Mumtaz Mahal(1593 — 1631)
Arjumand Banu Begum
6 min read
Mughal empress and favorite wife of Emperor Shah Jahan. Her death in childbirth in 1631 inspired the construction of the Taj Mahal, a marble mausoleum raised to her memory that became one of the most famous monuments in the world.
Key Facts
- Born in 1593 in Agra into a noble family of Persian origin close to the Mughal court.
- Married Shah Jahan in 1612 and became his favorite wife, accompanying him even on his military campaigns.
- Received the imperial seal (Mehr Uzaz), a sign of the trust and influence she enjoyed at court.
- Died in 1631 at Burhanpur while giving birth to her fourteenth child.
- The Taj Mahal, commissioned by Shah Jahan in her memory, was built in Agra from roughly 1632 to 1653.
Works & Achievements
Marble tomb raised in her memory by Shah Jahan, a masterpiece of Mughal architecture and her most enduring legacy.
As empress, she held the seal used to validate official documents, thereby exercising a trusted political role alongside the emperor.
Tradition credits her with acts of charity toward widows, orphans, and the needy, in keeping with the role expected of a Mughal empress.
She accompanied Shah Jahan during his years of rebellion and then his campaigns, an adviser and confidante at his side as far as the Deccan.
She gave birth to fourteen children, including the princes Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb and the princesses Jahanara and Roshanara, who left their mark on the Empire's history.
Anecdotes
Her real name was Arjumand Banu Begum. It was Emperor Shah Jahan who gave her the title “Mumtaz Mahal,” which can be translated as “the chosen one of the palace” or “the jewel of the palace.” It is under this name that she has remained famous throughout the world.
Mumtaz Mahal belonged to a Persian family that was highly influential at the Mughal court: her aunt Nur Jahan was the all-powerful wife of Emperor Jahangir, and her grandfather, the minister I'timad-ud-Daula, rests in Agra in an inlaid marble tomb often nicknamed the “Baby Taj.”
Unlike many empresses who stayed at the palace, she accompanied Shah Jahan on his military campaigns, even along the roads of the Deccan. It was in fact at the camp of Burhanpur, in 1631, that she died while giving birth to her fourteenth child.
Shah Jahan entrusted her with the imperial seal (the Mehr Uzaz), which was used to validate the Empire's official documents. Entrusting such an object to his wife was a mark of exceptional trust and a sign of the influence she held over him.
To house her remains, Shah Jahan had the Taj Mahal built in Agra. Her body was first buried temporarily in Burhanpur, then transferred near the Yamuna. It took more than twenty years and thousands of laborers and craftsmen to complete the entire complex, which has become one of the most visited monuments in the world.
Primary Sources
The chronicle recounts the death of the empress at Burhanpur during the birth of her child and describes the deep mourning of the emperor, who is said to have given up the entertainments of the court for a time.
The author reports that the empress died in childbirth in the Deccan camp and that she was first buried in a garden at Burhanpur before her remains were transferred to Agra.
The account emphasizes the emperor's particular affection for Mumtaz Mahal, mother of most of his surviving children, and his plan to raise a mausoleum worthy of her memory.
Tavernier reports that work continued for many years on the tomb of Shâh Jahân's wife, employing a very large number of workmen, and that the project cost considerable sums.
Key Places
Birthplace of Mumtaz Mahal and capital of the Mughal Empire at the time. It is here that the Taj Mahal stands.
City in central India where the Mughal army was encamped in 1631. Mumtaz Mahal died there in childbirth and was first buried there in a garden.
White marble mausoleum built by Shah Jahan to house her remains, on the bank of the Yamuna. The empress's final resting place.
Great city of the Mughal Empire (in present-day Pakistan) where the court regularly resided and where Mumtaz stayed with Shah Jahan.