Being a maverick, I visited Agra’s Taj Mahal only the last week. Believe me! It’s a heavenly place truly. The ivory marble is absolutely marvelous. Carved motifs, designing and whatever I saw there was mind blowing. It’s the architectural beauty in its entirety. The word ‘amazing’ will also fall short to describe the elegance of this exquisite wonder. It sparked a desire in my heart to know how Shah Jahan conceived this idea. This was the reason behind my weekend trip Delhi to Agra.
After Delhi tour, my next destination was Agra which is in Uttar Pradesh. I have been a passionate lover of history. As I was on the southern bank of the Yamuna River at the Taj Mahal, the hypnotic beauty of this place made me crazy to know about the love story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Did Mumtaz belong to a royal family? Was it their love at first sight? How did the mighty Mughal emperor Shah Jahan meet Mumtaz? These and many more questions were dancing in my mind when I moved for Agra tour.
Shah Jahan’s love at first sight for Banu Begum
On interacting with some history books and online articles, I fell in love with the honest and loyal love between Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. This is why he built the Taj, the very place where ‘10 Days Carnival of Taj Mahotsav’ is organized. At the tender age of just 15, teenager Prince Shahib-ud-din- Muhammad Khurram caught in the love of 14-year-old Persian beauty ‘Arjumand Banu Begum’. While strolling down the local market Meena Bazaar, Khurram’s eyes could not divert from the fairy-like beauty of Banu Begum. This love story began in 1607. The prince opened his heart to his father Jehangir who approved this relation. Finally, the granddaughter of Itimad-ud-Daula and the daughter of Asaf Khan (chief minister at Mughal Court) were engaged.
Shah Jahah’s marriage with Banu Begum:
Destiny wanted some time for solemnizing their marriage since prince Khurram was engaged but not married. In 1612, the four years long wait of Shah Jahan ended. Marriage bells finally rang and Banu Begum became his beloved wife. However, rumours about Shah Jahan’s Hindu wife went around but there is no proof of it.
‘Banu Begum’ became ‘Mumtaz Mahal’
The Persian gorgeous had no match of her appearance and the character with the maidens of her time. Her captivating beauty got the perfect match of kindness. She never felt shy to meet destitute orphans, widows and poor people. She used to listen to the story of their grief and whenever king paid visit to Harem (place reserved for females), she reported to her husband. With the permission of her spouse, she helped the needy ones with money. The happy and blessed king gifted her new name called ‘Mumtaz Mahal’ (the Jewel of the Palace).
When Mumtaz Mahal Died…
The loyal and prettiest Mumtaz never left her husband alone. She was barely 38 or 39 at that time. She stayed with Shah Jahan in his every campaign. She never cared about her pregnancies for being with her husband during his military campaigns. After blessing the king with fourteen kids, out of whom only seven reached the adulthood, she died. It was her fourteenth delivery during which she died in Burhanpur in 1631. The king was heartbroken. But later, he built the memorial the ‘Taj Mahal’ for immortalizing his love for Mumtaz Mahal.
After Delhi tour, my next destination was Agra which is in Uttar Pradesh. I have been a passionate lover of history. As I was on the southern bank of the Yamuna River at the Taj Mahal, the hypnotic beauty of this place made me crazy to know about the love story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Did Mumtaz belong to a royal family? Was it their love at first sight? How did the mighty Mughal emperor Shah Jahan meet Mumtaz? These and many more questions were dancing in my mind when I moved for Agra tour.
Shah Jahan’s love at first sight for Banu Begum
On interacting with some history books and online articles, I fell in love with the honest and loyal love between Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. This is why he built the Taj, the very place where ‘10 Days Carnival of Taj Mahotsav’ is organized. At the tender age of just 15, teenager Prince Shahib-ud-din- Muhammad Khurram caught in the love of 14-year-old Persian beauty ‘Arjumand Banu Begum’. While strolling down the local market Meena Bazaar, Khurram’s eyes could not divert from the fairy-like beauty of Banu Begum. This love story began in 1607. The prince opened his heart to his father Jehangir who approved this relation. Finally, the granddaughter of Itimad-ud-Daula and the daughter of Asaf Khan (chief minister at Mughal Court) were engaged.
Shah Jahah’s marriage with Banu Begum:
Destiny wanted some time for solemnizing their marriage since prince Khurram was engaged but not married. In 1612, the four years long wait of Shah Jahan ended. Marriage bells finally rang and Banu Begum became his beloved wife. However, rumours about Shah Jahan’s Hindu wife went around but there is no proof of it.
‘Banu Begum’ became ‘Mumtaz Mahal’
The Persian gorgeous had no match of her appearance and the character with the maidens of her time. Her captivating beauty got the perfect match of kindness. She never felt shy to meet destitute orphans, widows and poor people. She used to listen to the story of their grief and whenever king paid visit to Harem (place reserved for females), she reported to her husband. With the permission of her spouse, she helped the needy ones with money. The happy and blessed king gifted her new name called ‘Mumtaz Mahal’ (the Jewel of the Palace).
When Mumtaz Mahal Died…
The loyal and prettiest Mumtaz never left her husband alone. She was barely 38 or 39 at that time. She stayed with Shah Jahan in his every campaign. She never cared about her pregnancies for being with her husband during his military campaigns. After blessing the king with fourteen kids, out of whom only seven reached the adulthood, she died. It was her fourteenth delivery during which she died in Burhanpur in 1631. The king was heartbroken. But later, he built the memorial the ‘Taj Mahal’ for immortalizing his love for Mumtaz Mahal.