Jahanara
Also called: Jahanara Begum · Topic: The Mughal Empire: Babur to Aurangzeb · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"
Meaning
Jahanara Begum (1614–1681) was the eldest daughter of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. She was one of the most powerful and educated women at the Mughal court. She was a devoted follower of the Chishti Sufis, a group of Muslim mystics who taught love of God and service to people. Her writings show that royal Mughal women were patrons, writers and believers in their own right.
Example
Jahanara wrote Munis al-Arwah, a Persian account of the life of the Sufi saint Shaikh Muinuddin Chishti. In it she describes her own pilgrimage to his tomb (dargah) at Ajmer in 1643. She tells how she showed respect at the shrine and how it moved her.
Don't confuse with
- Jahangir: Jahangir was a Mughal emperor (r. 1605–1627) and Shah Jahan's father. Jahanara was Shah Jahan's daughter, a princess and writer, not a ruler.
Related concepts
- Jahangir
- Nur Jahan
- Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri
- Chain of justice
- Itimad-ud-Daulah's tomb
- Akbar's tomb, Sikandra
- Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar
- Mughal miniature painting
- Ustad Mansur
- Muraqqa