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Who was Shah Jahan?
Shah Jahan, also known as Prince Khurram, son of Emperor Jahangir, was India’s fifth Mughal Emperor of India. He ruled from 1628 until 1658.
Who was Shah Jahan’s mother?
Manavati Bai, also known as Jagat Gosain (meaning “saint of the world”), was the wife of Jahangir and mother of Shah Jahan. Her other names include Mani Bai, Manmati, Jodh Bai (meaning “Princess of Jodhpur”), and Taj Bibi (meaning “Lady of the Crown”). The posthumous title of Bilqis Makani (meaning “Lady of the Pure Abode”) was also given to her.
Shah Jahan
His Reign
Shah Jahan (Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram) was born on 5th January 1592. He was one of the most successful and powerful emperors of the Mughal Empire. He was the fifth Mughal ruler. After the demise of his father Jahangir, Shah Jahan won the war of succession and successfully ruled the empire for 30 years. His reign continued from 19th January 1628 to 31st July 1658. The Mughal Empire thrived on making his reign the golden era of the Mughal Empire.
Besides being an able administrator and commander, Shah Jahan is also known for constructing the Taj Mahal. He built the Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. During his reign, architecture, in general, saw the best of Mughal construction. Besides the Taj Mahal, he has constructed many beautiful monuments throughout the landscape of North India. Shah Jahan is also known as the founder of Shahjahanabad in Delhi.
Shah Jahan received a traditional princely education which involved training in martial arts and cultural arts, including music and poetry. Akbar instilled in Shah Jahan the different techniques of warfare and leadership. Throughout his reign, Shah Jahan always strived towards expanding his empire, which led to many battles and some alliances as well.
His alliances included some of the Rajput kings of Bundelkhand, Baglana and Mewar, and he waged war against others like Bundela Rajputs. He captured the fortress of Daulatabad and imprisoned Husain Shah in 1632. Shah Jahan, very smartly, invested most of his time in building a massive army which he knew would be very helpful for him in times of war as it would make him more powerful. It is believed that his army included more than 911,400 soldiers and 185,000 horsemen. Shah Jahan was successfully able to transform his empire into a well-oiled military machine during his 30-year reign.
The following are the monuments that were constructed by Shah Jahan:
- Taj Mahal (Agra)
- Red Fort or Laal Qila (Delhi)
- Jama Masjid (Delhi)
- Pearl Mosque or Moti Masjid (Lahore)
- Shalimar Gardens (Lahore)
- Sections of the Lahore Fort (Lahore)
- Jahangir Mausoleum
- Takht-e-Taus
- Shahjahan Mosque (Thatta)
His Final Days
Shah Jahan became seriously ill in September 1658. Though later Shah Jahan recovered from his illness, Aurangzeb held him to be unfit to rule and imprisoned him in the citadel of Agra. It is believed that Shah Jahan had spent eight long years of imprisonment staring at the tomb of his beloved wife, which he had built in her memory.
Shah Jahan again fell ill in the first week of January 1666 and never recovered. He requested Akbarabadi Mahal to take care of his daughter Jahanara Begum on 22nd January. He has recited a few lines from the Holy Quran before breathing his last when aged 74.
Death of Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan, the Emperor who once ruled the whole of India and more, sadly died as a prisoner. He died in Agra, India, on 22nd January 1666. In the end, Kazi Qurban and Sayyid Muhammad Qanauji moved Shah Jahan’s body out of prison. After washing it, they placed it in a coffin made of sandalwood. Then, this coffin was brought to the Taj Mahal through the river, where he was laid to rest, next to his beloved wife, Mumtaz.
Conclusion:
Shah Jahan was a very successful and powerful ruler of his time. He had a huge military which added to his power. Under Shah Jahan’s rule, the Mughal Empire became a huge military machine. Because of his measures in the commercial and financial fields, his tenure was marked as a period of stability. Also, under his rule, India was marked as the richest centre of arts, crafts, and architecture and the Mughal Empire had the highest GDP in the world. Despite leading such a powerful and successful life, he had a sad death by being imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb.
Even today, everybody remembers him as the King of the World, and people from all around the world come to India to visit his famous constructions, especially the Taj Mahal in Agra, which marks his true and unconditional love for his beloved wife, Mumtaz.
