Mariam-uz-Zamani

Not to be confused with Jagat Gosain.

Mariam-uz-Zamani
Artistic depiction of Mariam-uz-Zamani
BornHarkha Bai
c. 1542
Amer, Kingdom of Amber
Died19 May 1623(1623-05-19) (aged 78–79)
Agra,[1] Agra Subah, Mughal Empire
Burial
Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani, Sikandra, Agra
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1562; died 1605)​
Issue
Names
Wali Nimat Mariam-uz-Zamani Begum Sahiba[4]
Dynasty
FatherRaja Bharmal of Amer
MotherRani Champavati Solanki
ReligionHinduism

Mariam-uz-Zamani (lit. 'Mary/Compassionate of the Age';[5] c. 1542 – 19 May 1623), commonly known by the misnomer Jodha Bai,[6] was the chief consort and principal Hindu wife[a] as well as the favourite wife of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar.[7][8][9][10][11] She was also the longest-serving Hindu empress of the Mughal Empire with a tenure of forty-three years (1562–1605).[12]

Born a Rajput princess,[13][a] she was married to Akbar by her father, Raja Bharmal of Amer due to political exigencies.[16][17] Her marriage to Akbar led to a gradual shift in the latter's religious and social policies. She is widely regarded in modern Indian historiography as exemplifying both Akbar's tolerance of religious differences and their inclusive policies within an expanding multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire.[17] She was said to possess uncommon beauty.[18][19] She was widely known for both her grace and intellect.

Mariam-uz-Zamani occupied an important place in Akbar's harem, she was a senior-ranking wife of Akbar who in the words of Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, commanded a high rank in the imperial harem.[20][21] She is stated as the favourite and an influential consort of Akbar, having a considerable influence in the matters of the court.[22][23][7][24][25][26][27][28] Described as an intellectual,[29] amiable and kind[30] woman, she was often consulted by Akbar on important matters.[31] She was the mother of Akbar's eldest surviving son and eventual successor, Jahangir, and the grandmother of Shah Jahan.

  1. ^ Rogers, Alexander; Beveridge, Henry, eds. (1909). The Tūzuk-i-Jahāngīrī or Memoirs of Jahāngīr, Volume 2. Royal Asiatic Society, London. p. 261.
  2. ^ a b Lal 1980, p. 133.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :100 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sujan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Mukhia, Harbans (2004). India's Islamic Traditions, Islam in Kashmir (Fourteenth to Sixteenth Century). New Delhi [India]: The Medieval History Journal, New Delhi. p. 126.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference cohen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Hindu Shah, Muhammad Qasim (1595–1612). Gulshan-I-Ibrahimi. Vol. 2. p. 143. Akbur, after this conquest, made a pilgrimage to Khwaja Moyin-ood-Deen Chishty at Ajmere and returned to Agra; from whence he proceeded to visit the venerable Sheikh Sulim Chishty, in the village of Seekry. As all the king's children had hitherto died, he solicited the Sheikh's prayers, who consoled him, by assuring him he would soon have a son, who would live to a good old age. Shortly after, the favourite sooltana, being then pregnant, on Wednesday the 17th of Rubbee-ool-Awul, in the year 997 was delivered of a son, who was called Sulim.
  8. ^ Mehta, Jaswant Lal. Advanced Study in the History of Medieval India. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 222. ISBN 978-81-207-1015-3. Bihari Mal gave rich dowry to his daughter and sent his son Bhagwan Das with a contingent of Rajput soldiers to escort his newly married sister to Agra as per Rajput custom. Akbar was deeply impressed by the highly dignified, sincere and princely conduct of his Rajput relations. He took Man Singh, the youthful son of Bhagwant Das into the royal service. Akbar was fascinated by the charm and accomplishments of his Rajput wife; he developed real love for her and raised her to the status of chief queen. She came to exercise profound impact on the sociocultural environment of the entire royal household and changed the lifestyle of Akbar. Salim (later Jahangir), the heir to the throne, was born of this wedlock on 30th August 1569.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :05 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Chaudhary, S.N. Roy (2011). Restoration of Split Milk. Gyan Publishing House. p. 77. ISBN 978-81-212-1046-1. The mother of Jahangir was a pious Hindu princess, the most favorite queen of Akbar
  11. ^ Ahloowalia, B. S. (2009). Invasion of the Genes: Genetic Heritage of India. Strategic Book Publishing. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-60860-691-7.
  12. ^ Findly 1988, pp. 229, 233.
  13. ^ Aftab, Tahera (2008). Inscribing South Asian Muslim Women: An Annotated Bibliography & Research Guide. Leiden: Brill Publishers. p. 44.
  14. ^ Findly 1988, p. 229.
  15. ^ "Harking back: Mystery of the Rajput empress Mariam Zamani". DAWN.COM. 22 March 2020.
  16. ^ Chandra, Satish (2005). Medieval India: from Sultanate to the Mughals (Revised ed.). New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications. pp. 111–112. ISBN 978-81-241-1066-9.
  17. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Bonnie was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Pillai, Manu S. (2019). The Courtesan The Mahatma And The Italian Brahmin Tales From Indian History. Westland Publications Limited.
  19. ^ Price, Mahor David, ed. (1829). Tarikh-i-Salim Shahi.
  20. ^ Fazl, Abul (1590). Ain-I-Akbari. Vol. 3. p. 49. When the world-conquering armies had been deputed, the Shāhinshāh proceeded stage by stage. On the day that he reached Sirohī, Mādhū* Singh and a number of men were sent to fetch that nursling of fortune's garden, Shahzāda Sultān Daniel, who had been conveyed from Ajmīr to Amber, so that he might be brought back to Ajmīr, and might come under the shadow of the Presence. In order to do honour to Rajah Bhagwān Das, his auspicious sister, who held high rank in the imperial harem, was sent off in order so that she might be present at the mourning for her brother Bhūpat, who had fallen in the battle of Sarnāl.
  21. ^ Mukherjee, Soma (2001). Royal Mughal Ladies and Their Contributions. Gyan Books. p. 128. ISBN 978-81-212-0760-7.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference :07 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Smith, Bonnie G., ed. (2008). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History. Vol. 4. Oxford University Press. p. 656. ISBN 978-0-19-514890-9.
  24. ^ Khan, Ahmad Nabi (1970). Pakistan archaeology no.7. p. 123.
  25. ^ Havell, E. B. (Ernest Binfield) (1918). The history of Aryan rule in India from the earliest times to the death of Akbar. The Library of Congress. New York, Frederick A. Stokes company. p. 463.
  26. ^ Schimmel, Annemarie (2004). The empire of the great Mughals: history, art and culture. Corinne Attwood, Burzine K. Waghmar, Francis Robinson. London: Reaktion Books. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-86189-185-3. OCLC 61751123.
  27. ^ Srivastava. A.l. (1957). A Short History Of The Akbar The Great. p. 22.
  28. ^ Mohammada, Malika (2007). The Foundations of the Composite Culture in India. Aakar Books. p. 300. ISBN 978-81-89833-18-3.
  29. ^ Cite error: The named reference Akbarnama was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  30. ^ Badayuni, Abdul Qadir (1590). Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh. Vol. III.
  31. ^ Lal 1980, p. 104: "With a blue-blooded Rajput princess in the harem, there came about a radical change in the style of life in the palace and at the court.' Jodha Bai was as good-looking as she was tactful. Warm-hearted liberalism added lustre to her physical charm. Akbar respected her. So did everybody else. Maham Anga, in particular, became very fond of her. Soon she became a centre around which life in the palace revolved. Akbar (king of hindustan) often consulted her on important matters; her responses were invariably high-minded and above partisanship. An equation of complete trust gradually developed between the two. The future greatness of Akbar was in no small measure due to the large-heartedness of Jodha Bai. With a lesser person in her place, the story of the reign of Akbar might have been different."


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