Roshanara Begum
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Roshanara Begum (); 3 September 1617 – 11 September 1671) was a
Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...
princess and the third daughter of Emperor
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...
and his wife,
Mumtaz Mahal Mumtaz Mahal (; ; born Arjumand Banu Begum; 27 April 1593 – 17 June 1631) was the empress consort of Mughal Empire from 1628 to 1631 as the chief consort of the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal in Agra, often cited as one of t ...
, and a poet. She was a partisan of her younger brother,
Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...
, and supported him during the war of succession which took place after Shah Jahan's illness in 1657. After Aurangzeb's accession to the throne in 1658, Roshanara was given the title of
Padshah Begum Padshah Begum () was a superlative imperial title conferred upon the empress consort or 'First Lady' of the Mughal Empire and was considered to be the most important title in the Mughal harem or '' zenana''. This title can be equivalent with "e ...
by her brother displacing her sister and rival
Jahanara Begum Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a princess of the Mughal Empire. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. After Mumtaz Mahal's untimely death in 1631, the 17-ye ...
. This made her the de-facto First Lady of the
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
, and a powerful political figure. However, after the death of
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...
, Jahanara succeeded in regaining her title of Padshah Begum, by replacing Roshanara. Towards the end of her life, Roshanara was sidelined in Aurangzeb’s court. Today, however, Roshanara is best known for the
Roshanara Bagh Roshanara Garden is a Mughal gardens, Mughal-era garden built by Roshanara Begum, the second daughter of the Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It is situated in Shakti Nagar, Delhi, Shakti Nagar near Kamla Nagar Clock Tower and North C ...
, a
pleasure garden A pleasure garden is a park or garden that is open to the public for recreation and entertainment. Pleasure gardens differ from other public gardens by serving as venues for entertainment, variously featuring such attractions as concert halls, b ...
located in present-day north
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
. The present-day Roshanara Club which was constructed in the late 19th century by the British is a country club that was actually originally a part of the Roshanara Bagh.


Family

Of Roshanara's four brothers, the eldest,
Dara Shikoh Dara Shikoh (20 March 1615 – 30 August 1659), also transliterated as Dara Shukoh, was the eldest son and heir-apparent of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Dara was designated with the title ''Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba'' () and was favoured ...
, was Shah Jahan's favourite son and
heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
to the
Peacock Throne The Peacock Throne ( Hindustani: ''Mayūrāsana'', Sanskrit: मयूरासन, Urdu: تخت طاؤس, , ''Takht-i Tāvūs'') was the imperial throne of Hindustan. The throne is named after the dancing peacocks at its rear and was the seat ...
. Shah Shuja, the second son, was the rebellious Governor of Bengal, with open designs on his father's throne.
Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...
, the third son, was the nominal Governor of Deccan.
Murad Murad or Mourad () is an Arabic name. It is also common in Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Turkish, Persian, and Berber as a male given name or surname and is commonly used throughout the Muslim world and Middle East. Etymology It is derived ...
, the youngest son, was granted the Governorship of Gujarat, at which position he proved so weak and so ineffectual that
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...
had him stripped of his titles, offering them to Dara Shikoh, instead. This precipitated a family struggle between Shah Jahan and his embittered younger sons, who resolved to depose the aging emperor and seize the throne for themselves. During this power struggle,
Dara Shikoh Dara Shikoh (20 March 1615 – 30 August 1659), also transliterated as Dara Shukoh, was the eldest son and heir-apparent of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Dara was designated with the title ''Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba'' () and was favoured ...
received the support of his oldest sister,
Jahanara Begum Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a princess of the Mughal Empire. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. After Mumtaz Mahal's untimely death in 1631, the 17-ye ...
, while Roshanara Begum sided with
Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...
.


Rise to power

Roshanara's rise to power began when she successfully foiled a plot by her father and Dara Shikoh to kill Aurangzeb. According to history, Shah Jahan sent a letter of invitation to Aurangzeb to come to Delhi, to peacefully resolve the family crisis. In truth, however, Shah Jahan planned to capture, imprison and kill Aurangzeb, as he viewed his third son as a serious threat to the throne. When Roshanara got wind of her father's plots, she sent a messenger to Aurangzeb, outlining their father's true intentions, and warning Aurangzeb to stay away from Delhi. Aurangazeb was extremely grateful to Roshanara for her timely warning. When the war of succession was resolved in favor of Aurangzeb, she quickly became a very powerful and effective figure in the court. Fearing that Dara Shikoh would kill her for her role in the war of succession if he ever returned to power, Roshanara insisted that Aurangzeb orders Dara's execution. Legend has it that Dara was bound in chains, paraded around Chandni Chowk, and beheaded. Roshanara then had his bloody head wrapped in a golden turban, packaged neatly and sent to her father as a gift from Aurangzeb and her. Shah Jahan, who opened the package just as he was sitting down to dinner, was so distressed by the sight of his favorite son's head that he fell unconscious to the floor. He remained in a stupor for many days after the incident. Roshanara's relationship with her older sister, Jahanara, was troubled and tinged by jealousy, as the latter was undisputedly their father's favorite daughter. Roshanara scored a major victory against her sister when Aurangzeb, who had been displeased with Jahanara for supporting their father and brother during the war of succession, removed her (Jahanara) from her position as Padshah Begum and head of the Imperial harem, installing Roshanara, instead. From then on, Roshanara was regarded as the most powerful and superior woman in the empire. She was also granted the right to issue ''nishans''. This exceptional privilege was allowed only to those who held a high rank in the imperial harem. She was appointed as a Mansabdar, a high-ranking position in the Emperor's army that was used to enforce his rule and maintain his authority, especially during his absence. Eventually, Roshanara and Aurangzeb fell out with each other. Roshanara was rumored to have taken on lovers, which was not viewed well by Aurangzeb. Additionally, she ruled Aurangzeb's palace with an iron hand and with such flexibility and with the same will that she used in the war of succession and earned the hatred of all the wives of her brother. She also advised him on matters of state and accompanied him to important meetings and on several occasions spoke from behind her curtained sitting place. She even patronized the building of the
Jama Masjid A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.See: * * * * ...
. In 1662, during Aurangzeb's sudden and severe illness, Roshanara Begum took charge of him and would not allow anyone except her confidants, to see him. Believing that there was no hope of her brother's survival, Roshanara took charge of the state. She even stole Aurangzeb's
signet ring A seal is a device for making an impression in Sealing wax, wax, clay, paper, or some other medium, including an Paper embossing, embossment on paper, and is also the impression thus made. The original purpose was to authenticate a document, or ...
and forged a decree to deny his eldest son by his wife Nawab Bai any chance of succession. When Nawab Bai learned of this and complained, Roshanara became angry, seized her by the hair, and dragged her out of Aurangzeb's chamber. After Aurangzeb's recovery, she claimed that wanted to prevent conspiracies and wars of succession so that chaos would not arise during his illness. She also had a love for gold and land, and accumulated wealth on a large scale, often by corrupt methods. This resulted in numerous complaints against her, none of which were brought to justice due to her position in the court. In addition, she blatantly misused the sweeping powers and privileges that Aurangzeb had granted her just before leaving for his long military campaign in the Deccan, to further her financial ends. Finally, in 1667/8, the period of Roshanara as the de facto ''co-ruler'' of the empire ended. Her enemies soon brought these acts of financial and moral turpitude to Aurangzeb's notice. Himself a very strict Muslim, Aurangzeb frowned on Roshanara's libertine lifestyle and her greedy nature. On his return to Delhi, he stripped Roshanara of her powers, banished her from his court, and ordered her to remain in seclusion and live a pious life in her garden palace, outside of Delhi.


Death

Even when Aurangzeb’s rule was established, Roshanara was afraid of the comeuppance of her actions, and thus asked Aurangzeb to build a palace for her away from the walled city. She decided to stay away from politics, which was getting dangerous and uncertain. Roshanara chose to spend an esoteric life in her palace in Delhi, surrounded by a thick forest. She never married and lived in her palace till the end of her life. Aurangzeb arranged for his sister to be discretely poisoned. She died in great pain, 'swollen out like a hogshead, leaving behind her the name of great lasciviousness'. Her palace in the middle of the Roshanara garden is a reminder of the crucial role she played in the history of India. She died at the age of 54. Aurangzeb had her interred in the
Roshanara Bagh Roshanara Garden is a Mughal gardens, Mughal-era garden built by Roshanara Begum, the second daughter of the Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It is situated in Shakti Nagar, Delhi, Shakti Nagar near Kamla Nagar Clock Tower and North C ...
, a garden that she had designed and commissioned herself.


Ancestry


Gallery

File:Front and left side view of tomb of Roshanara Begum.jpg, Front and left side view of tomb of Roshanara Begum File:Interior decoration on the tomb of Roshanara Begum, the second daughter of the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, north Delhi.jpg, Interior decoration File:A view of tomb of Roshanara Begum, the second daughter of the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, north Delhi.jpg, A view of tomb of Roshanara Begum File:A view of Roshanara Garden through tomb of Roshanara Begum.jpg, A view of Roshanara Garden through tomb of Roshanara Begum


Notes


Further reading

*Dalrymple, William: "City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi". 1993, Harper Collins, London. . *Eraly, Abraham: "The Mughal Throne". 1997. Penguin Books, India. {{authority control Mughal princesses People from Agra 1617 births 1671 deaths Poets from the Mughal Empire People from Burhanpur Indian women poets 17th-century Indian women writers 17th-century Indian writers 17th-century Indian poets Indian people of Iranian descent Daughters of emperors