Nur Jahan (born Mehr-un-Nissa, c. 1577-1645) was the chief wife and empress consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.
She is considered to be one of the most powerful and influential women in Indian history. More decisive and proactive than her husband, she was the real power behind the throne for more than fifteen years. Nur Jahan was granted certain honors and privileges which were never enjoyed by any Mughal Empress before or after her, like having coinage struck in her name and the privilege to issue farmāns (sovereign mandates). Jahangir’s trust in her was so great that he gave her the highest symbol of power and determination of the decrees of the empire – his imperial seal, implying that her perusal and consent were necessary before any document or order received legal validity.
Nur Jahan was fond of hunting and often went on hunting tours with her husband and was known for her boldness in such expeditions. Nur Jahan’s administrative skills proved invaluable during her regency as she defended the Empire’s borders in her husband’s absence and navigated family feuds, rebel uprisings, and a war of succession.
Her patronage of architecture was extensive, as she erected numerous large “sarais”, or halting places for travellers and merchants, and pleasure gardens and palaces.
In trade, she is said to have contributed substantially by introducing a variety of new textiles, among them silver-threaded brocade (badla) and silver-threaded lace (kinari).
She took great interest in arts and literature and is credited with a few fine pieces of Persian poetry, such as:
Bar mazare ma ghareeban ne charaghe ne gule
Or
Lahore ra be jaane barabar khareeda aim
Her tomb in Lahore is a 17th-century beautiful red sandstone building. The mausoleum is located in Shahdara Bagh, across the River Ravi. Unfortunately, the tomb’s marble was plundered during the Sikh era in 18th century for use at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The red sandstone mausoleum, along with the nearby tomb of Jahangir, tomb of Asif Khan, and Akbari Sarai, forms part of an ensemble of Mughal monuments in Lahore’s Shahdara Bagh.
The tomb was built on a podium, in the takhtgah style in which the podium serves as the takht, or “throne.” With a platform measuring 158 square feet, the tomb is in the shape of a square and measures 124 feet on each side, and is 19.6 feet high. The central vaulted chamber of the tomb contains a marble platform with two cenotaphs, one that commemorates Nur Jahan and the other to commemorate her daughter, Ladli Begum.
The tomb stands in the centre of a Persian-style Charbagh. The original garden no longer survives, but once included tulips, roses, and jasmine. The mausoleum has been partly restored but much of the restoration and preservation work still needs urgent attention.
South Asian Academy of Management 