Taj Jahan Begum
| Taj Jahan Begum | |
|---|---|
_entertained_on_a_terrace%252C_second_half_17th_century.jpg) Painting of Taj Jahan Begum and Muhammad Adil Shah being entertained on a terrace, c.17th century | |
| Born | Bijapur, Karnataka |
| Died | 1660, Bijapur Sultanate |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Muhammad Adil Shah |
| Dynasty | Adil Shahi (by marriage) |
| Father | Nawab Mustafa "Khan Baba" |
Taj Jahan Begum, commonly known as Jahan Begum, was a consort of Muhammad Adil Shah, the seventh Adil Shahi Sultan of the Bijapur Sultanate.
Life
Taj Jahan Begum was the daughter of Mustafa Khan, known by the sobriquet of Khan Baba. Mustafa Khan was a prominent prime minister of the Adil Shahi court who had facilitated the peace treaty with Mughal Empire in 1636.[1][2] According to the court chronicler Zuhur, Muhammad Adil Shah had requested Mustafa Khan to give him Taj Jahan Begum's hand in marriage instead of the other way around, which made Mustafa Khan very proud.[3] The wedding took place in 1633,[4] and was a celebrated affair which was conducted with great festivities. It had sealed the new arrangement of imperial suzerainty under the Mughal Empire negotiated by Mustafa Khan. Ambassadors from all over Hindustan had rode in front of the Bijapur king.[5]
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Taj Jahan Begum became his favorite consort and gained significant power, rivalling the power that Bari Sahiba Khadija Sultana held.[6] To demonstrate his favour, he excavated and built a lake and water tank dedicated to her called Begum Talab in 1651, which became a source of water for all the denizens of Bijapur.[7]
She was a patron of the arts, and involved herself with multiple civic projects, nurturing the architecture of Bijapur. She established a suburb bearing her name called Jahanama right outside the densely populated city. The suburb later came to be referred to as Ainapur.[8] She also had her own palace located outside the Ainapur Mahal built in 1641.[9]
Death and tomb
Taj Jahan Begum chose to commisson her own tomb located away the Gol Gumbaz, her husband's tomb; which out of all the women of the palace only houses the graves of Uroos Bibi, Rambha, his senior consort, and his daughter.[10]
References
- ↑ Overton, Keelan, ed. (2020). Iran and the Deccan: Persianate art, culture, and talent in circulation, 1400-1700. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-253-04894-3.
- ↑ Flores, Jorge (2018). Unwanted neighbours: the Mughals, the Portuguese, and their frontier zones (First ed.). New Delhi, India: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-909368-7.
- ↑ Dayal, Subah (2025). Between Household and State: The Mughal Frontier and the Politics of Circulation in Peninsular India. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-520-40237-9.
- ↑ Hosamani, Dr Ratnakar D. (2022-12-10). Adil Shahis of Bijapur A Study on their contributions to Deccan Art and Heritage. Ashok Yakkaldevi. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-387-44247-8.
- ↑ Dayal, Subah (2024-12-24). Between Household and State: The Mughal Frontier and the Politics of Circulation in Peninsular India. Univ of California Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-520-40237-9.
- ↑ Thomas, David; Chesworth, John A. (2017-01-01). Christian-Muslim Relations. A Bibliographical History Volume 11 South and East Asia, Africa and the Americas (1600-1700). BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-33558-5.
- ↑ Chawan, Dr Yallama (2021-02-19). Tourism and Economic Development: A comparative Study of Vijayapura and North Goa District. Lulu Publication. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-716-06989-5.
- ↑ "Jahan Begum Tomb, Bijapur - Timings, History, Architecture, Best Time to Visit". Trawell.in. Retrieved 2026-05-30.
- ↑ Hosamani, Dr Ratnakar D. (2022-12-10). Adil Shahis of Bijapur A Study on their contributions to Deccan Art and Heritage. Ashok Yakkaldevi. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-387-44247-8.
- ↑ Cousens, Henry (1905). Bijapur, the Old Capital of the Adil Shahi Kings: A Guide to Its Ruins with Historical Outline. Scottish Industries. p. 25.