Under the rule of both Jehangir and Shah Jahan, Mirza Giyaz Baig family had a strange hold on the mughal throne. Amazingly, Nur Jahan was the sister of Mumtaz Mahals father, Asaf Khan. The only other empress who was more powerful under her husbands rule was Nur Jahan. 916 million).Mumtaz Mahal was one of the few wives of mughal emperors who got prominence place and power under their husbands rule. The bill was estimated at the time to be about 32 million rupees, which today would be around 70 billion rupees (about U.S. Construction of the Taj Mahal over Mumtaz Mahal’s burial site at Agra took 22 years using the labour of about 20,000 men and cost Shah Jahan most of his royal treasury.

Giyaz Baig wife Asmat Begum was a good dress designer and tailor and the royal women used her services. Giyaz Baig family grabbed the opportunities provided to them with both hands and got into the good books of the emperor and his family quickly after coming to India. She was grand daughter of Persian refugee and Akbars accountant Giyaz Baig who rose to the position of Prime Minister later.

Diwanji Begum had many children famous among them was Shaista Khan who was a commander of Aurangzeb army, who was attacked by Shivaji and lost his fingers in the fight. Mumtaz mother was Diwanji Begum daughter of a Persian nobel Khwaja Ghias ud ddin. Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed.But the love story of Prince Khurram aka Shah Jahan with Arjumand Bano aka Mumutaz Mahal has been recorded in many books.

Prince Khurram fell in love with the brave girl who had dared to refuse to show him the items of her shop. In the year 1605, Prince Khurram saw Arjumand Bano in Meena Bazaar a annual fair for royal and rich ladies held outside agra fort every year. Mirza.Mumtaz Mahal was born on 27 th April 1593 and was a year younger than Prince Khurram. They are shown riding there horses.

Jehangir was amused at his young sons request. He immediately ran to his father who was in Deewan e Aam and declared that he wants to marry Arjumand Bano. Prince Khurram who had a tiff with her became impressed by the young girls bravery to refuse him an item. Since Giyaz Baig, Arjumand Bano’s grandfather was Prime Minister to Emperor Jehangir, her family had set up a stall at Meena Bazaar.

Shah Jahan had daughters from both these wives. In the meanwhile he married off Shah Jahan to the Princess of Persia Kandahari Begum and Princess Manbhavati Bai of Jodhpur. Jehangir looked not to favour Arjumand Bano as his favourite sons wife and kept postponing the marriage on one pertex or another. Nur Jahan had married Emperor Jehangir in 1611 and was instrumental in her neice getting married to Khurram. They married only in 30 th April 1612, five years after their engagement. Khurram was 15 years and Arjumand 14 years at time of their engagement.

Initially Mumtaz was on good terms with Nur Jahan and with her help established total dominance over her husbands household. Just like her aunty Nur Jahan who dominated Jehangirs decision making process, Shah Jahan also blindly trusted Mumtaz in both person and professional advice. Shah Jahan married many wives after marrying Mumtaz but none got importance.Once Mumtaz married Shah Jahan in 1612 she slowly started establishing her influence over him. But during Mumtaz’s life time and after her death his eldest daughters from these two wives never got any significance. They were his constant companions after Mumtazs death and took care of him in imprisonment.

Mumtaz would give them a juice that caused miscarriage. His younger wives were not allowed to have children, to the extent there were rumors that some pregnant wives and cocubbines had pregnancy aborted. Mumtaz told Shah Jahan that to avoid blood shed like in other generations that he must have children only from her and not his other wives.

Thus Mumtaz held sway over her husbands life and mind completely just like her aunty Nur Jahan did over Jehangir. One famous wife who was eliminated was Gulara Begum whom Shah Jahan was very fond off and married despite her being a commoner. Whoever got close to Shah Jahan be it wife or coccubbine was either warned off or eliminated. Now whether this was out of love and devotion to him or a strategy to ensure he never got close to other wives is a matter to ponder. Mumtaz also constantly travelled with Shah Jahan on his official tours and wars although she was frequently pregnant. Asaf Khan and Nur Jahan openly supported her in her endeavours.Mumtaz and Shah Jahan had 14 kids in 19 years of marriage among whom only 7 survived.

Shah Jahan had refused to marry Ladli Begum saying he considered her as sister from childhood. Sharyar was Nur Jahan s daughter from Sher Afghan, Ladi Begums husband. Also, he was scared his younger brother Sharyar would be given the throne because of Nur Jahan in future. Shah Jahan was already against Nur Jahan because he felt she was poisoning his father Jehangir mind against him. That would not be required as Mumtaz died within 3 years of Shah Jahan becoming emperorBut when she found her aunty forcing Shah Jahan to marry her daughter Ladli Begum, the differences arose between Nur Jahan and her.

In 1622 Shah Jahan rebelled against Jehangir and was defeated and submitted in 1626. Mumtaz to fell out with Nur Jahan and Asaf Khan although sided with Shah Jahan covertly, he remained in court acting loyal to Jehangir and Nur Jahan. Nur Jahan was alaramed and did not want her power to be curtailed after Jehangirs death, so she started plotting against Shah jahan and succeeded to make Jehangir against his beloved son. After Khusraus rebellion and blinding, Jehangir felt Shah Jahan was his most capable successor and showered him with titles and even Punjab Subah which was given only to future emperors.

Take the case of Amar Singh Rathore, a brave Rajputh. Thus the blood bath had reached grave propotions in Shah jahan’s time only.Mumtaz dominated Shah Jahan and could order him around without him taking exception to it. Asaf Khan eliminated many other remaining male members of mughal royal family that included Jehangirs sons Sharyar and Jahandhar and Khusraus sons. But Nur Jahan also may be having an hand in Parvez death as he was a challenger to throne after Jehangir death. Shah Jahan is even rumoured to have killed his elder brother Khusrau in his custody in Deccan and is also blamed for the mystery death of Parvez his other elder brother in Deccan again.

Mumtaz wish that Shah Jahan must have only children from her to avoid blood shed in future for throne did not get fulfilled. A farticide that easily was the worst in several generations and unheard of in Indian subcontinent for centuries was carried out by Aurangzeb to grab power even as Shah Jahan was alive. It was his daughter Jahanara who took care of court and son Dara Sikoh who took care of empire affairs at that time. Shah Jahan lost interest in administration and other official affairs for a long time.

Mumtaz Mahal Horse