Mariam-uz-Zamani
Mariam-uz-Zamani, commonly known by the misnomer Jodha Bai, was the chief consort, principal wife and the favourite wife of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar. She was also the longest-serving Hindu empress of the Mughal Empire with a tenure of forty-three years.
Born as a Rajput princess, she was married to Akbar by her father, Raja Bharmal of Amer due to political exigencies. Her marriage to Akbar led to a gradual shift in the latter's religious and social policies. She is widely regarded in modern Indian historiography as exemplifying both Akbar's tolerance of religious differences and their inclusive policies within an expanding multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire. She was said to possess uncommon beauty and was widely known for both her grace and intellect. She occupied an important place in Akbar's harem and was senior-ranking wife of Akbar who in the words of Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, commanded a high rank in the imperial harem.
Mariam-uz-Zamani is described as an intellectual, amiable, kind and auspicious woman who held many privileges during her time as empress consort and queen mother of the Mughal Empire. She was the favourite and an influential consort of Akbar who had substantial personal wealth and was regarded as one of the wealthiest women of her time. She is regarded as the most prodigious woman trader of the Mughal empire who helped chart the role of Mughal women in the newly expanding business of foreign trade. She was the mother of Akbar's eldest surviving son and eventual successor, Jahangir, and the grandmother of Shah Jahan.
Name, titles and background
Mariam-uz-Zamani was born in 1542 as a daughter to Raja Bharmal of Amer by his wife Rani Champavati, daughter of Rao Ganga Solanki. Her paternal grandparents were Raja Prithviraj Singh I and Apurva Devi, a daughter of Rao Lunkaran of Bikaner.Her birth name is unknown. Later historical accounts give several suggestions for her birth name. In an 18th-century genealogy of her clan for example, she is referred to as ' Harkhan Champavati '. Other names provided by various sources include Harkha Bai, Jiya Rani, Maanmati bai, Harika bai, Hira Kunwari, Heer Kunwari, Shahi-Bai and Shahi Begum.
She was bestowed an honorific Muslim name, 'Wali Nimat Begum' by Akbar, in 1564, after two years of her marriage. She was given the high honor of being titled as 'Mariam-uz-Zamani' by Akbar on the occasion of birth of their son, Jahangir's. This was the title by which she was referred to in contemporary Mughal chronicles, including Jahangir's autobiography, the Tuzk-e-Jahangiri. Apart from the title of Mariam-uz-Zamani, she also bore two more glorious titles of 'Mallika-e-Muezamma' and 'Mallika-e-Hindustan'. She was commonly referred as 'Shahi Begum' throughout her reign. She would officially use the name Wali Nimat Mariam-uz-Zamani Begum Sahiba.
Erroneous identification
The misnomer of Jodha Bai
During the rule of Emperor Akbar, he issued a decree that prohibited the mention of the names of women of his seraglio in public. This was due to the high regard and sanctity placed upon Mughal women, such that even their names were not to be spoken aloud. Instead, they were to be referred to, using an epithet that denoted their place of birth, country, or city where they were first viewed with affection by the Emperor. This practice was intended to preserve the privacy and honour of these women, who were considered important members of the royal household, hence Mariam Zamani had been addressed as the daughter of Raja Bharmal or sister of Raja Bhagwant Das in Akbarnama. Her son, Salim referred to her by her title, Hazrat Mariam-uz-Zamani in his chronicles. This led to the confusion and freedom exercised by various historians to guess and speculate her birth name.The name by which she is most popularly known in modern times is 'Jodha Bai' . The name 'Jodha Bai' was first used to Mariam-uz-Zamani in James Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, a colonialist history written in the early 19th century. This naming appears to have been an error, given that it implies a relationship with the royal family of Jodhpur, rather than that with the Rajas of Amber. Instead, it is assumed that 'Jodha Bai' or 'Jodh Bai' in fact refers to the wife of Jahangir, Jagat Gosain, the daughter of Raja Udai Singh of Jodhpur.
Misidentification as Christian
Mariam-uz-Zamani's identity has been throughout centuries falsely inferred as Christian primarily on the pretext of her title, 'Mariam', and the absence of her background details from official Mughal chronicles giving rise to speculation about her race and religion. It was presumed by various writers that since she was named Mariam, she must have been a Christian woman. However Islam reveres Mary or Mariam as their own. Maryam is the only woman named in their holy book Quran and as per Muslims, she was the greatest woman to ever live. This signifies the honour bestowed upon the empress and her distinguished rank as Akbar's wife as a title with an identical name, 'Mariam Makani' was bestowed over Akbar's mother by Akbar.According to Edmund Smith, the story of Salim's mother being of Christian origin was started by some visitors of Fatehpur Sikri who expressed the idea that the painting in Mariam's house at Fatehpur Sikri represented annunciation and therefore believed that Mariam must have been a Christian, however, the liberal historian of Akbar, Abul Fazl makes no mention of her being Christian or Akbar ever having a Christian wife. Additionally Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh, a chronicle written in the Mughal era, explicitly states Mariam-uz-Zamani as a daughter of Raja Bharmal, therefore putting end to the supposition of her being a Christian. It was not only that the painting in Sonahra Makan may have led to speculation of her as Christian but the name Maryam has also led weight to the theory of "Christian wife" however Maryam is a common name among Muslims and Maryam-uz-Zamani was conferred upon her on the birth of her son, prince Salim. For the verification of the assertion of her association with Christianity, Edmund Smith had her crypt opened to find out whether the tomb was that of a Christian lady, but he did not find any trace of the cross.
Marriage and relationship with Akbar
Mariam-uz-Zamani's marriage was the result of a conflict between her father and Akbar's brother-in-law, Sharif-ud-din Mirza, the Hakim of Mewat. Raja Bharmal had been facing harassment at Sharif-ud-din's hands, on account of his conflict with Sujamal. Bharmal agreed to pay peshkash and had given his son and Mariam-uz-Zamani's full brother, Jagannath, and two nephews, Raj Singh, son of Raja Askaran and Khangar, son of Jagmal, as hostages but Sharif-ud-din wished to destroy him. So he approached Akbar to request his intervention. The Emperor agreed to mediate on the condition of Raja Bharmal's submission, as well as the suggestion that his daughter be given to Akbar in marriage.Raja Bharmal then espoused his gentle daughter, who was veiled in chastity, in honourable wedlock to Emperor Akbar, and she was subsequently enlisted in the rank of honoured consorts. Akbarnama quotes, "Raja Bharmal introduced his eldest daughter, in whose forehead shone the lights of chastity and intellect, among the attendants on the glorious pavilion."
The marriage, thus, a political one, took place amidst proper festivity on 6 February 1562, while Akbar was on his way back to Agra from Ajmer at the imperial military camp in Sambhar, Rajasthan, instead of the bride's natal home. As per Abu'l Fazl, Akbar accepted the marriage proposal of the daughter of Raja Bharmal due to a divine vision he had at Ajmer Sharif. The Amber princess's marriage provided her family's powerful support throughout the reign.
The youthful Rajput princess in due time became not only the first lady of the empire but also a much-cherished, much-admired and much-loved object of the Emperor's heart. A true and honourable wife, she became the mother of Prince Salim in 1569 and thereafter, her ascendency to a unique place in the royal palace dazzled every eye. When Akbar initiated his high-minded experiment in the equality of all religions, she became a living symbol of liberalism both in religious and state affairs. She had a surfeit of intelligence, wit and female magnetism that charmed Akbar. Lack of vanity was the ornament she wore with almost divine grace. In the youth, in middle age and later when passion was no more than a pleasant memory, she was a perfect companion to the monarch.
Views of eminent historians about their marriage:
Family advancement
Mariam-uz-Zamani's family became some of the highest-ranking nobles in Akbar's court. The Rajas of Amber especially benefited from their close association with the Mughals and acquired immense wealth and power. Her family was held in high esteem by Akbar for their unmatchable courage, devotion, and loyalty all of which greatly endeared to the Emperor. Of twenty-seven Rajputs in Abu'l-Fazl list of mansabdars, thirteen were of the Amber clan, and some of them rose to positions as high as that of imperial princes.After her marriage to Akbar, her father, Raja Bharmal, was immediately made the commander of 5000 cavalry units, the highest rank that could be held by the noble in the court. In the year 1585 Mariam-uz-Zamani's brother, Bhagwant Das, became commander of 5000 cavalry units and bore the proud title Amir-ul-Umra. His son, Man Singh I, rose even higher to become commander of 7000 forces, the first to hold that rank in Akbar's reign, and it was only later that Akbar's foster brother Mirza Aziz Koka was raised to the same rank. Akbar referred to Raja Man Singh farzand. Even Raja Bihari Mal was denied that eminent rank, he did not cross the five thousand mark. However, it may be of interest that of the four hundred and sixteen Mansabdars of Akbar, only forty-seven were Rajputs, and the aggregate of their quotas amounted to fifty-three thousand horses. Of these, seventeen held Mansabs of from two thousand to five thousand and thirty from one hundred to two thousand. The princes of Amber, Marwar, Bikaner, Bundi, Jaisalmer and Bundelkhand held Mansabs of above one thousand, but Amber alone held the dignity of five thousand. His equation with the Amber Raja and his nephew Man Singh was conditioned in no small measure by his tenderness, tantamounting almost to love, for Mariam Zamani.
Akbar's respect for the family of Mariam-uz-Zamani was profound. As per Badani, Akbar shared an intimate relationship with the Amer clan. After the death of the fiancé of one of the daughters of Raja Bharmal and younger sister of Mariam-uz-Zamani, Sukanya, in the Battle of Paronkh in October 1562, Akbar personally took responsibility for her marriage to a Rajput clan and adopted her as her own daughter. To honour them, he visited her native town, Amer, in the year 1569 and enjoyed the largesse bestowed over him by his in-laws. During this time, Mariam-uz-Zamani was into the fourth month of her pregnancy and thereafter was shortly delivered with Salim. Abul Fazl notes that his stay in Amer was of a month and a half and Akbar was showered with several noticeable gifts.
Mariam-uz-Zamani also arranged the marriage of the daughter of her brother, Raja Bhagwant Das, to Salim on 13 February 1585. Man bai became the first and chief consort of Prince Salim. For this marriage Akbar personally visited the town of Amer and as a token of respect for her family carried the palanquin of her daughter-in-law on his shoulders for some distance. The gifts given by Mariam Zamani to the bride and bride-groom were valued at twelve lakh rupees. Man Bai later became the mother to Akbar's favourite grandson, Khusrau Mirza, and received the prestigious title of 'Shah Begum'.