra
Fort, the Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque), Delhi, the Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan
, the Moti
Masjid (Pearl Mosque), Lahore, the Shalimar
Gardens in Lahore, sections of the Lahore Fort, Lahore, the Jahangir
mausoleum — his father's tomb, the construction of which was
overseen by his stepmother Nur Jahan and
the Shahjahan Mosque, Thatta
,
Pakistan. He also had the Peacock Throne,
Takht e Taus, made to celebrate his rule.
There is a crater named after Shah Jahan on the
asteroid 433 Eros. Craters
on Eros are named after famous fictional and real-life
lovers.
European accounts of Shah Jahan's personal life
Numerous accounts of Shah Jahan's personal life were recounted by
contemporary European writers.
Shah Jahan's family
Like all his ancestors, Shah Jahan's court included many
wives,
concubines, and
dancing girls. Several European chroniclers have noted this.
Niccolao Manucci wrote that "it
would seem as if the only thing Shah Jahan cared for was the search
for women to serve his pleasure" and "for this end he established a
fair at his court. No one was allowed to enter
except women of all ranks that is to say, great and small, rich and
poor, but all beautiful." When he was detained in the Red Fort at
Agra, Aurangzeb permitted him to retain "the whole of his female
establishment, including the singing and dancing women." Manucci
notes that Shah Jahan didn't lose his "weakness for the flesh" even
when he had grown very old. However, most of the European
travellers in India had access to such information primarily
through bazaar gossip and not first hand.
See also
Notes
- Koch, p.18
- Koch, P.19
- Qazwini. fol. 233a translated by Begley and Desai (1984),
p.14
- Bloom, J. and Blair, S. (1994). "The Art and
Architecture of ʡ̯Islam: 1250-1800". New Haven and London: Yale
University Press
- Encyclopedia of World Biography on Shah Jahan
- Encyclopedia Britannica Online - Rebellion of
Khurram
- Asher, p.170
- Hunter, p.307
- Black Taj Mahal Myths
- Black Taj Mahal Story
- Black Taj Mahal Spirituality
- Havell
- Asher, p.171
- Koch, p.101
- Manucci, I, p.195
- Bernier, p.166 and p. 21
- Manucci, I, p.240
References
- Padshah Nama, a book written by
Abdul Hamid Lahori
- Shah Jahan Nama/Amal-i-salih by Inayat Khan/Muhammad Saleh Kamboh
- Nushka i Dilkhusha by Bhimsen
- Bernier, Francois, Travels in the Mogal Empire (1656-68),
revised by V.A. Smith, Archibald Constable, Oford 1934.
- Tavernier, Jean Baptiste, Travels in India, trs. and ed. by
V.Ball, 2 Vols. Macmillan, 1889, 1925.
- De Laet, Joannes, The Empire of the Great Mogol, trs. byHoyland
and Banerjee, Bombay 1928.
- Peter Mundy. Travels of Peter
Mundy in Asia, ed. R.C. Temple, Hakluyt Society, London
1914.
- Manucci, Niccolao, Storia do Mogor, Eng. trs. by W. Irvine, 4
vols. Hohn Murray, London 1906.
- Manrique, Travels of Frey Sebastian Manrique, trs. by Eckford
Luard, 2 Vols. Hakluyt Society, London 1927.
- Begley, W, The Symbolic Role of Calligraphy on Three Imperial
Mosques of Shah Jahan, Kaladarsana, 1978, pp. 7 - 18
- Hunter, William., The Imperial Gazetteer of
India.Turbner & Co.: London 1886
- A Handbook to Arga and the Taj by E.B. Havell
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