19 Facts About Mumtaz Mahal

Mumtaz Mahal was born Arjumand Banu Begum in Agra to a family of Persian nobility.

Mumtaz Mahal was the daughter of Abu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan, a wealthy Persian noble who held high office in the Mughal Empire, and the niece of Empress Nur Jahan, the chief consort of Emperor Jahangir and the power behind the emperor.

Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631 in Burhanpur, Deccan during the birth of her 14th child, a daughter named Gauhar Ara Begum.

Shah Jahan had the Taj Mumtaz Mahal built as a tomb for her, which is considered to be a monument of undying love.

Mumtaz Mahal's family had come to India impoverished in 1577, when his father Mirza Ghias Beg, was taken into the service of Emperor Akbar in Agra.

Mumtaz Mahal had a brother, Shaista Khan, who served as the governor of Bengal and various other provinces in the empire during Shah Jahan's reign.

Mumtaz Mahal was remarkable in the field of learning and was a talented and cultured lady.

Mumtaz Mahal was well-versed in Arabic and Persian, and could compose poems in the latter.

Mumtaz Mahal was reputed to have a combination of modesty and candor, a woman warmly straightforward yet bemusedly self-possessed.

The intimacy, deep affection, attention and favour which Shah Jahan had for Mumtaz Mahal exceeded what he felt for his other wives.

Mumtaz Mahal was his constant companion and trusted confidant, leading court historians to go to unheard lengths to document the intimate and erotic relationship the couple enjoyed.

Mumtaz Mahal was the only wife of Shah Jahan to be addressed as "Hazrat" being the mother of the heir apparent.

For example, no other empress' residence was as decorated as Khas Mahal, where Mumtaz lived with Shah Jahan.

Mumtaz Mahal was hidden behind a curtain; if she did not agree with something, she would place her hand on his back, out of sight.

Mumtaz Mahal was portrayed as having no aspirations to political power, in contrast to her aunt, Empress Nur Jahan, the chief consort of Emperor Jahangir, who had wielded enormous power and considerable influence in the previous reign.

Mumtaz Mahal patronized a number of poets, scholars and other talented persons.

Mumtaz Mahal had been accompanying her husband while he was fighting a campaign in the Deccan Plateau.

Mumtaz Mahal's body was temporarily buried at Burhanpur in a walled pleasure garden known as Zainabad originally constructed by Shah Jahan's uncle Daniyal on the bank of the Tapti River.

Since they are unlikely to have come up with the name, they might have picked it up from the locals of Agra who called the Empress 'Taj Mumtaz Mahal' and thought the tomb was named after her and the name began to be used interchangeably, but no firm evidence suggests this.