Before the birth of the 14th child, doctors had advised that Mumtaz Mahal should maintain physical distance from Shahjahan.
There used to be a lot of tug of war and intrigue among the begums of the Mughal harem to stay close to the emperor and keep their concubines away. Mumtaz Mahal was the favorite wife of Emperor Shahjahan. Later, Shahjahan also built the priceless Taj Mahal in his memory. But throughout her life, Mumtaz was worried that no other queen should come close to the king.
When the doctors instructed Mumtaz to maintain physical distance from the Mughal emperor Shahjahan before the birth of her fourteenth child, she became more cautious. Then read the interesting story of the path Mumtaz found.
Wise advice to distance yourself from the king
Mumtaz Begum was pregnant once again. She was about to give birth to her fourteenth child. Due to health related problems, the wise advice for him was that he should maintain physical distance from the king. Mumtaz was worried that in the meantime the king’s heart might fall on more wives? The biggest threat was from the granddaughter of Abdurrahim Khan-e-Khana and the young daughter of Shahnawaz Khan, who was married to Shahjahan.
Mumtaz talked for a long time with her trusted Sati-un-Nisa about this matter. Then a solution was found that Bandi Gulchira should be introduced into the service of the emperor as a concubine. Money and gifts were given to convince Gulchira. Dreams of a bright future were also shown.
Mughal emperor Shahjahan
The gift will be accepted only if Mumtaz gives permission.
The beautiful Gulchira of Bala was presented to the Emperor during the siege of Deccan. There, under the supervision of Aatish Khan, Yakub Khan and Khudavand Khan, 22 year old Gulchira was made proficient in dancing, singing, court manners and etiquette. Shahjahan said that along with our harem, the mistress of our heart is also our mistress-e-jahan, Mumtaz Mahal Begum. He will be able to accept this gift only after his approval.
The three prominent nobles of Nizamshahi appeared before Mumtaz present behind the curtain and requested to accept Gulchira. According to Heramb Chaturvedi’s book “Jahanara- Ek Khwaab-Ek Haqiqat”, when the curtained palanquin stopped in front of Mumtaz Mahal’s harem in Burhanpur, everyone was curious about the one who would get down from it.
When Sati-un-Nisa handed over Gulchira to Mumtaz, she fell in love with him at first sight after seeing his playful complexion, young age, thin waist, mole under the lips and dimples on the cheeks. Further, due to her beauty and all the qualities, Gulchira started getting closer to Mumtaz Mahal.
Shahjahan and Mumtaz Begum.
Difficult to spend even a night without Mumtaz
Mumtaz knew that it would not be possible for Shahjahan to stay away from her even for a night. But the doctors’ instructions were forcing him to do this. On the other hand, he was also mindful of Shahjahan’s needs. Mumtaz decided that her lack should be compensated with the company of Gulchira. For this it was necessary to convince Shahjahan.
One night, under the influence of alcohol, Mumtaz placed a condition before him that he would have to obey whatever she said. Shahjahan countered by asking him to tell him even one thing when he had avoided his point. Controlling her tears, Mumtaz pointed towards Gulchira and said that you should spend the nights with her until we are able to fulfill your physical needs. Then Shahjahan continued to be with Gulchira.
gave birth to fourteen children
Jahanara was seventeen years old when her mother Mumtaz Mahal breathed her last at the birth of her fourteenth child. Jahanara wrote that mother’s health was continuously deteriorating. Worried father Shahjahan stayed awake that whole night. To pass time, he kept playing chess with Jahanara. Keep praying for the night to pass safely. Meanwhile, Mumtaz started having severe pain. The scream echoed. Soon Jahanara had her newborn sister in her hands. But meanwhile Mumtaz was devastated. He signaled to call the king.
The king kept consoling him. Mumtaz gave the king’s hand to Jahanara. Both were asked to take care of each other as well as the other children. Mumtaz’s eyes kept closing while muttering something. Shahjahan and Jahanara thought that it was sleep or unconsciousness due to weakness. But in reality Mumtaz was gone forever.
Gulchira remained with Shahjahan till his last days.
Gulchira remained with me till the last moment
The death of Mumtaz Mahal had made Shahjahan very sad. After much persuasion by Jahanara and Sati-un-Nisa, he gave permission to light the lamp kept nearby. Shahjahan asked Sati to take care of Jahanara. The king said that she is growing old at a young age. Sati consoled him and asked him to take care of himself. While leaving, Sati signaled Gulchira to stop near the king. Where Ara was curious as to why Sati kept Gulchira there that night? Sati later told her that it was not the first night that Gulchira had spent with the king.
In reality, this sequence had started two months ago in Mumtaz Mahal’s life with her consent. Gulchira was accompanied by the grief-stricken Emperor so that he could change his mind and his mental troubles and sadness could not have any negative impact on the glory and honor of the Mughal government. Gulchira continued to be with Shahjahan till his death. Even when Aurangzeb had imprisoned his father in Agra Fort.
Also read: How did the British snatch Bengal from the Mughals, which used to enrich the Sultanate?