Jahangir - Nur Jahan

Nur Jahan

The story of Nur Jahan occupies an important place in the history of Jahangir. She was the widow of a rebel officer, Sher Afghan, of Mughals. The governor of Bengal Qutubuddin Koka who was the emperor's foster brother and Sheikh Salim Chishti's grandson was killed by him and consequently he suffered the same fate at the hands of the guards of the Governor. His widow, Mehr-un-Nisaa, was brought to Agra and placed in—or refused to be placed in—the Royal harem in 1607. Jahangir married her in 1611 and gave her the title of Nur Jahan or "Light of the World". Jahangir was rumored to have had a hand in the death of her husband. But there is no evidence to prove that he was guilty of that crime; in fact most travelers' reports say that he met her after Sher Afghan's death.(See Ellison Banks Findly's scholarly biography for a full discussion.)

According to poet and author Vidya Dhar Mahajan, Nur Jahan had a piercing intelligence, a versatile temper and sound common sense. She possessed great physical strength and courage. She went on hunting tours with her husband, and on more than one occasion shot and killed ferocious tigers. She was devoted to Jahangir and he forgot all about the world and entrusted all the work of the government to her.

The loss of Kandahar was due to Prince Khurram's refusal to obey her orders. When the Persians besieged Kandahar, Nur Jahan was at the helm of affairs. She ordered Prince Khurram to march for Kandahar, but the latter refused to do so. There is no doubt that the refusal of the prince was due to her behaviour towards him. She was favouring her son-in-law, Shahryar, at the expense of Khurram. Khurram suspected that in his absence, Shahryar might be given promotion and he might die on the battlefield. It was this fear which forced Khurram to rebel against his father rather than fight against the Persians and thereby Kandahar was lost to the Persians. Nur Jahan struck coins in her own name during the last years of Jahangir's reign when he was taken ill.