Khas Mahal Explained
Khas Mahal (Persian: خاص محل), meaning "the Exquisite One of the Palace", was one of the chief wives of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.
Family
Khas Mahal was the daughter of Zain Khan Koka.[1] Zain Khan was the son of Khawajah Maqsud of Herat and Pija Jan Anga, foster-mother of Emperor Akbar.[2] Khan's paternal uncle, Khawajah Hassan's daughter, Sahib Jamal had been married to Jahangir, and was the mother of his son Prince Parviz Mirza.[3]
Khas Mahal had two brothers, named Zafar Khan and Mughal Khan. The former served under Akbar and Jahangir,[4] and died on 7 March 1622.[5] The latter served under Jahangir and his son Shah Jahan, and died on 1 July 1657.[6] A sister of Khas Mahal was married to Mirza Anwar, a son of Mirza Aziz Koka, Akbar's foster-brother.[7]
Marriage
In 1596 Prince Salim (future Emperor Jahangir) became violently enamored of her and meditated on marrying her. Akbar was displeased at the impropriety.[8] The cause of Akbar's objection was Sahib Jamal who had already been married to Salim. Akbar objected to marriages between near relations.[9]
However, when Akbar saw that Salim's heart was immoderately affected, he, of necessity, gave his consent. There was a great feast and joy. The marriage took place on the eve of 18 June 1596 at the house of Dowager empress Hamida Banu Begum.[9]
When Jahangir ascended the throne, Khas Mahal became empress. Sir William Hawkins, a representative of the English East India Company noted her among Jahangir's chief wives. He said the following:
Architecture
In 1642–43, Khas Mahal commissioned a palace near the old fort in the neighborhood of Nizamuddin, Delhi.[10] [11] [12]
In popular culture
Khas Mahal is a character in Jyoti Jafa's historical novel Nur Jahan: A Historical Novel (1978).[13]
Notes and References
- Book: Desai, Ziyaud-Din A.. Purā-prakāśa: Recent Researches in Epigraphy, Numismatics, Manuscriptology, Persian Literature, Art, Architecture, Archaeology, History and Conservation: Dr. Z.A. Desai Commemoration Volume, Volume 1. Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. 2003. 281. 978-8-180-90007-5.
- Book: Walthall, Anne. Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History. University of California Press. June 10, 2008. 103. 978-0-520-25443-5.
- Book: Beale, Thomas William. The Oriental Biographical Dictionary. Asiatic Society. 1881. 216.
- Book: Shīrāzī, Kāmī. Fath nama-i Nur Jahan Begam. Rampur Raza Library. 2003. 36. 978-8-187-11360-7.
- Book: Emperor . Jahangir. Wheeler McIntosh. Thackston. The Jahangirnama : memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India. Washington, D. C.: Freer Gallery of Art, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; New York: Oxford University Press. 1999. 376. 978-0-19-512718-8 .
- Book: Abū al-Fazl ibn Mubārak. The Ain i Akbari, Volume I. Rouse. 1874. 346.
- Book: Bhakkari, Shaikh Farid. The Dhakhiratul-khawanin: a biographical dictionary of Mughal noblemen. Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Dehli. 1993. 117.
- Book: Shāhnavāz Khān. Awangābādī. Baini. Prasad. 'Abd al-Hayy ibn. Shāhnavāz. The Maāthir-ul-umarā: Being biographies of the Muḥammadan and Hindu officers of the Timurid sovereigns of India from 1500 to about 1780 A.D.. Janaki Prakashan. 1979. 1027.
- Book: Beveridge, Henry. Akbarnama of Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak - Volume III. 1907. Asiatic Society, Calcutta. 1058–9 n. 3.
- Book: Parihar, Subhash. Land transport in Mughal India: Agra-Lahore Mughal highway and its architectural remains. Aryan Books International. January 1, 2008. 84. 978-8-173-05335-1.
- Book: Archeological Survey of India. Annual Report. Swati Publications. 1990. 24.
- Book: Khan, Sir Sayyid Ahmad. Monuments of Delhi: Historical Study. Ambika. 1978. 57.
- Book: Jafa, Jyoti. Nur Jahan: A Historical Novel. Writer's Workshop. 1978. 18.
