Insān-i Kāmil: The ‘Perfect Woman’ of the Mughal Empire— Revisiting the Narrative of the Sufi Princess, Jahanara Begum

تا مدتی بیست سال در جست جو ’’
دیدیم که ظاهرا بیابمش به او
 تحقیق شد این در طلب خود بودیم 
معلوم شد این رمز که خود بودیم او
 ‘’- اندر پی آن نگار شوخ سرمست 


“After searching for twenty long years, It appeared I found Him [enlightenment] at last. In reality, I discovered that I had looked for myself, I came to know the secret that I was He [enlightenment]…” 
- Jahanara Begum, Risālah-i Ṣāḥibīyah 


Amongst all the women of the Mughal Empire, Jahanara Begum, the eldest daughter of the sixth emperor, Shah Jahan, is among the better known. In popular view, she is guilty of incest — of replacing her dead mother, Mumtaz Mahal, and becoming the next Pādishāh Begum, the principal lady of the Mughal empire.  Scholars have largely rejected this allegation as “gossip” — focusing instead on her literary contributions, Mu’nis-al Arwāḥ and Risālah-i Ṣāḥibīyah, which detail her divine encounters and interactions with Sufi saints. This focus has, however, reinforced the myth that the Empire wanted to propel, of solely viewing the emperor and his family as “pious” and “chosen people of God”. By re-reading her works and analysing her patronage activities, this research paper strives to demonstrate how Jahanara had carved a political space for herself in her father’s Empire. Besides her spiritual pursuits, Jahanara had successfully juggled her obligations as Pādishāh Begum — arranging celebrations, counselling her brothers and safeguarding her position. Such was her power in the Empire that even though Jahanara had sided with the vanquished brother, Dara Shukoh, in the fatal battle of succession, Aurangzeb, the victorious brother, had reinstated her as Pādishāh Begum. Finally, a comparison has been drawn between Jahanara and the previous Pādishāh Begums to trace the evolution of the Mughal harem.

Chandini Jaswal is a first-year law student at the Panjab University, India. She also holds a masters degree in history and secured a gold medal in her undergraduate history degree. Jaswal is a core team member at Karwaan Heritage, India and a communication member at The Museum of British Colonialism, UK-Kenya. Her research interest focuses on subcontinental history, particularly women’s studies in pre-modern India through histories of art. She has presented her research at conferences such as the New York Conference on Asian Studies and the Indian Association for South Asian Studies. Furthermore, she is engaged in documenting oral histories of the 1947 Partition.