Is Jodha Akbar A True Story

[Leysan Torri]

Borna 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.

Mariam-uz-Zamani was born in 1542 as the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amer by his wife Rani Champavati, daughter of Rao Ganga Solanki.[32][33][34] Her paternal grandparents were Raja Prithviraj Singh I and Apurva Devi, a daughter of Rao Lunkaran of Bikaner.[35]

She was bestowed an honorific Muslim name, 'Wali Nimat Begum' (lit. 'Blessings of God') by Akbar, in 1564, after two years of her marriage.[39] She was given the high honor of being titled as 'Mariam-uz-Zamani' (lit. 'Mary/Compassionate of the Age') by Akbar on the occasion of birth of their son, Jahangir's.[40][41] This was the title by which she was referred to in contemporary Mughal chronicles, including Jahangir's autobiography, the Tuzk-e-Jahangiri.[42] Apart from the title of Mariam-uz-Zamani, she also bore two more glorious titles of 'Mallika-e-Muezamma' (lit. 'Exalted Empress')[43] and 'Mallika-e-Hindustan' (lit. 'Empress of Hindustan').[43] She was commonly referred as 'Shahi Begum' (lit. 'Imperial consort') throughout her reign.[44][45] She would officially use the name Wali Nimat Mariam-uz-Zamani Begum Sahiba.[4]

During the rule of Emperor Akbar, he issued a decree that prohibited the mention of the names of women of his seraglio in public. This was due to the high regard and sanctity placed upon Mughal women, such that even their names were not to be spoken aloud. Instead, they were to be referred to, using an epithet that denoted their place of birth, country, or city where they were first viewed with affection by the Emperor. This practice was intended to preserve the privacy and honour of these women, who were considered important members of the royal household,[46][47] hence Mariam Zamani had been addressed as the daughter of Raja Bharmal[29] or sister of Raja Bhagwant Das[20] in Akbarnama. Her son, Salim referred to her by her title, Hazrat Mariam-uz-Zamani in his chronicles. This led to the confusion and freedom exercised by various historians to guess and speculate her birth name.

The name by which she is most popularly known in modern times is 'Jodha Bai' .[17][38][18] The name 'Jodha Bai' was first used to Mariam-uz-Zamani in James Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, a colonialist history written in the early 19th century.[48] This naming appears to have been an error, given that it implies a relationship with the royal family of Jodhpur, rather than that with the Rajas of Amber.[49] Instead, it is assumed that 'Jodha Bai' or 'Jodh Bai' in fact refers to the wife of Jahangir, Jagat Gosain, the daughter of Raja Udai Singh of Jodhpur.[50][51]

Mariam-uz-Zamani's identity has been throughout centuries falsely inferred as Christian primarily on the pretext of her title, 'Mariam', and the absence of her background details from official Mughal chronicles giving rise to speculation about her race and religion.[9] It was presumed by various writers that since she was named Mariam, she must have been a Christian woman. However Islam revers Mary or Mariam as their own. Maryam is the only woman named in their holy book Quran and as per Muslims, she was the greatest woman to ever lived. This signifies the honour bestowed upon the empress and her distinguished rank as Akbar's wife as a title with an identical name, 'Mariam Makani' was bestowed over Akbar's mother by Akbar.

According to Edmund Smith, the story of Salim's mother being of Christian origin was started by some visitors of Fatehpur Sikri who expressed the idea that the painting in Mariam's house at Fatehpur Sikri represented annunciation and therefore believed that Mariam must have been a Christian, however, the liberal historian of Akbar, Abul Fazl makes no mention of her being Christian or Akbar ever having a Christian wife. Additionally Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh, a chronicle written in the Mughal era, explicitly states Mariam-uz-Zamani as a daughter of Raja Bharmal, therefore putting end to the supposition of her being a Christian.[52] It was not only that the painting in Sonahra Makan may have led to speculation of her as Christian but the name Maryam (Mary) has also led weight to the theory of "Christian wife" however Maryam is a common name among Muslims and Maryam-uz-Zamani (Mary of Age) was conferred upon her on the birth of her son, prince Salim.[53][54] For the verification of the assertion of her association with Christianity, Edmund Smith had her crypt opened to find out whether the tomb was that of a Christian lady, but he did not find any trace of the cross.[55]

Mariam-uz-Zamani's marriage was the result of a conflict between her father and Akbar's brother-in-law, Sharif-ud-din Mirza, the Hakim of Mewat. Raja Bharmal had been facing harassment at Sharif-ud-din's hands, on account of his conflict with Sujamal. Bharmal agreed to pay peshkash and had given his son and Mariam-uz-Zamani's full brother, Jagannath, and two nephews, Raj Singh, son of Raja Askaran and Khangar, son of Jagmal, as hostages but Sharif-ud-din wished to destroy him.[56] So he approached Akbar to request his intervention. The Emperor agreed to mediate on the condition of Raja Bharmal's submission, as well as the suggestion that his daughter be given to Akbar in marriage.[16]

Raja Bharmal then espoused his gentle daughter, who was veiled in chastity, in honourable wedlock to Emperor Akbar, and she was subsequently enlisted in the rank of honoured consorts.[57][58] Akbarnama quotes, "Raja Bharmal introduced his eldest daughter, in whose forehead shone the lights of chastity and intellect, among the attendants on the glorious pavilion."[29]

The marriage, thus, a political one, took place amidst proper festivity on 6 February 1562, while Akbar was on his way back to Agra from Ajmer (after offering prayers at the tomb of Moinuddin Chishti) at the imperial military camp in Sambhar, Rajasthan, instead of the bride's natal home. As per Abu'l Fazl, Akbar accepted the marriage proposal of the daughter of Raja Bharmal due to a divine vision he had at Ajmer Sharif. The Amber princess's marriage provided her family's powerful support throughout the reign.[59]

The youthful Rajput princess in due time became not only the first lady of the empire but also a much-cherished, much-admired and much-loved object of the Emperor's heart. A true and honourable wife, she became the mother of Prince Salim in 1569 and thereafter, her ascendency to a unique place in the royal palace dazzled every eye. When Akbar initiated his high-minded experiment in the equality of all religions, she became a living symbol of liberalism both in religious and state affairs. She had a surfeit of intelligence, wit and female magnetism that charmed Akbar. Lack of vanity was the ornament she wore with almost divine grace. In the youth, in middle age and later when passion was no more than a pleasant memory, she was a perfect companion to the monarch.[60]

"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 Hindu 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 socio-cultural environment of the entire royal household and changed the lifestyle of Akbar."

"The heavenly reward, was not long in coming... Raja Bihari Mal of Jaipur arrived to seek a military alliance with the Mughals, and in the pledge of his loyalty, offered his eldest daughter in marriage to Akbar. The Emperor, still under the spiritual spell of Ajmer, thought the offer part of some grand design of the Khwaja and accepted it without hesitation... Jodha Bai entered the harem as a Hindu, not as a Muslim. The insistence on conversion was waived at the instance of her father. A small, exquisite temple was built within the four walls of the fort; she went there every morning to pray and also perhaps to underline her identity as a proud Rajput. 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 Anaga, in particular, became very fond of her. Soon she became the centre around which life in the palace revolved. Akbar 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."[61]

3a8082e126