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Mughal Empress Noor Jahan (1577 - 1645) |
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Emperor Humayun (1508 - 1556) |
On June 15,1539, 2 armies clashed in
Chausa area of Bihar, India and factored a vital decision in Indian history. Mughal Emperor Humayun
was defeated by Sher Shah Suri in this battle, and he became the Emperor of
India. Humayun fled to Afghan province
Herat which then was a part of Khorasan
under the Safavid Sultanate of Iran. The Minister of Khorasan, Khwaja Muhammad
Sharif, served tremendous hospitality to Humayun. Humayun got back his emperor
after years yet it brought bad days to his host in Iran. Khwaja Muhammad Sharif
passed away. Shah Iran attached the property of Khwaja's family after rivals of
the deceased negatively projected his image. The son of Khwaja Sharif, Mirza
Ghiyas Beg was banished. He was given only an aged horse, a camel and some
eatables for the journey. Mirza Ghiyas Beg also had two sons and a daughter
with him. This family began the journey to India. On the way in Kandahar, his
wife Asmat-un-Nisa, gave birth to a baby girl under a tree. 'This girl named,
Noor Jahan, became the Empress of India later on. When Noor Jehan was born, her
parents were passing through the worst days. So much so that they counted her
birth an addition to their sufferings. It is endorsed by the fact they
abandoned the newly born Noor Jehan in the jungle on the way to India. They
wore a ring with Quran verses inscribed on and tied to a string, on her neck as
safety against the animals. After they went away rider in a caravan spotted
this baby sucking thumb and took her to the other travelers .A narrative goes
that the rider a saw a snake coiled on the head side of the baby posing her
protection. The rider asked the snake to get aside and assured he would raise
the baby. And amazingly the snake crept away and the rider picked up the baby
girl. The rider took the baby to the leader of the caravan, a merchant, Malik
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Sher Shah Suri(1486 - 1545)
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Masood and told him this story. The merchant took the baby to a nearby village
to arrange a maid to milk and foster her. It was coincidence that Mirza Ghiyaz
Beg with his family were also present in the same village. They saw the baby and
told the merchant she was theirs. The merchant handed them over the baby and
when he learned that Mirza Ghiyas Beg was the son of former minister of
Khurasan, took the whole family with him to Agra. He produced Mirza Ghiyas Beg
before the Royal Court. Then Akbar, the son of Humayun, was the ruler of India. When
Akbar learned about the hospitality of Beg's father to his father Humayun, he
gave him job in his Court. Thus Ghiyas Beg who had reached Agra in a miserable
state soon became the owner of 36 factories. Now the same daughter whom Beg had
left in the jungle considering ominous, became dear to him as very lucky. The
baby was to be given the name at the age of five on the occasion of Noruz
festival. Her mother used to call her by the name of Meharun Nisa. On Nowruz day,
when her name was searched from the Quran, the word 'Shams' (the Sun) emerged. So
Meharun Nisa was given the permanent name of Shamsun Nisa. It was her real but
she continued to be popular by the name of Meharun Nisa. Mirza Ghiyas lived in
the Royal Palace so Meharun Nisa was also fully taught royal manners and
decorum. She also learned the skill of archery, swimming, lancing and riding. Mehanur
Nisa was also taught Arabic and Persian. In addition to that she also composed
poetry. Despite these traits, she might remain dormant in history had Emperor
Jahangir not made her his Empress...and given the title of Noor Jehan. How this
most known marriage in the Indian history came about? It had two different
narratives. On narrative says, Prince Saleem, means Jahangir saw her in the
Royal Palace when she was only 13 or 14. Prince Saleem had liking for pigeon
racing. He asked Nisa to hold his 2 pigeons and went to catch the 3rd.On return
he found one pigeon missing in the hand of Meharun Nisa. When he angrily asked
how it went missing, Nisa in confusion also released the other one to show,
'this way'.It is commonly known that this gesture of Nisa crushed Prince Saleem
to love her. When his father came to know that his son loved Meharun Nisa. The
Emperor Akbar suspected Mirza Ghiyas Beg was plotting to grab the rule through
his daughter. So he forced Mirza Ghiyas Beg and got Meharun Nisa married to an
Iranian courtier, Ali Quli. It goes that Akbar had fought Ali with a lion. Ali
Quli killed the lion with his sword on which Akbar gave him the title of 'Sher
Afgan. 'The Emperor gave a fiefdom to Ali Quli in the province of Bengal and
sent him and Nisa there.
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Tomb Of Sher Afghan Khan |
Out of this wedlock Meharun Nisa gave birth to a
daughter, Ladli Begum But love for Mehanun Nisa was still simmering in the heart
of Prince Saleem. After 11 years of Nisa's marriage when Prince Saleem by the
name of Jahangir, became the emperor in 1605.He decided to win back his love. He
made his foster brother,
Qutbud-din
Governor of Bengal. Qutbud-din went to the fiefdom of Sher Afgan and asked him
to divorce Nisa for her marriage with the Emperor. This demand hurt the honour
of Sher Afgan so he killed Qutbud-din. The guards of Qutbud-din also killed Sher
Afgan. The guards also took Meharun Nisa into custody and took her to the Royal
Palace in Agra. Meharun Nisa was given into the custody of Emperor Jahangir's
foster mother, Saleema Begum. Saleema Begum convinced Meharun Nisa on marrying
Jahangir after two years of brainwash. Thus Jahangir wedded Meharun Nisa in
1611. Jahangir gave her the titles of Noor Mehal and Noor Jehan. The second got
the fame. Noor Jehan lost in the glamour of new life and forgot Sher Afgan who
had lost his life for her sake. It is one historic version of this love story.
But there is another one also. It goes that Jahangir did not know Noor Jehan at
all.Jahahgir wrote in Tuzk-e-Jahangiri that Sher Afgan was killed as he had
revolted. Apart from this revolt, the Royal Court was also going through a
troubled situation. Khusro, the son of Jahangir, had stood in revolt against his
father. Jahangir arrested Khusro and killed his supporters including brother of
Noor Jehan, Muhammad Sharif. He also turned her father Mirza Ghiyas and brother
Asif Jah out of the Court. In this course Noor Jehan was also brought to the
Royal Palace arrested where her custody was not entrusted...to Saleema Begum,
but Ruqaiya Sultan Begum, the step mother of Jahangir.
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Emperor Jahangir (1569 - 1627) |
When Jahangir came to his
step mother he saw Noor Jehan and lost his heart to her and he married her. We
are not sure which historical version is true and false. But it was true that Noor Jehan had fully dominated Jahanger
after marriage through love or cleverness. She was called Begum Emperor but the
word 'Begum' was so-called as she was virtually the Emperor. It was to the
extent that Noor Jahan like the emperors,
had also released the coins that embossed her name. Even the Royal
decrees were also issued in her name. Jahangir himself admitted that he had
handed over his sultanate to Noor Jehan. "And I need nothing except liquor
and meat"Besides drinking, Jahangir also loved hunting and that too of the
tigers. He mostly took Noor Jehan with him on hunting. After hectic efforts the
soldiers would bring tiger out of den and the emperor sitting on the elephant
just shoot it. But it too was not without risks to the emperor as the tigers
could jump from 10 to 15 feet. Which meant, the tigers could target the man
sitting on the elephant. Such an incident also once happened to Jahangir. Jahangir
was sitting on the elephant while his soldiers had scattered in the jungle. The
Emperor got asleep. Suddenly a tiger appeared and jumped at the elephant. However,
Noor Jehan shot dead the tiger before it could cause any harm to the Emperor. The
sound of fire awakened the emperor who thanked his wife for saving his life. On
another occasion, Noor Jehan shot dead four tigers with six gunshots. After
this feat, Noor Jehan recited a Persian poetic lines which render that. . . "Noor
Jehan is not only a beautiful woman but she is also bold like men to kill the
lions. "The miseries of Noor Jehan family also came to an end after she
became the Empress. On the instance of Noor Jehan, Jahangir also reinstated her
father and brother in the Royal Court. Mirza Ghiyas was made Prime Minister
with the title of Aitmadud Daula and Asif Jah deputed to a high position. So
Noor Jehan once again proved lucky for the family in its hours of distress. She
not only put her father and brother back to their positions but also married
her daughter. . . Ladli Begum to Sheharyar, who was Jahangir's son from his
another wife. She also married her niece and daugher of Asif Jah, Arjumand
Bano, to Prince Khurram.
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Prince Khurram(Shah Jahan) |
Arjumand Bano, known as Mumtaz Mehal, was buried in Taj Mehal that received world fame as symbol of love. Noor Jehan also
did not forget those who had been kind to her in the past. Masood merchant who
had joined baby Noor Jehan with her family had died when she became the
Princess. Noor Jehan called his son Malik Mehmood from Iran and gave him huge
money, a costly horse and goods. She separately gave
Rs. 50,000 for constructing grave of Masood
merchant. Noor Jehan also established a well and an inn at the site in Kandahar
where her parents had left her as a baby. She was also known for many other
tales of kindness and liberal charity. But the most challenging time came to
her life during the last days of Jahangir. Jahangir with his army was stationed
near River Jehlum. The Emperor was encamped away from the centre of his army on
the other side of the River. When Mahabat Khan, a general of his army, saw
this, he captured the river bridge with the help Rajpoot soldiers. He also
arrested the Emperor. Mahabat Khan had revolted as he failed to account for
some military expeditions before the Treasury. The Emperor was quite displeased
with him over his misconduct. Mahabat Khan forcibly got an order from the
Emperor for his prime ministership. When the troops spotted the Emperor taken
prisoner by Mahabat Khan they strove to cross the River. But the Royal army was
forced to retreat when the soldiers of Muhabat Khan showered arrows on it. Next
day, Noor Jehan herself led the army. She was sitting on an elephant holding
her suckling grand-daughter in the lap. The Khan's soldiers once rained arrows
which repulsed the Royal army. The grand-daughter of Noor Jehan also got
injured so she made a retreat. She was planning to strike back, but Mahabat
Khan compelled the Emperor to ask her to surrender. So the Emperpor ordered
surrender and she obeyed and gave in. Now Noor Jehen with the Royal Army, was
also taken prisoner by Mahabat Khan. Mahabat Khan made second demand to the
Emperor that he should order killing of Noor Jehan. So Jahangir also passed the
order of killing Noor Jehan. When Noor Jehan saw this order, she wrote on back
the decree, "I bow my head before the Emperor's command. But I want to see
the Emperor once before the death. "When Jahangir read it, he urged
Mahabat Khan to let him see Noor Jehan for the last time. So Noor Jehan was
brought before the Emperor handcuffed with disheveled hair and glum face. Jahangir
felt so much pain at her sight that taking risk of his own life, he recalled
the order of her death. Mahabat Khan felt much offended by it as he could not
kill Noor Jehan without the Royal decree. Khan feared strong reaction from
across India and the Mughals if he would kill her without Emperor's orderTherefore
he preferred to keep quiet. Soon after getting a new lease of life, Noor Jehan
took to plan killing of Mahabat Khan. She sold out her ornaments for huge
amount and with that proceeds secretly recruited Afghan soldiers. She also
called for 2000 additional soldiers from
Lahore. The Royal army was already
with Noor Jehan. She also purchased the
loyalty of many officers of Mahabat Khan. It revealed much later to Mahabat
Khan that he was left with little strength of the loyalists. So he fled to
Deccan with a handful of his soldiers to took refuge of Prince Khurram and
saved his life. Noor Jehan saved Jahangir from Mahabat Khan but she could not
save him from the death. After some time Jahangir died when he was coming back
from Kashmir. Khusro and Pervez, the two sons of Jahangir, had already died
during his lifetime. Now only Prince Sheharyar and Prince Khurram were
claimants of the throne. Since Noor Jehan was issueless from Jahangir therefore
she aspired to enthrone her son-in-law Sheharyar.
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Prince Sheharyar(1605 - 1628) |
But her own brother Asif Jah
was backing his son in law, Prince Khurram for the emperorship. It was Noor
Jehan who got Asif a high position in the Court and married his daughter to
Prince Khurram . But thankless Asif Jah put his sister behind the bars. However,
her son-in-law Sheharyar declared himself the Emperor of India when this all
was going on. But he could rule only for three months. The armies of Asif Jah
and Sheharyar battled near Lahore wherein Sheharyar lost and became prisoner. Asif
Jah made Sheharyar blind and put him in the prison. Now his son-in-law Khurran
was enthroned and he ruled India by the name of Shah Jehan. Shah Jehan got
Sheharyar killed soon after coming to power. But he set Noor Jehan free and
fixed her annual stipend at Rs. 200,000
or Rs. two million. Noor Jehan spent 18 years of her widow life in Lahore where
she also got constructed the Tomb of Jahangir. Noor Jehan died on December 17,
1645 at the age of 68. Noor Jehan had prepared her own coffin inscribed with
Quranic verses from Iran during her lifetime. The coffin was got washed with
Zam Zam water in Makkah. The majority of over 60000 persons in her funeral was
those who were financially helped by Noor Jehan. The orphans had surrounded her
dead-body and everyone was weeping. Noor Jehan was also buried in the Tomb of
Jahangir. The Tomb still exists near the River Ravi in Lahore. You Read the
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Nice Story about Queen Noor jahan. I am waiting to read more interesting blogs like this.
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