The name 'Jodha Bai' was first used in relation to Mariam-uz-Zamani in James Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, a colonialist history written in the early 19th century. The name by which she is most popularly known in modern times is 'Jodha Bai'.
She would officially use the name Wali Nimat Mariam-uz-Zamani Begum Sahiba. She was commonly referred as ' Shahi Begum' ( lit. 'Exalted Empress') and ' Mallika-e-Hindustan' ( lit. Apart from the title of Mariam-uz-Zamani, she also bore two more glorious titles of ' Mallika-e-Muezamma' ( lit. This was the title by which she was referred to in contemporary Mughal chronicles, including Jahangir's autobiography, the Tuzk-e-Jahangiri. ' Mariam-uz-Zamani' was a prestigious title bestowed on her by Akbar on the occasion of their son Jahangir's birth. 'Blessings of God') by Akbar, in 1564, after two years of her marriage. She was bestowed an honorific Muslim name, ' Wali Nimat Begum' ( lit. Other names provided by various sources include Harkha Bai, Jiya Rani, Maanmati bai, Harika bai, Hira Kunwari, Heer Kunwari, and Shahi-Bai. In an 18th-century genealogy of her clan (the Kachwahas) for example, she is referred to as 'Harkhan Champavati'. Later historical accounts give several suggestions for her birth name.
She was the mother of Akbar's eldest surviving son and eventual successor, Jahangir, and grandmother of Shah Jahan.Īrtistic impression of Mariam-uz-Zamani, chief Rajput Queen of Akbar, commonly known as Jodha bai. She was an intelligent, amiable, kind, gentle and secular woman. The Empress held a prodigious influence in the matters of the court during Akbar's reign and was often consulted by Akbar in important matters. Several medieval historical chronicles, written during the reign of Emperor Akbar namely 'Tarikh-I-Farishta' and 'Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh', by Abdul Qadir Badayuni, a courtier in Akbar's court states Mariam-uz-Zamani to be the favorite and most influential consort of Akbar. As recorded by Henry Beveridge, she was head of the Hindu harem of Akbar. She was a senior-ranking wife of Akbar who in the words of Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, commanded a high rank in the imperial harem. Akbar once publicly referred her as 'a piece of the moon'. She was an extremely beautiful woman recorded to possess uncommon beauty, widely known for both, her grace and intellect. She was commonly referred as Shahi Begum ( lit. In subsequent centuries, she has been referred to by several other names, including Jodha bai, Heer Kunwari, Hira Kunwari, and Harkha Bai. She is widely regarded in modern Indian historiography as exemplifying both Akbar's and the Mughals' tolerance of religious differences and their inclusive policies within an expanding multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire. Her marriage to Akbar led to a gradual shift in the latter's religious and social policies. īorn a Rajput princess in 1542, she was married to Akbar by her father, Raja Bharmal of Amer due to political exigencies.
She was the favorite Queen Consort of Akbar and was the longest-serving Hindu Empress of the Mughal Empire with a tenure of forty-three years (1562 –1605). 1542 – ), commonly known by the misnomer Jodha Bai, was the principal Rajput wife and chief consort of the third Mughal Emperor, Akbar.