Shahjahanabad, now known as Old Delhi or Purani Delhi, is one of the most visited and crowded places in Delhi. In the 17th century, it was the capital city of the Mughal Empire of India and the newly planned capital city of Emperor Shahjahan. At that time, Shahjahanabad was one of the wealthiest and most fabulous cities in the world. It was the planned walls city and is famous all over the world for its magnificent architectural works.
Scholar Stephen Blake in his work “Shahjahanabad: The Sovereign City in Mughal India 1639-1739” mentioned the uniqueness of it through the Persian Manuscript work of a Mughal noble, Chandar Bhan Brahman; he composed lines in Persian Manuscript about Shahjahanabad; “Its towers are the resting place of the sun, its avenues are so full of pleasure that its lanes are like the roads of paradise, its climate is beautiful and pleasant.” This splendid imperial capital took shape under the vision of the emperor Shahjahan between 1639 to 1648 CE.
The new capital city was named after Emperor Shahjahan. However, Shahjahanabad was not the vision of a single man, but rather the creation of numerous imperial women of the Mughal Harem or Zenana (private sphere for women in the royal palace) who contributed to its making and patronage. As the author and Historian Ira Mukhoty in her book, “Daughters of the Sun: Empresses, Queens & Begums of the Mughal Empire,” mentioned that there were nineteen major structures that Mughal women built in Shahjahanabad, fourteen were completed by 1650, by the wives and daughters of Emperor Shah Jahan.
In 1650, Shahjahanabad was shaped by the ambition and imagination of powerful women of the Mughal Harem. Historian Rana Safvi in her book “Shahjahanabad: The Living City of Old Delhi” also wrote that imperial women had a key role in the imagination and patronage of Shahjahanabad. These forgotten women were highly cultured and educated.
Akbarabadi Begum
Shahjahanabad’s Akbarabadi Masjid, Faiz Bazar (now Darya Ganj), Bagh Aizzabad (now Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh), etc, were constructed under the supervision of Akbarabadi Begum. Akbarabadi Begum’s actual name was Izz-Un-Nissa. She was the third wife of Emperor Shahjahan. It was customary for Mughals to call a Begum by the name of the place she belonged to.
Akbarabadi Begum was the second most powerful woman builder of the imperial city after Jahanara. She built Akabarabadi Masjid, a grand mosque in 1650 AD at Shahjahanabad, which was located south of the Qila-e-Mubarak (Red Fort). She laid the foundation of Faiz Bazar in Shahjahanabad in the 17th century, and after its construction, it became the cynosure of commercial activities and trading in the imperial city. After Faiz Bazar and Akbarabadi Mosque, she also built Sarai in her Bagh Aizzabad or Shalimar Bagh, which was presented by her husband, Emperor Shahjahan. She constructed a Sarai within the Bagh with her own money; that garden had been laid out at some distance from Shahjahanabad, in the north-west. She also built a caravanserai (city hotel), as well as a hammam (public bath), her buildings are all concentrated in the area around the Akbarabadi gate near the Jama Masjid of Shahjahanabad. The Akbarabadi Mosque was demolished by the British after the revolt of 1857 AD. Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan described the beauty of Akbarabadi Mosque in Asar-us-Sanadid. In 1911, the foundation and platform of the mosque were completely demolished when Edward Park was built, later renamed as Netaji Subhash Park. Faiz Bazar in contemporary times is a part of the Dariya Ganj market of old Delhi.
Princess Jahanara
Ira Mukhoty writes that 19 structures in Shahjahanabad were constructed by imperial women, five of which were individually built by Princess Jahanara. She was the most powerful woman builder of the imperial city after his father and the emperor Shahjahan. As an unmarried princess, she stood at the pinnacle of glory and power in the 17th century, renowned as the world’s wealthiest woman of this time, simply known as Begum Sahib. Jahanara Begum was the youngest Padshah Begum (the first lady) of the Mughal Empire of Hindustan.
She was one of the main personalities in commissioning numerous architectural works in Shahjahanabad, the most important was the magnificent square known as Chandni Chowk. The Chowk at that time was a bustling public and commercial space, in contemporary times famous Chandni Chowk market of old Delhi is a part of this magnificent square. At the end of the Chandni Chowk Jahanara also commissioned a magnificent double-storeyed Caravanserai (city hotel), as per the Bernier, Caravanserai is second only to Jama Masjid in Magnificence, later demolished by the British after the revolt of 1857. Across from the caravanserai at the end of the Chandni Chowk, Jahanara built a Hammam (public bath), the largest in the city, 180 feet long. Jahanara Begum also commissioned the construction of a Bagh at the centre of the walled city and north of Chandni Chowk, i.e. Bagh Shahibabad or Begum ka Bagh, today, the old Delhi Railway station stands on the site of Jahanara’s Bagh. Some of the architecture, like the Bazar and Bagh, still survives, but in distorted or changed form. Besides these, she also commissioned the garden outside of the walled city of Shahjahanabad, known as Tis Hazari Bagh. These gardens provided a perfect getaway during hot Delhi Summers.
Fatehpuri Begum and Sirhindi Begum
Mosques had an important place in Shahjahanabad city’s architecture from the famous Jama Masjid to others like the Fatehpuri Masjid, Sirhindi Masjid, etc. Fatehpuri Masjid was built by the fifth wife of Emperor Shahjahan, Fatehpuri Begum, during the creation of Shahjahanabad. It was named after her title. The mosque was located at the western end of Chandni Chowk Street, which led to the Red Fort. Fatehpuri Masjid, also known as Nawab Fatehpuri Mahal Begum Masjid. Fatehpuri Masjid is the second largest mosque in Shahjahanabad after the famous Jama Masjid.
The Sirhindi Masjid is another Masjid that was located outside of the walls of Shahjahanabad, to the west side and was built by another wife of Emperor Shahjahan, Sirhindi Begum.
Mughal princess Roshanara
Roshanara Bagh of Shahjahanabad was built by the royal princess and daughter of Shahjahan Roshanara Begum in 1650 AD. As for Roshanara, the only structure she built in Shahjahanabad was a garden and pavilion within the Bagh. It was four kilometres away, outside the very walls of Shahjahanabad. The garden contains typical Mughal char bagh or four garden-style architecture that includes gateways, pavilions, and fountains.
After the death of Roshanara Begum in 1671 CE, her remains were buried in one of the pavilions of the Bagh. In 1922 CE, 22 acres of the western side of the garden were leased to the club which was named the Roshanara Club. Today, Roshanara Bagh is a peaceful green spot in North Delhi’s crowded Subzi Mandi.
Mughal princess Zeenat-Un-Nissa
Princess Zeenat-Un-Nissa was the builder of a grand mosque beside the river Yamuna and south of the Red Fort in Shahjahanabad in 1700 AD. It was known as Zeenat ul Masjid and is today popularly known as Ghata Masjid. She also had a key role, like other imperial women, in the patronage and creation of Shahjahanabad. She patronised the imperial city during the reign of her father, Aurangzeb, in the 18th century. After the death of Princess Zeenat-Un-Nissa, her tomb was built in the North of the Zeenat ul Masjid, but later, the tomb was demolished by the British aftermath of the revolt of 1857 AD.
Zafar Hasan mentioned in her work “Monuments of Delhi: Lasting Splendours of Great Mughal and the Other,” that the Zeenat ul Masjid itself was used as a bakery for troops for many years after the revolt of 1857.
These financially independent, rich, and highly qualified imperial Women showed their agency through their cultural works and became one of the great builders and patrons of the medieval city of Shahjahanabad. We can find their keen interest and skill in the architecture of Shahjahanabad (now Old Delhi). These were the women who worked outside the Mughal Harem and Zenana (Household), left behind their timeless legacy, and also added their names to the great builders of their time in History. Some historians considered Shahjahanabad to run under the subversion of powerful Mughal women between the time of Shahjahan and Aurangzeb, as the Aurangzeb mostly spent their time outside the capital city.
References:
- Blake, S. (1991). Shahjahanabad: The sovereign city in Mughal India, 1639-1739. Cambridge University Press. Shahjahanabad : the sovereign city in Mughal India, 1639-1739 : Blake, Stephen P : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
- Mukhoty, Ira (2018). Daughters of the sun: Empresses, queens & begums of the Mughal Empire. Aleph Book Company. DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN : IRA MUKHOTY : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
- Paradise City | Eye News – The Indian Express
- (146) Book discussion of ‘Shahjahanabad: Mapping a Mughal City’ | Swapna Liddle | Roli Books – YouTube
About the author(s)
She has completed her Master’s degree in History from Lady Shri Ram
College for Women, University of Delhi with a specialisation in ancient history. She has a keen
interest in ancient texts, and with their help, she wants to explore women's role and status in
ancient households and society. Therefore, her interest lies in ancient literature, Gender,
Caste, and society. With all these ancient texts, like Brahmanical, Buddhist, and Jain, she wants
to understand the actual rights and status of women in ancient households, such as being a wife,
daughter, and others. What was their role in ancient civilization and culture, and their
unspoken contribution which these texts did not mention properly.
