Jodha Bai- Rajput Princess

When we look back at our India it has seen many kings and their rules. India has a majestic history for more than 2000 years in all four directions. But the mughal era in India has a remarkable history till now. They dominated the entire world which was visible to them that time. They have given us enough evidences for their royal way they lived all over India through their palaces, forts and the impressive Taj Mahal too.

When we talk about mughal kings the first one that comes to our mind is Akbar. He is the well known king who is being portrayed from very long time in our history. But there was a great force and influence behind akbar who changed him to what he was known to us. It was Jodha Bai.

Jodha has many interesting facts behind her. We can amaze at her how before 400 years where no importance for given to women, she made a remarkable impact in Akbar’s life. She changed akbar from not only to invade the nations but also to rule them. Invading and ruling are always different. Born in royal rajput family as a daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber. The marriage of akbar and jodha was a perfectly arranged one which itself has an interesting story behind it.

It was a trick practiced in olden days to safeguard their kingdoms. After akbar conquered Malwa(kingdom of Bharmal) he faced strong resistances from the rajput kings. Akbar dealt with the problem diplomatically, allowing them to keep their kingdoms and getting into marriage alliances with the princess of the Rajput Jodha Bai. Thus Jodha became the third wife of akbar after his first queen Rugaiyya Begum and his second wife Salima Sultan, widow of Bairam Khan. Both the queens were childless.

Jodha became the favorite queen of Akbar in his kingdom. She was one of the chief queens of Empire. Even though Jodha got married into a Muslim family, Akbar allowed her to follow Hinduism. When akbar’s kingdom faced some setbacks after their marriage many criticized that its all due to the entry of a Hindu princess into their mughal family but Jodha faced all these comments and helped akbar in many ways. Jodha didn’t behave as a ordinary wife to his husband akbar. There are evidences which say that jodha gave many advices to Akbar and took part actively in the court. She was involved in active sea trade and owned a ship named Ramiti which carried pilgrims to Mecca.

When akbar declared his own religion Din-E-Ilahi, he gave the title of Mariam-uz-Zamani (Mary of the Universe) to Jodhabai. Thus we can see Jodha has played a major role in Akbar’s life. Jodha died in 1611 AD. As per her last wishes her son Jahangir constructed a step well for her. Thus there are many interesting facts about this Hindu queen who ruled a Muslim kingdom.

Jodha lived in a palace called “Jodha Bai Ka Rauza”. It is an excellent example of the fusion of Hindu and Muslim architectures. The place has distinct Gujarati and Rajasthani architectural patterns. Located in Fatehpur Sikhri, the palace of Jodha Bai is an excellent piece of architectural structure. From this palace Jodha Bai, used to preside over the daily events in the complex. The Hawa Mahal is a room in the palace, which was made of stone lattice work with numerous windows to let the ladies watch the daily happenings. The Jodha Bai Ka Rauza has splendid carved decorations, which resemble the style of Hindu temple architecture.

The Jodha Bai's Palace is a spot worth a visit and it is one of the most important tourist destinations in Agra. Everyday thousands of tourists and visitors come to see this wonderful place. A visit to the Jodha Bai Ka Rauza will take you back to the grand old days. The walls of the palace are filled with smell of the great history it has witnessed.
There is some news which says that Jodha Bai is not her real name. Historians claim that she was born as Hira Kunwari. We can see many hidden and interesting facts about this lovely queen who lived in 17^th century who lived as an example for Hindu- Muslim unity.