Aurangabadi Mahal
| Aurangabadi Mahal اورنگ آبادی محل | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Died | 1688 Bijapur, Mughal Empire | ||||
| Burial | Aurangabadi Mahal Mausoleum, Bijapur | ||||
| Spouse | Aurangzeb | ||||
| Issue | Mihr-un-nissa Begum | ||||
| |||||
| House | House of Timurid | ||||
Aurangabadi Mahal (Persian: اورنگ آبادی محل; meaning "The prosperity of the throne";[1] died 1688) was a consort of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Early life
Aurangabadi Mahal either belonged to Aurangabad,[2] or had entered Aurangzeb's harem in the city of Aurangabad.[3] Ever since from the reign of Emperor Akbar it had been ordained that the names of the women of the imperial harem should not be mentioned in public, but they should be designated by some epithet, derived either from the place of their birth or the city or country, they had entered the imperial harem.[4] On 28 September 1661, she gave birth to Aurangzeb's youngest daughter, Mihr-un-nissa Begum. She was the ninth child of her father, but the only child of her mother.[5]
Accompanying Aurangzeb
In March 1680, Yalangtosh Khan Bahadur was sent to bring Aurangabadi, and Princess Zeb-un-nissa Begum from Delhi to Ajmer.[6] Both of them reached there in May, and were welcomed by Prince Muhammad Azam Shah Mirza, who conducted them to the imperial harem.[7] However, in February 1681, when Prince Muhammad Akbar Mirza had initiated a rebellion againt his father, Aurangzeb, Aurangabadi was sent back to Delhi. She was accompannied by Akbar's wife Salima Banu Begum, daughter of Prince Sulaiman Shikoh Mirza.[8]
In March 1686, before Aurangzeb's march to capture the fort of Bijapur, Khan Jahan Bahadur was sent to Burhanpur to bring Aurangabadi. An emareld smarani was made over to him for her. She reached Aurangzeb's camp at Sholapur, from Delhi in May 1686, and was welcomed at the door of the fort near the deorhi by Prince Muhammad Kam Bakhsh Mirza.[9] She followed Aurangzeb to Bijapur, and remained there after its conquest in September 1686.
Death
In November 1688, Aurangabadi was still living in Bijapur, when plague spread out in the city. The plague was the cause of deaths of a number of people, and one of its victims was Aurangabadi Mahal. After her death, Saqi Must'ad Khan, the author of the "Ma'asir-i-Alamgiri" described her as 'the Emperor's parastar, the old and devoted hand-maid.'[10]
When Zeb-un-nissa Begum heard of her illness, she was deeply grieved for she had always been nice to everybody.[11] Her death removed the last rival of Aurangzeb's youngest and most beloved consort, Udaipuri Mahal, the mother of Prince Kam Bakhsh.[12]
She was buried at Bijapur. Her tomb was described by Manucci, 'The king caused a magnificent tomb to be erected to the princess, provided with a dome of extraordinary height; the whole executed in marble brought expressly from the province of Ajmer.' After its construction was completed, Aurangzeb expressed a desire to be buried in the same place.[13]
References
- ^ Manucci, Niccolò (1907). Storia Do Mogor: Or, Mogul India, 1653-1708 - Volume 2. J. Murray. p. 333.
- ^ Iftikhar, Rukhsana (June 6, 2016). Indian Feminism: Class, Gender & Identity in Medieval Ages. Notion Press. ISBN 978-9-386-07373-0.
- ^ Sarkar, Sir Jadunath (1973). 1618-1659. Orient Longman. p. 34.
- ^ Eraly, Abraham (January 1, 2007). The Mughal World: Life in India's Last Golden Age. Penguin Book India. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-143-10262-5.
- ^ Sarkar 1947, p. 323.
- ^ Sarkar 1947, p. 117.
- ^ Sarkar 1947, p. 119.
- ^ Sarkar 1947, p. 126.
- ^ Sarkar 1947, p. 166-7.
- ^ Sarkar 1947, p. 192.
- ^ Krieger-Krynicki, Annie (2005). Captive Princess: Zebunissa, Daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb. Oxford University Press. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-195-79837-1.
- ^ Sarkar, Jadunath (1912). History of Aurangzib mainly based on Persian sources: Volume 1 - Reign of Shah Jahan. M.C. Sarkar & sons, Calcutta. p. 64.
- ^ Manucci, Niccolò (1907). Storia Do Mogor: Or, Mogul India, 1653-1708 - Volume 3. J. Murray. p. 269.
Bibliography
- Sarkar, Jadunath (1947). Maasir-i-Alamgiri: A History of Emperor Aurangzib-Alamgir (reign 1658-1707 AD) of Saqi Mustad Khan. Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta.