Daily Times

The weary traveller was travelling deep into the desert. He was a man driven by a desire; he wanted a male successor to carry his legacy forward. His destination was the abode of the great Sufi, Sheikh Salim Chishti, in Sikri. The traveller was none other than the Mughal Emperor Jalal ud Din Mohammad Akbar. He met Sheikh Salim Chishti and humbly asked him to pray for a male heir for his throne of Hindustan. On 17th Rabi Ul Awwal, 977 AH. Akbar was blessed with a son who was born to Maharani Joadha Bai, in the small desert town of Sikri. This date of birth is mentioned both in Tuzk e Jahangiri as well as ShahJahanNama. To show his reverence to the Sheikh, Akbar named his son Nur ud Din Salim. He affectionately called his son Sheikhu Baba. The full title of the future emperor was, Al-Sultan al-‘Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram, Khushru-i-Giti Panah, Abu’l-Fath Nur-ud-din Muhammad Jahangir Padshah Ghazi.

That same year Akbar started construction of a proper Dargah to honour Sheikh Salim Chishti who had blessed him and prayed for the birth of his son.

When Jahangir was two years old, the construction of a walled city and imperial palace began in the area. Akbar got so emotionally attached to the place that he shifted his imperial court and residence from Agra to Sikri, later renamed as Fatehpur Sikri, the “City of Victory”, after Akbar’s victory in the Gujrat campaign in 1573 AD. The imperial court remained here from 1571 to 1585. Later on the Royal Court moved to Lahore due to campaign in Punjab. In 1610 A.D, the city was eventually abandoned due to shortage of water. The young Prince was the reason for development of at least two cities; one was Fatehpur Sikri and the other was Sheikhupura near Lahore.

Jahangir was marked to be the future emperor therefore he was trained for succession from a young age. Though Akbar was illiterate himself, he valued knowledge greatly. His court was filled with people of knowledge and wisdom. Nine of these courtiers were known as Akbar’s navaratnas. Due to Akbar’s keen interest, the young prince was also tutored by the best minds of the realm. He was trained in civil and military administration. He mastered Persian, Turki and Hindi. The sciences of the time like Arithmetic, History and Geography were also part of his curriculum. Of all his tutors, guides and teachers, Jahangir was greatly influenced by Abdur Rahim Khan Khana who was a genius and a multidimensional personality. Abdur Rahim was not only a man of letters but also a soldier and a successful diplomat. He guided Prince Salim as he mastered the art of composing verses. Jahangir’s military career started at an early age. In 1581 A.D, when he was barely 13 years of age he was sent on Kabul expedition. Later on his rank was increased and he was sent on independent military campaigns.

Jahangir was marked to be the future emperor therefore he was trained for succession from a young age. Though Akbar was illiterate himself, he valued knowledge greatly. His court was filled with people of knowledge and wisdom. Nine of these courtiers were known as Akbar’s navaratnas

The Mughals like other royal families used marriages to form alliances. Prince Salim was married at an early age and contracted several marriages. His first wife was the daughter of Raja Bhagwandas who was a relative of Joadha Bai. Second marriage took place with the daughter of Raja Oadhay Singh. This Queen gave birth to the crown prince, Prince Khurram in the Lahore Fort. In 1611 he married a ravishing beauty with brains; Mehr-u- Nisa. She was first given the title of Nur Mahal and later on Nur Jahan.

She was the widow of Sher Afgan and his first love. Her wit, intelligence and beauty captured the emperor’s heart, such that she became his indisputable chief consort and favourite wife immediately after their marriage .Her abilities are said to range from fashion designing to hunting. There is also a story that she had once killed four tigers with six bullets. It is mentioned in Tuzk e Jahangiri as well.

Although destined to be king, Jahangir got increasingly impatient. He wanted the throne as soon as possible and revolted against his father in 1599. The revolt was unsuccessful and Akbar eventually pardoned him. In 1602, Abul Fazal the Grand Wazir of Akbar and the author of Akbarnama was assassinated by Vir Singh Bandaela, in an intriguing plot hatched by Jahangir. Abul Fazal was one of the Navaratnas and was opposing Jahangir’s accession to the throne. Again the Emperor forgave him this transgression as he was the only surviving son but the relations between the father and the son became tense. Jahangir got addicted Things came to a point where Akbar started considering Prince Khusro Mirza for heir to the throne.

In 1605, Akbar passed away after a short illness and Jahangir ascended the Mughal Throne on 3rd Nov, 1605. He was given the epithet of Khalifah Illahi and he took the title Jahangir. In his memoir, Tuzk e Jahangiri, he gave his lineage as,

Abu al Muzafar Nur ud din Muhammad Jahangir bin Jalal ud Din Muhammad Akbar bin Naseerud din Humayn bin Zahir ud din Babar Umer sheikh bin Abu Saeed bin Sultan Muhammad bin Meera shah bin Qutub ud Din sahib e Quran Amir Taimur Gorkan.

Syed Muhammad Latif writes in his book, “Lahore: Its History, Architectural Remains And Antiquities.”

“Of his assuming the title of Jahangir (conqueror of the world), he writes in his memoirs,

‘The invisible inspirer put it into my mind that, since the business of kings is to conquer the world, I might call myself by the name of Jahangir and, inasmuch as my accession to the throne had taken place when the sun was in the ascendant and was imparting brilliancy to the world, I might assume the title of Nur-ud-din.”

Jahangir took the throne but it was a time of political chaos. His own son, Khusro Mirza refused to accept him as king and revolted. He was assisted by some nobles, gathering a force he travelled towards Lahore. On the way, in Amritsar, he met Guru Arjun Singh who was the fifth Guru of the Sikhs. The guru blessed him and Khusro marched onwards to Lahore. On reaching Lahore he laid siege to the city. He was eventually defeated in the battle of Bhairowal. Khusro and his followers tried to flee towards Kabul but they were captured by the forces of Jahangir while crossing Chenab. Khusro was given a novel punishment. His supporters were impaled on sharp stakes, alongside the road of Shahdra and Ravi .He was sat on an elephant and paraded on the road and made to watch the agony of his followers. Later on he was blinded. Dr. Beni Parsad in his book ‘History of Jahangir’ writes, “Now the question was what should be done with Khusro?” Jahangir in his heart, the ladies of the Heram and the old nobles didn’t want to kill Khusro. However, merely keeping him under arrest was extremely dangerous for the emperor as well as the empire. The advisors led by Mhabat Khan insisted that Khusro should be blinded. Eventually Jahangir granted his consent. This atrocity was committed by Mhabat Khan himself. When the burning wire was run across his eyes an excruciating scream escaped his lips but he didn’t lose his sight completely.”

Guru Arjun Singh was arrested. Long before the incident of blessing Khusro, he was noticed by the Mughals and was a thorn in the sides of many who had the emperor’s ear. His popularity among the masses was perceived as a threat.

According to Dr. Beni Parsad, both Hindus and the Muslims were unhappy with his growing influence and they even complained to Akbar about this. Akbar, however, didn’t find anything that would have merited any punitive action against the Guru. When the rebel Prince met the Guru, these quarters finally found grounds to malign Guru Arjun Singh. They exaggerated the meeting between the prince and the Guru to the extent that the Emperor sentenced Guru Arjun Singh to death and confiscated his property.

Historical records and the Sikh traditions are unclear and divided about the exact circumstances of his death. Some say that he was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment and passed away due to these rigors. Some accounts suggest that he was brutally tortured and that torture resulted in his death. There are also accounts which propose that as the Mughal soldiers were taking him to prison he jumped into the river and even after extensive search, his body was never found. The passing of Guru Arjun was a dividing line and a defining moment in the history of Sikhism and the relations between the Mughals and the Sikhs were forever tainted with this blood. Jahangir generally followed his father’s policy of religious harmony and tolerance but these seeds of enmity with the Sikhs, which were sown early on, took root and the tree eventually cast a long shadow over the future.

Jahangir was an excellent administrator. The most prominent features of his reign were political stability and economic growth. Jahangir continued with several of his father’s policies. He expanded the empire and focused on consolidating the gains made, as well. In 1614, he successfully ended an ongoing war with the Rajput principality of Mewar. He conquered Kangra fort in 1629 and it is considered to be one of the greatest achievements of his life. His government was also centralized, just like that of Akbar. The most distinguishing feature of his reign perhaps, was his justice system. His ‘Chain of justice’ became a legend and many mythical stories surround this chain. He recorded in his memoir, Tuzk-e-Jahangiri, that his first order as emperor was, “The fastening up of the chain of justice so that if those engaged in the administration of justice should delay or practice hypocrisy, the aggrieved might come to this chain and shake it so that its noise may attract my attention”.

Jahangir considered sovereignty as a “gift of God” that is given to “ensure the contentment of the world.” He didn’t let his religious beliefs get in the way of his administration. ?t is said that during his time Islamic law applied to Muslims and Hindu law applied to Hindus, in civil cases. In criminal cases the law was the same for everyone. Thus, he was able to maintain law and order and at the same time he kept a firm hold on the empire. Defiance of imperial authority from anyone whether a royal or a spiritual leader or a commoner, was crushed in the name of law. The rebels were made an example of so that others wouldn’t get any ideas.

In Mughal Era, the property belongs to the empire and empire meant the Emperor. The Dutch traveller Fransisco Pelsaert has described this law in his book.

“It is customary that as soon as any Amir died, regardless of his station, King’s officials go to his palace and make a list of his possessions. This list includes everything. Even the jewellery and dresses of the ladies of the House were listed, unless they hide their things away. At the death of the Amir his property reverts to the Emperor. The family is given a substantial amount of money for living but nothing more than that. It is highly unlikely that the children or the family would hide some of the wealth during the Amir’s lifetime so that it could be of use to them later on. This isn’t likely because the revenue minister keeps complete account of an Amir’s property, income and wealth.”

Fransisco Pelsaert has also given an account of the expanse of Mughal Empire at that time, “The current Emperor holds sway over the largest empire of the world at this time. ?t stretch from Surat to Kashmir is 1100 Kos. The posts over this distance are from Surat to Burhanpur 150 Kos, Agra 350 Kos , Agra to Lahore 300 Kos, Lahore to Kashmir 300 Kos. In case one goes via Ahmedabad the distance is reduced by 50 Kos. If one goes to North Western areas, then distance from Lahore to Kandhar via Multan is 600 Kos. ?n the East, distance from Agra to Bengal and Orissa is 1000 Kos. Kabul lays in the west which is 300 Kos from Lahore.

Thatta, Sindh and Bhakkar are situated in the South West. If equitable rent is charged from these areas, it would yield an amount that could enable Jahangir to conquer all the neighbouring countries.”

Jahangir had a profound interest in various forms of art and in culture. Artists and painters were generously encouraged. He played an important role in the development of Mughal arts and culture. The paintings of Akbar’s era were also carefully preserved. Paintings created under his reign were closely catalogued, dated and even signed, providing scholars with fairly accurate ideas as to when and in what context many of the pieces were created. In addition to Mughal art he had a keen understanding of European and Persian arts as well. His interest and knowledge in art was to such an extent that he claimed to be able to determine the name of the artist simply by looking at a painting. He recorded in his memoir, “My liking for painting and my practice in judging it have arrived at such point when any work is brought before me, either of deceased artists or of those of the present day, without the names being told me, I say on the spur of the moment that is the work of such and such a man. And if there be a picture containing many portraits and each face is the work of a different master, I can discover which face is the work of each of them. If any other person has put in the eye and eyebrow of a face, I can perceive whose work the original face is and who has painted the eye and eyebrow.”

He was also a well read person and had keen interest in collecting books. Professor Muhammad Fazil Khan writes in his book Kutabkhano Ki Tareekh, “At the time of Akbar’s demise, the Royal Library contained 24,000 excellent manuscripts. Jahangir not only preserved this treasure trove but developed the Royal Library and the Royal Art Gallery. Maktoob Khan was appointed as the superintendent.”