Mumtaz Mahal belonged to a
well-known Persian noble family which was in service of Mughals from
Akbar’s time. Originally, Mumtaz Mahal’s name was
Arjumand Banu Begum and she was a niece of Nurjahan. She was the second wife
of Shah Jehan.
Mumtaz Mahal died at the age of 40 from
labour pain and she was expected to give birth of their 15th child. It shows that in their 21 year
old marital relationship she bore 14th children and she died from labor pain.
What does it indicate? Wasn’t she a mere machine of child production for
him?
Mumtaz Mahal was his second wife and he did
not stop marrying there only. He had married three times. He had several other
marriage alliances (though chronicler say that they were more for political
consideration and these wives only enjoyed the tag of royal wives) and lots of
concubines. His harem was full of beautiful young women. It is also said that
the red light area called G.B. Road in Delhi was inhabited by women
who were abandoned by him or kicked out from his 'Harem'. They started living there and prostitution
was their main business to survive.
It is a well established fact that he was a
great womanizer. In fact, his (Shah Jehan) Harem had more beautiful women than
Jahangir and Akbar. English writer Col. James Tod has written in his book ‘ANNALS AND ANTIQUITIES OF
RAJASTHAN’ page 36 “Shah
Jehan in the language of the chronicler “became a slave of seraglio (Harem)”
and sent his sons, as viceroys, to govern the grand divisions of the empire.”
As if it is not enough, several renowned
historians accused him of incest relation with his own daughter Jahan Ara.
According to P.N.Oak, Shah Jehan was such a rogue
that many historians believe that he had incest relations with
his daughter and for that his logic was that a gardener could eat the
fruits of his trees.
François Bernier (25 September 1620 – 22 September
1688), a French physician and traveler and contemporary to Shah Jehan has also
written on that. As per his words “Begum Sahiba, the elder daughter of
Shah Jahan, was very handsome and of lively parts, and passionately beloved by
her father. Remour has it that
his attachment reached a point which it is difficult to believe, the justification
of which rests on the decision of Mullahs or the doctors of Islamic law.
According to them, it would have been unique to deny the king the privilege of
gathering fruits from the tree he had himself planted.”
According to Peter Mundy, another European
traveler, Shah Jahan had
illicit sexual relation with his younger daughter.
Though we don’t authenticate any of such
view, we live decision upon you.
Post a Comment