Why Shah Jahan Married his Daughter

The revelation of Shah Jahan marrying his own daughter may indeed come as a shock, yet it is a significant aspect of Mughal history.

Delving into the details of this sensational incident can offer valuable insights into this intriguing facet of the past.

Why Shah Jahan Married his Daughter

The Mughal king Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal, married his own daughter Jahanara after Mumtaz’s death because she looked like Mumtaz to Shah Jahan.

Mumtaz died on 17 June 1631 while giving birth to Shah Jahan’s 14th child.

Jahanara was 17 years old at the time of Mumtaz’s death and Shah Jahan had gone mad after Mumtaz’s death.

Since Jahanara looked exactly like Mumtaz, Shah Jahan had married his own real daughter Jahanara in memory of Mumtaz.

Jahanara was also very upset with her father’s condition, so she did not oppose the marriage.

Jahanara was the second child of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. Jahanara was very smart and was a believer of Islam, she also had a good knowledge of governing.

Jahanara also wrote the biography of Moinuddin Chishti.

When Shah Jahan was marrying his daughter Jahanara, he was strongly opposed by the Imams and members of his Court, but then Shah Jahan had said that “anyone has the right to eat the fruit of the tree he planted”.

Shah Jahan had a total of 8 marriages in which Mumtaz Mahal was the third wife.

Even after Mumtaz, Shah Jahan had 5 marriages, one of which was his daughter Jahanara and the other Mumtaz’s sister Farzana.

Famous French historian and physician Francois Bernier came to India during the time of Aurangzeb.

He wrote in his famous book “Travels in the Mughal Empire” that Shah Jahan was madly in love with his daughter Jahanara and all the courtiers used to say that Shahjahan had married his own daughter Jahanara.

Shah Jahan lived day and night with his own daughter and did not even come out of his palace.

To hide this marriage and avoid slander, Shah Jahan gave Jahanara the title of “Padshah Begum”.

Aurangzeb started hating his father for all these antics.

This was the reason that in order to become the emperor, he imprisoned his own father Shahjahan, and got his own brother Dara Shikoh killed..

Since the British ruled after the rule of the Mughals, this page of history was hidden to save it from infamy.

But the pages written in history keep turning back.