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Shah Jahan

Emperor Shah Jahan – The Mastermind behind the Taj

Shah Jahan was the Fifth Mughal Emperor [1592 – 1666]

Shahab Uddin Muhammad Shah Jahan I ruled India from 1628 until 1658.

He was known by the Titles of;

The Emperor’s Journey from "Prince Khurram" to "ShahJahan"

The blue-eyed boy of the Moghul Royalty, the youthful "Khurram," inspired his powerful father, the Emperor Jahangir, with his extraordinary military accomplishments of 1617 against Lodi in the Deccan, which successfully secured the southern outskirt of the empire. The father, filled with pride, compensated him with the prestigious title 'ShahJahan Bahadur', which certainly fixed his legacy. The name Shah Jahan originates from a Persian name that signifies "The Ruler of the World."

His initial years saw him get a refined, broad education. He was distinguished in martial arts and hand-to-hand fighting and as an authority of his father's armed forces in various crusades, where he got to be in charge of the greater part of the regional expansions of his father's rule. Khurrum then, likewise, showed a bright ability for building, inspiring his father at the young age of 16, when he assembled his own quarters inside the Kabul post of Babur, and updated a few structures within the Agra Fort.

ShahJahan was the fifth Moghul ruler after Babur, Humayun, Akbar, and Jahangir, in that order. While youthful, he was a most loved of Akbar. Like Akbar, he was enthusiastic to extend his domain. Indeed, even while exceptionally at his prime time, he was seen as the successor to the Moghul throne after the demise of Jahangir. He succeeded to the throne upon his father's demise in 1627. He is thought to be one of the best Moghuls and his rule has been known as the "Golden Age of Moghuls Reign".

ShahJahan commissioned the construction of numerous wonderful monuments, the best-known of which is the Taj Mahal at Agra. The Pearl Mosque at Agra, the royal residence and extraordinary mosque at Delhi. The observed Peacock Throne, said to be worth millions of dollars by present-day estimates. He was the organizer of Shahjahanabad, now known as 'Old Delhi'. Different manifestations of ShahJahan incorporate the Diwan-i-Am and Diwan-i-Khas, constructed within the premises of the Red Fort in Delhi.

As a young leader, he was betrothed to two wives - Akbarabadi Mahal (d. 1677 AD), and Kandahari Mahal (m. 1609 AD). However, in 1607 AD, Khurram fell head over heels in love with Arjumand Bano Begum, the granddaughter of a respectable Persian noble house, who was only 14 years old at that time. She would turn into the unchallenged affection for his life - they were married in 1612 AD.

As per Qazwini, the official writer of the Imperial Court, the association with his other wives "just had the status of marriage.” The closeness, profound warmth, consideration, love and support that he had for Mumtaz surpassed a thousand times what he felt for his other wives.

Shah Jahan was absolutely committed to Mumtaz Mahal, who was his steady confidante and trusted comrade and their relationship was serious. To be sure, the court students of history go to inconceivable lengths to archive the intimate and suggestive relationship the couple delighted in.

According to Sheela Reddy in her Taj Trivia - ShahJahan as 'The Man of Marble', and Ebba Koch’s "The Complete Taj Mahal", ShahJahan picked the site for the Taj for its incredible perspective from Raja Jai Singh of Amber, in return for four houses.

His own particular internment was not stupendous; he was taken discreetly by two men by pontoon and laid adjacent to his beloved, Mumtaz.

Shahjahan's Reign - The Golden Era of the Moghuls

In spite of the fact that his father's principle was for the most part tranquil, the domain was encountering challenges before the end of his rule. ShahJahan turned around this pattern by putting down an Islamic defiance in Ahmednagar, shocking the Portuguese in Bengal, capturing the Rajput kingdoms of Baglana and Bundelkhand toward the west and the northwest, past the Khyber Pass.

Under his lead, the state turned into an immense military machine and the nobles and their contingents increased just about fourfold, as did the requests for more income from the lower class. It was however a time of general soundness — the company was brought together and court undertakings systematized. Historiography and human expressions progressively got to be instruments of purposeful publicity, where excellent works of art or verse communicated particular state belief systems, which held that focal power and various leveled request would make parity and congruity.

Shahjahan's Reign and The Empire's Wealth

Under the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan, the Moghul Empire achieved its most noteworthy union of quality with magnificence.

The land income of the Moghul Empire under ShahJahan was 20.75 million Sterling. The radiance of ShahJahan's court was the miracle of European voyagers. His Peacock Throne, with its trail bursting in the moving shades of emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, was esteemed by the gem specialist Tavernier at a whooping 6.50 million Sterling.

Here are Quick Facts about Emperor ShahJahan

Emperor ShahJahan's Wives:

  1. Akbarabadi Mahal (died: 1677 AD)
  2. Kandahari Mahal (born: 1594 AD; married: 1609 AD)
  3. Mumtaz Mahal (born: 1593 AD; married: 1612 AD, died: 1631 AD)
  4. Hasina Begum Sahiba (married: 1617 AD)
  5. Muti Begum Sahiba
  6. Qudsia Begum Sahiba
  7. Fatehpuri Mahal, Sahiba (died after 1666 AD)
  8. Sarhindi Begum Sahiba (died after 1650 AD)
  9. Shrimati Manbhavathi Baiji Lal,Sahiba (married: 1626 AD)

Emperor ShahJahan's Offspring:

  1. Shahzadi Hluralnissa Begum (1613–1619)
  2. Shahzadi Jahanara Begum (1614–1681)
  3. Shahzada Dara Shikoh (1615–1659)
  4. Shahzada Mohammed Sultan Shah Shuja Bahadur (1616–1661)
  5. Shahzadi Roshanara Begum (1617–1661)
  6. Badshah Mohinnudin Mohammed Aurangzeb (1618–1707)
  7. Shahzada Sultan Ummid Baksh (1619–1622)
  8. Shahzadi Surayya Banu Begum (1621–1628)
  9. Unnamed Prince (1622)
  10. Shahzada Sultan Murad Baksh (1624–1661)
  11. Shahzada Sultan Lutfu'llah (1626–1628)
  12. Shahzada Sultan Daulat Afzal (1628–1629)
  13. Shahzadi Husnara Begum (1630)
  14. Shahzadi Gauhara Begum (1631–1707)

Many of his children died at birth or at a fairly early age.