EMPRESS MUMTAZ MAHAL
EMPRESS MUMTAZ MAHAL WAS THE FAVORITE AND MOST BELOVED WIFE OF EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN, WHO RULED OVER THE INDIAN EMPIRE IN THE 16TH CENTURY.
THE NAME MUMTAZ MAHAL MEANS CHOSEN ONE OF THE PALACE.
HER REAL NAME WAS ARJUMAND BANU BEGUM.
SHE WAS BORN IN THE YEAR 1593 IN AGRA, INDIA.
HER FATHER, ASAF KHAN, WAS GOVERNOR OF LAHORE AS WELL AS CHIEF MINISTER OF EMPEROR JAHANGIR OF INDIA.
HER AUNT, EMPRESS NUR JEHAN, WAS THE WIFE OF THE RULING EMPEROR JAHANGIR.
HER FAMILY LINE WAS OF HIGH PERSIAN NOBILITY.
SHE WAS RELIGIOUSLY A SHIA MUSLIM.
IN THE YEAR 1607, AT THE AGE OF 14 YEARS, ARJUMAND WAS ENGAGED TO PRINCE KHURRAM, SON OF EMPEROR JAHANGIR, WHO WOULD LATER SUCCEED HIS FATHER AS EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN.
YOUNG MUMTAZ MAHAL
PRINCE KHURRAM
MARRIAGE BETWEEN THE PERSIAN NOBLEWOMAN ARJUMAND AND THE INDIAN PRINCE KHURRAM DID NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL FIVE YEARS LATER, BECAUSE THE COURT ASTROLOGERS HAD DETERMINED THAT THE AUSPICIOUS WEDDING TIME WOULD BE IN THE YEAR 1612.
ARJUMAND WAS ACTUALLY THE THIRD WIFE OF PRINCE KHURRAM BECAUSE HE MANAGED TO ACQUIRE TWO WIVES WHILE BEING ENGAGED TO HER.
IT IS SAID THAT FOLLOWING HIS MARRIAGE TO ARJUMAND, PRINCE KHURRAM WAS SO DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH HIS THIRD WIFE THAT HE COMPLETELY NEGLECTED HIS TWO PREVIOUS CONSORTS.
HE GAVE HER THE NEW NAME OF MUMTAZ MAHAL, WHICH MEANT THE CHOSEN ONE OF THE PALACE AND DEVOTED ALL HIS LOVE AND ATTENTION TO HER ALONE.
COURT RECORD INDICATED THAT " THE INTIMACY, DEEP AFFECTION, ATTENTION AND FAVOUR THAT HIS MAJESTY HAD FOR THE CRADLE OF EXCELLENCE EXCEEDED BY A THOUSAND TIMES WHAT HE FELT FOR THE OTHERS."
PRINCE KHURRAM DID NOT BECOME EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN UNTIL THE YEAR 1628 WHEN HE SUCCEEDED HIS FATHER, EMPEROR JAHANGIR, AT THE AGE OF 36 YEARS.
MUMTAZ MAHAL, BEING A YEAR YOUNGER THAN HER HUSBAND, BECAME EMPRESS OF INDIA WHEN SHE WAS 35 YEARS OLD.
EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN AND EMPRESS MUMTAZ MAHAL
THEIR MARRIAGE WAS CHARACTERIZED BY VERY DEEP AFFECTION AND GREAT DEVOTION TO EACH OTHER. MUMTAZ WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY EMPRESS WHO WAS POLITICALLY TRUSTED BY HER ROYAL HUSBAND.
EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN GAVE MUMTAZ MAHAL THE IMPERIAL SEAL, WHICH AUTHORIZED HER TO RULE THE EMPIRE OF INDIA AS AN EQUAL MONARCH.
RULING EMPRESS MUMTAZ MAHAL
MUMTAZ MAHAL WAS REPORTEDLY NOT INTERESTED IN SHARING HIS IMPERIAL POWER.
SHE WAS CONTENT WITH BEING HIS CONSTANT COMPANION, BOTH AT THE COURT IN AGRA IN TIME OF PEACE AS WELL AS IN THE BATTLEFIELDS IN TIME OF WAR.
EMPRESS MUMTAZ MAHAL AT COURT, HOLDING A ROSE AND SMOKING.
EMPRESS MUMTAZ MAHAL AT COURT, HOLDING A ROSE AND DOING NEEDLEWORK.
SHE WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY EMPRESS WHO NEVER FAILED TO ACCOMPANY HER HUSBAND TO WAR.
EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN AND HIS ARMY
SHE WOULD BE BY HIS SIDE IN BATTLES EVEN WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT WITH CHILD.
IN HER SHORT LIFE, MUMTAZ MAHAL GAVE BIRTH TO 14 ROYAL OFFSPRINGS.
IT WAS DURING DELIVERY OF THE FOURTEENTH CHILD THAT MUMTAZ SUFFERED FROM POSTPARTUM HEMORRHAGE AND DIED AT THE YOUNG AGE OF 37 YEARS.
IN THE YEAR 1631, AFTER HAVING RULED INDIA AS EMPRESS FOR ONLY 3 YEAR, MUMTAZ MAHAL ACCOMPANIED HER ROYAL HUSBAND ON A WAR PATH TO THE DECCAN PLATEAU IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF INDIA.
SHE WAS ALREADY PREGNANT AND INSPITE OF HER GRAVID CONDITION, DID NOT HESITATE TO ACCOMPANY HER HUSBAND TO WAR.
IN THE CONQUERED TOWN OF BURHANPUR, MUMTAZ MAHAL WENT INTO A PAINFUL AND DIFFICULT LABOR THAT LASTED 30 HOURS.
FOLLOWING DELIVERY OF A VIABLE CHILD, SHE CONTINUED TO BE IN GREAT PAIN AND SUFFERED FROM SEVERE AND EVENTUALLY FATAL POSTPARTUM HEMORRHAGE.
EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN WAS INCONSOLABLE WHEN INFORMED OF THE PREMATURE DEATH OF HIS BELOVED WIFE.
UPON RETURN FROM THE MILITARY CAMPAIGN, EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN WENT INTO SECLUSION FOR ONE YEAR, REFUSING TO COMMUNICATE WITH ANYONE IN THE PALACE.
HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER, PRINCESS JAHANARA REPORTED THAT WHEN HER ROYAL FATHER EMERGED FROM SECLUSION, HIS FACE WAS WORN AND OLD, HIS HAIR HAD TURNED WHITE AND HIS BACK WAS BENT. HE HAD THE APPEARANCE OF A MAN DEFEATED BY LIFE.
PRINCESS JAHANARA
THE BODY OF MUMTAZ MAHAL WAS INITIALLY BURIED IN THE TOWN OF BURHANPUR.
IT WAS DISINTERRED IN THE SAME YEAR AND PLACED IN A GOLD CASKET TO BE TRANSPORTED BACK TO AGRA WHERE IT WAS REINTERRED IN A SMALL BUILDING ON THE BANK OF THE RIVER YAMUNA.
UPON HIS RETURN FROM THE MILITARY CAMPAIGN, EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN, DEPRESSED BY SADNESS, CONSIDERED CONSTRUCTION OF A GRAND MAUSOLEUM FOR HIS WIFE EMPRESS MUMTAZ MAHAL.
THE GRAND IMPERIAL MAUSOLEUM WAS TO BE BUILT ENTIRELY OF WHITE MARBLE.
IT WOULD TAKE 22 YEARS TO CONSTRUCT THE TAJ MAHAL.
TAJ MAHAL IN PERSIAN MEANS CROWN OF PALACES.
IT WAS BUILT BY 20,000 ARTISANS AT A COST OF 32 MILLION RUPEES, EQUIVALENT TO 827 MILLION DOLLARS TODAY.
THE TAJ MAHAL
OF THE FOURTEEN ROYAL CHILDREN DELIVERED BY EMPRESS MUNTAZ MAHAL, SEVEN DIED AT BIRTH OR DURING INFANCY.
AMONG THE SURVIVING CHILDREN, THE FOUR BROTHERS SUBSEQUENTLY REBELLED AGAINST THEIR FATHER EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN WHEN HE BACAME WEAK AND OLD.
THE YOUNGEST SON, AURANGZEB, SUCCEEDED IN ASSUMING POWER AFTER DEFEATING AND KILLING HIS THREE OLDER BROTHERS.
EMPEROR AURANFZEB
HE IMPRISONED HIS FATHER INSIDE FORT AGRA WHICH WAS SITUATED ACROSS THE RIVER FROM THE TAJ MAHAL.
THE FORT IN WHICH EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN WAS IMPRISONED UNTIL HIS DEATH
ALTHOUGH THE IMPRISONED EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN COULD SEE THE TAJ MAHAL FROM ACROSS THE RIVER, EMPEROR AURANGZEB PUT A LARGE RUBY ON THE WALL OF THE FORT SO THAT HIS FATHER COULD LOOK INTO THE RUBY AND SEE THE REFLECTION OF THE TAJ MAHAL.
EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN REMAINED IMPRISONED WITHIN THE FORT FOR 8 YEARS.
HE WAS DURING HIS ENTIRE IMPRISONMENT UNDER THE CARE OF HIS DAUGHTER PRINCESS JAHANARA, WHO HAD VOLUNTARILY ACCOMPANIED HIM INTO IMPRISONMENT INSIDE FORT AGRA.
DEATH OF EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN, WITH ONLY PRINCESS JAHANARA IN ATTENDANCE
EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN BECAME ILL AND DIED IN THE YEAR 1866.
EMPEROR AURANGZEB ARRANGED FOR HIS FATHER TO BE ENTOMBED INSIDE THE TAJ MAHAL NEXT TO HIS BELOVED WIFE MUMTAZ MAHAL.
INTERIOR OF THE TAJ MAHAL
NEXT TO THE SMALLER ONE BELONGING TO EMPRESS MUNTAZ MAHAL
THE TAJ MAHAL IN THE MOONLIGHT,
COMMERATING THE GREAT LOVE OF
EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN
FOR HIS WIFE EMPRESS MUMTAZ MAHAL.
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