Jahan Ara Begum 1614-1681: A Biographical Study

An Indian princess left behind contributions to a varied legacy which is still a vibrant part of our lives. It can be seen in the Chandni Chowk bazaar-street of Delhi, the commercial port-city of Surat in Gujarat, the gardens of Kashmir, the Jama Masjid of Agra, and in her poetry and scholarly works on Sufi saints. Nausheen Jaffery brings to us the story of the remarkable Jahan Ara Begum (1614-1681). Entrusted with responsibilities at a very young age, her artistic and literary accomplishments, power and piety have ensured her a place in history.
In the absence of comprehensive archives, research on early modern India tended to hover around the old staples of administration, commerce and political intrigue. The individuals holding the strings were seldom three-dimensional. Only in the last two decades has this changed and women actors have been identified, mostly by women authors. We now get to know of highly educated and confident Mughal women, equally at home in administration and in negotiating commercial deals, in visualizing noble architecture and gardens.

Nausheen Jaffery's is one of the earliest biographical studies of Jahan Ara, and an all-encompassing one with Jahan Ara in all her avatars. In her, we see Babur's love for gardens, Shahjahan's love for architecture, Akbar's eclectic spiritualism, Akbar's and Jehangir's interest in the world beyond India, and Humayun's fascination with mysticism. In her we see Gulbadan's literary flair, Nur Jahan's political astuteness, Mumtaz Mahal's masterful domestic management.