Jahan Ara

In India’s capital city, amidst winding alleys lined with traders, lies the 800-year-old dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, one of the most revered saints in Sufism. This famous Sufi shrine is also home to the tomb of one of the most powerful women of Indian subcontinent, Jahanara Begum. Jahanara was a true renaissance woman in Mughal history, who was an author, architect and mystic par excellence. She was the daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife, Mumtaz.

At the age of 17, a tragedy struck the Jahanara’s life with the untimely demise of her beloved mother, Mumtaz, in 1631. She was entrusted with the charge of the Imperial Seal and made Malika-e-Hindustan —the First Lady of the Indian Empire—by the shattered Emperor Shah Jahan, whose grief kept him away from his royal duties.

In the years to follow, she became her father’s closest confidante and advisor. Highly educated and skilled in diplomatic dealings, her word became so powerful that it could change the fortunes of people. She is best remembered as the architect of Old Delhi’s legendary bazaar, Chandni Chowk—which translates to ‘Moonlit Intersection’. Jahanara contributed significantly to the capital city of Shahjahanabad and sponsored the construction of the Jama Masjid in 1648.