Udaipuri Mahal (died July 1707) was a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

of the Mughal emperor

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 ...

Life

Described as 'the darling of Aurangzeb's old age', Udaipuri Mahal had been a slave girl in the harem of Aurangzeb's elder brother Prince

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 ...

, and before entering his harem, she had been a dancing girl or

Tawaif A ''tawaif'' () was a highly successful courtesan singer‚ dancer‚ and poet who catered to the nobility of the Indian subcontinent, particularly during the Mughal era. Many tawaifs (" nautch girls" to the British) were forced to go into pro ...

. She was either from Kashmir, or from nearby Udaipur, or as stated by her contemporary, the Venetian traveler Manucci, she was a Georgian Christian. Other sources have stated Armenia or Circassia. Ever since the reign of Emperor

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

, it had been ordained that the names of the women of the imperial Mughal harem should not be mentioned in public, they should be designated by some epithet, derived either from the place of their birth or the city or country where they had entered the imperial harem. She was described as having red hair that captivated Aurangzeb, and loved him deeply. This made Aurangzeb's other wives and concubines jealous of her. She gave birth to their son Prince

Muhammad Kam Bakhsh Mirza Muhammad Kam Bakhsh (; 7 March 1667 – 14 January 1709) was the youngest son of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, born to his wife Udaipuri Mahal. Early life Kam Bakhsh was born on 7 March 1667 at Delhi. He was the fifth son of sixth Mughal e ...

on 7 March 1667. She was an alcoholic. In 1678, she accompanied Aurangzeb to a war against the Rana of Chittor and the Raja of Marwar. In 1686, she was in Aurangabad or Ahmadnagar with Aurangzeb in his camp. Udaipuri Mahal was an influential woman. She continued to influence Aurangzeb until his death, and it was the result of her influence that he pardoned many faults of his son Kam Bakhsh. Following the transfer of most of Aurangzeb's sons and grandsons, she continued to cultivate ties to Khidmatgar Khan, his successor Khwaja Ambar (who was also titled Khidmatgar Khan after 1704), and other imperial eunuchs. In a letter written by Aurangzeb in 1707 on his death-bed to Kam Bakhsh, he says "Udaipuri, your mother, who has been with me during my illness, wishes to accompany e in death" When Aurangzeb died, she grieved deeply, and died within four months at

Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...

, in July 1707.

Bahadur Shah I Bahadur Shah I (Muhammad Mu'azzam; 14 October 1643 – 27 February 1712) or Shah Alam I, was the eighth Mughal Emperor from 1707 to 1712. He was the second son of the sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who he conspired to overthrow in his youth ...

carried out her dying wishes with regard to her household and gave her remains for burial in a grave close to the shrine of Qutb-al Aqtab, Delhi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Udaipuri Mahal Year of birth unknown 1707 deaths Indian people of Georgian descent Concubines of Mughal emperors 18th-century Indian women 18th-century Mughal Empire people Indian slaves Slave concubines People from Udaipur 18th-century slaves 17th-century slaves