Mumtaz Mahal
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Arjumand Banu Begum (also called Mumtaz Mahal) was the third wife of Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor. Mumtaz Mahal (meaning 'Jewel of the palace') was the nickname her husband gave to her.[needs proving]
Contents |
[change] Life
Mumtaz Mahal was born in April,1593 in Agra, India. Her father was the Persian noble Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan, the brother of Nur Jehan, the Mughal Empress. She was a Muslim and married Shah Jahan, the mughal emperor on May 10, 1612 at the age of 19. She was his third wife, and became his favorite.
[change] Marriage
Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal were married for 19 years. They had thirteen children together[4]. Seven of the children died at birth or at a very young age. A Mughal prince could only become the Emperor if they fought well and became respected. Even when she was pregnant, Mumtaz travelled with Shah Jahan and his army as he carried out military campaigns. Mumtaz Mahal supported Shah Jahan and they loved and respected eac other very much. Mumtaz Mahal died on June 17, 1631 in Burhanpur in the Deccan (now in Madhya Pradesh) during the birth of their fourteenth child, a daughter named Gauhara Begum.
[change] Death
She had been with her husband as he was fighting a campaign in the Deccan Plateau. Her body was kept at Burhanpur in a walled pleasure garden known as Zainabad. The garden was originally constructed by Shah Jahan's uncle Daniyal on the bank of the Tapti River.[5] A popular story says that on her deathbed, her last wish to the emperor was for a symbol or a monument to their love. She also asked her husband not to marry anyone else. The emperor promised immediately. Her body was buried in the Taj Mahal in Agra.
[change] Effects
After she died, Shah Jahan went into mourning for a year. When he appeared again, his hair had turned white, his back was bent, and his face worn. Jahan's eldest daughter, the devoted (loving) Jahanara Begum, slowly brought him out of mourning and took the place of Mumtaz at court.
Jahan did not want Burhanpur to be his wife's final resting spot, so in December 1631 her body was taken in a golden casket (coffin) back to Agra.[8] There it was put in a small building on the banks of the Yumma River. Shah Jahan stayed behind in Burhanpur to finish the military campaign that had originally bought him to the region. While there he began planning the design and construction of a suitable mausoleum, a kind of tomb, and a garden in Agra for his wife, a task that would take more than 20 years to complete, the Taj Mahal.
Today, the Taj Mahal stands as the ultimate monument to love, as well as Mumtaz's beauty and life.
