Malika Jahan Explained
Malika Jahan (Persian: ملکہ جھان; meaning "Queen of the World") was a Jaisalmer princess, and wife of Mughal emperor Jahangir.[1]
Family
Malika Jahan, whose Rajput name is unknown,[2] was born a Jaisalmer princess, the daughter of Rawal Bhim Singh, the ruler of Jaisalmer,[3] [4] and a contemporary of Emperor Akbar, and in imperial service to him.[5] He had been a man of rank and influence.[6] She was the granddaughter of Rawal Harraj. She had three paternal uncles named Kalyan Mal, Bhakar and Sultan.[6] Her aunt, Nathi Bai, was married to Emperor Akbar in 1570,[7] and was a mother of a daughter named Mahi Begum.[8]
Rawal Bhim succeeded his father Harraj in 1578.[6] After Bhim's death in 1616, he left a son named Nathu Singh,[9] two months old,[10] who was killed by the Bhatis.[6] His younger brother Kalyan Mal succeeded him as Rawal.[10]
Marriage
Jahangir married her while he was a prince, and gave her the title 'Malika Jahan',[11] which literally means ("Queen of the world"). Jahangir notes in his memoirs that this alliance was made because her family had always been faithful to the Mughals.[10]
In popular culture
Malika Jahan is a character in Phiroz H. Madon's historical novel The Third Prince: A Novel (2015).[12]
Notes and References
- Book: Lal, Kishori Saran. The Mughal Harem. Aditya Prakashan. 1 January 1988. 28. 978-8-185-17903-2.
- Book: Muhammad. Shujauddin. Razia. Shujauddin. The Life and Times of Noor Jahan. Caravan Book House. 1967. 96.
- Book: The Moslem World - Volumes 1-2. Nile Mission Press. 1985. 72.
- Book: Soma Mukherjee. Royal Mughal Ladies and Their Contributions. Gyan Books. 2001. 23. 978-8-121-20760-7.
- Book: Naravane, M. S.. The Rajputs of Rajputana: A Glimpse of Medieval Rajasthan. APH Publishing. 1999. 113. 978-8-176-48118-2.
- Book: Somānī, Rāmavallabha. History of Jaisalmer. Panchsheel Prakashan. 1990. 59–60. 978-8-170-56070-8.
- Book: Ruby Lal. Domesticity and power in the early Mughal world. 2005. Cambridge University Press. 168. 978-0-521-85022-3.
- Book: Beveridge, Henry. Akbarnama of Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak - Volume III. 1907. Asiatic Society, Calcuta. 283.
- Book: Rajasthan, (India), K. K Sehgal. Rajasthan District Gazetteers, Volume 18. Directorate, District Gazetteers. 1962. 37.
- 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: Singh, Rajvi Amar. Medieval History of Rajasthan: Western Rajasthan. Rajvi Amar Singh. 1992. 1456.
- Book: Madon, Phiroz H.. The Third Prince: A Novel. Jaico Publishing House. 8 April 2015 . 978-8-184-95140-0.
