Jodha: a Reality Or a Fable
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The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention Volume1 issue 8 2014 page no.674-678 ISSN: 2349-2031 Available Online At: http://valleyinternational.net/index.php/our-jou/theijsshi Jodha: A Reality Or A Fable Dr.Satendra Kumar Mishra1, Ms.Shambhavi Tiwari2 1Assistant Professor Amity University, Lucknow & 2Research Scholar Amity University, Lucknow It was researched by many historians that the She gave birth to a son by the blessings of sufi imaginary name Jodha first appeared in the late saint Shaikh Salim Chisti. He was named Salim 19th century when Colonel Tod mentioned after him. The reality is still obscure. Jahangir in Jodhabai in his book named ‘Annals and his memoirs, The Tuzuknama or Jahangirnama, Antiquity of Rajasthan’. Colonel Tod was inspired never mentioned the name of his mother. by the folk literature of Rajputs. According to the Although he mentions the names of many of his director of Oriental Public Library in Patna, Mr. father’s wives. Imtiaz Ahmad records that "Akbarnama mentions Akbar marrying a princess of Amer but clearly her We find only one reference to her mother in his name is nowhere Jodhaa". She is named as Jahangirnama: ‘Mariam Uzamani’ which is not a name but a title. “When my mother came to the time of delivery, Further it is mentioned that Mariam Uzamani is a he (Akbar) sent her to Shaikh’s house and I might title given to the mother of Prince Salim. Jodha be born there.” has not been mentioned anywhere. It is also said that Jodha Bai was actually sister of As stated by some Rajput historians, Akbar was Raja Man Singh, but this too is in contradiction of married to Harkhabai alias Heer Kunwari, the Jahangirnama in which Jahangir speaks after elder daughter of the Bharmal, the maharaja of ascending the- Amer, in Fatehabad i.e. Fatehpur Sikri on 6 Feburary, 1562. Prince Salim was her son. As “Raja Man Singh was one of the trusted stated in the Rajputana records, Princess Jodhabai mansabdars of my father had obtained alliances was the daughter of Rana Udai Singh and in that with his illustrious family as much as his aunt had case she was only three years younger than Prince been introduced in the house of my father ( was Salim and so no way can she be his mother. his wife), and I then married his sister, and Professor Satish Chandra in the history book of Khusrau was also married to his sister Sultana-n- class eleven on medieval India of NCERT claims nisa Begam, the latter of which is my elder child. that Jodha was by no means Akbar's wife but in They were born of her before, ruler of the Bengal fact she was married to Salim, Akbar's son. As per province.” He clearly refers to Man Singh’s aunt the folk lures and legend, Akbar was married to as not as his mother but his father’s wife. Raja Bhagwan Das’s Sister and was Jodha Bai. 674 Cite as : Jodha: A Reality Or A Fable; Vol.1|Issue 08|Pg:674-678 2014 Alex-Rutherford, in the book ‘Ruler of the World’ mention his mother anywhere by name. If and in the historical fiction ‘Empire of the Jahangir would have been born to a Rajput Moghul,’ refers to Jahangir’s mother as being Hira princess of a great Rajput kingdom then for sure Bai of Amber. Jahangir writes about the birth of he would have mentioned it considering the fact his brothers and sister but refers to their mothers that the Mughals always tried to forge on strategic as concubines. It’s obvious that he felt, their status alliances with the brave Rajputs. was as concubines and title of wives did not merit. 'Ain-e-Akbari' and 'Akbarnama' of Abul Fazal's “Three months after my birth, Shahzada Khanam, also have no reference to any Jodha Bai. There is my sister, was born of a royal concubine. She was not a single mention of Jodha Bai in Abdul Kadir handed over to Maryam Makani, Akbar’s mother. Badauni's 'Muntakhib-al-Tawarikh'. There is After her then a son was again born to one of the mentioned Jodha Bai in the historical works of royal concubines, and was named Shah Murad. A.L. Shrivastav, K.L. Khurana and Munni Lal and On the night of Jumada-i-awwal 10th, A.H. 979 few other historians. In the book 'Kachchawon ka (September, 1572), one more child was born to Itihas', Jodha is mentioned as Harkha Bai. In other the royal concubine. As his birth took place at Rajputana history chronicles she is named Ajmer in the blessed shrine of the sufi saint Manmati and Shahi Bai. Khwaja Muinu-d-din Chishti. That child was named Shaikh Daaniyal.” In many of the Rajputana records the Rajputs have clearly objected to the matrimonial alliance of In the case of the two daughters of Akbar, Jodha Bai with Akbar. The sub altern historians Jahangir names the wife as Bibi Daulat Shad and have also written that Jodhabai was in fact one of she was of noble lineage. the wives of Jahangir and not of Akbar. It is just a myth of Jodha Bai being wife of Emperor Akbar “After birth of Daniyal, Bibi Daulat-Shad gave and was spread by the local Muslims, especially, birth to a girl whom they named Shakaru-n-nisa those guides who tell stories to the foreign visitors Begam.” to Fatepur Sikri. Inside of the magnificent halls of “After some time passed one more girl was born Fatehpur Sikri, there are many structures which to Bibi Daulat-Shad, and he i.e.Akbar called her resemble Hindu Temples and their pillars adorned Aram Banu Begam.” with pictures of Hindu God and Goddesses. The Muslim guides tell that one Jodha Bai was the The historian of Aligarh Muslim University wife of Akbar and he allowed her to continue her (AMU), Prof Shirin Moosvi, writes that neither own practice of Hinduism. The presence of there is any mention of Jodhabai in the buildings like Jodha Bai Ka Rauza in the campus ‘Akbarnama’, nor in any of the Mughal of Fatehpur Sikri signifies the importance of documents of that period. Prof Shirin says Jodha Bai in Akbar’s life. This is still an issue of that“Akbar did marry a princess of the the debate in the historians. Many Rajput Kachhawa Rajput, Bhar Mal’s daughter, but she organisations have taken stand against the then was also not Jodhabai”. Prof Moosvi concludes royal families of Jaipur and also Kishangarh on that the name Jodha Bai first appeared in the mid exactly which of their princess married to the of 18th and 19th centuries in folk lures and Mughal and also which Mughal emperor. gradually got place in historical writings. It is really surprising that why did Jahangir not Original manuscripts like Ain - i Akbari and 675 Cite as : Jodha: A Reality Or A Fable; Vol.1|Issue 08|Pg:674-678 2014 Rajput history of the Amber kings actually isn't mentioned anywhere. And she was certainly confirm that Akbar married Raja Bharmal's not Jahangir's mother. Even Jahangir in his daughter in 1562 at Sambhar which is 100 kms memoirs (Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri) doesn't mention from modern Jaipur but the name of the anything about his mother's side." He also said ‘daughter’ was not mentioned. In an interview that in any record there is no mention of Akbar's with BBC, Maharaja Brajraj Singh of Kishangarh wife from Rajputana anywhere in any of the once said, “In our recorded genealogy, the Mughal text. Be it Abul Fazal, in his 'Akbarnama' documents of the royal family are still the most or Jahangir, in his autobiography, 'Tuzk-e- authentic and trusted records, and in our records Jahangiri', no one mentioned Jodha Bai as his wife no Jodhabai exists. Jodha was actually Hira of Akbar. Irfan Habib says that the myth of Jodha Kunwari or Harkha Bai. I still don’t know why Bai of being Akbar's wife most probably got some historians call her Jodha.” The myth got credence in the first half of 19th century when the popular belief when historians like Col Todd historical tour guides at Fatehpur Sikri presented called Akbar's wife as Jodha and this was her Akbar's wife and unfortunately this perception projected in the films like K.Asif's classic is prevalent today also. ‘Mughal-e-azam’ and Gowarikar’s ‘Jodha-Akbar’ followed by many TV serials. The Rajput N.R.Farooqi says that Jodha Bai was in fact not community says that now it’s time to set the Akbar's wife but actually the name of Jahangir's record correct. They claim by their authenticated wife. The original name of Jodha bai was Jagat records that Jodha was no doubt from Jodhpur but Gosain. As she was from the royal family of she was married to Jahangir and not to Jodhpur so she was commonly referred as Jodha Akbar. Prof Khangarot, a renowned historian and Bai. Farooqi writes that she received important also the spokesperson for the Rajputana Sabha place amoung the woman in the royal heram. said, ''No one has got the right to manipulate with Jodha bai was the mother of Khurram, Shah history in the name of creativity or change it. Jahan. Jodha Bai was actually the daughter of Maharaja The historians have reservations over ‘name’ of of Jodhpur who was married to Salim and she was the Rajput princess but not the ‘person’.