Mughal ruler Aurangzeb had two sisters. Jahanara Begum and Roshanara Begum. Despite being real sisters, there was fierce enmity between the two. The reason for this was the throne of the Mughal Sultanate. When the fight for the throne of Mughal Sultanate started between Shahjahan’s sons Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh, elder sister Jahanara Begum supported Dara Shikoh, while younger sister Roshanara took the side of Aurangzeb.
Why was Aurangzeb irritated with his elder sister?
According to historians, Shahjahan was more fond of his elder son Dara Shikoh and elder daughter Jahanara Begum, that is why Aurangzeb disliked both of them very much. Planned to grab the throne by removing his father and elder brother. Shahjahan became aware of Aurangzeb’s plans. That is why on one occasion Shahjahan called him to Delhi. The plan was to put him in prison, but Roshanara Begum came to know about this plan of Shahjahan and she alerted Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb did not come to Delhi. Later, he imprisoned his father Shahjahan in Agra Fort, while murdered his brother Dara Shikoh.
Since Roshanara Begum had a huge contribution in Aurangzeb’s coronation, when Aurangzeb assumed power, he gave immense powers to Roshanara. He was appointed Mansabdar of the Mughal army. In a way, the entire Mughal army started working under the princess and she became very powerful. Roshanara Begum was famous for her beauty. He spent most of his time in the harem. In a way, Roshanara Begum was the leader of the harem.
Part of the Mughal harem in the Red Fort.
A young man who entered the harem surreptitiously
Anisha Shekhar Mukherjee writes in her book ‘The Red Fort of Shahjahanabad: An Architectural History’ that the harem was the part where no outsider was allowed to enter. This was because of two reasons. Firstly, for the safety of the king and secondly, to ensure that the women living in the harem do not have relations with any outsider. However, despite all the restrictions, some men used to enter the Mughal harem secretly.
kept lover hidden in harem
In those days, Aurangzeb’s younger sister Roshanara fell in love with a person. Despite tight security, the man secretly reached Roshanara Begum with the help of some harem employees. The princess kept the young man hidden in her harem for several days and then one day decided to throw him out of the palace. She handed over the responsibility of this to her close maids.
The personal maids of Roshanara Begum promised the princess that they would drop the young man safely outside the fort in the dark of night, but those maids left the young man alone in the inner part of the palace and ran away. She was afraid that someone would see her and she would be killed if caught. When the maids ran away, the young man got badly scared and kept searching here and there for a way out of the fort throughout the night and in the morning was found unconscious in the garden near the harem.
What did Aurangzeb do when he found out?
Meeting an unknown young man near the harem was a big event. Immediately the soldiers caught that young man. Then he was presented before Aurangzeb. The young man knew that he would be killed if he admitted to entering the royal harem, so he lied and said that he climbed the fort wall from the river bank and wanted to reach the royal palace, but Aurangzeb was surprised at his words. Couldn’t believe it.
Aurangzeb ordered him to descend the fort in the same manner in which he had entered. The young man was taken to the wall. Before he could do so, the eunuchs of the harem threw him from a 60 feet high wall into the river. Anisha Shekhar Mukherjee writes that there is no record of what happened to the young man, but it is unlikely that he would have survived after being thrown from such a height!
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Tags: Aurangzeb, Mughal Emperor, Mughals, Red Fort, Red Fort History
FIRST PUBLISHED: March 19, 2024, 09:37 IST