Shah Jahan

Aarav Kapoor
VII-E
 Who was Shah Jahan?
Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram better known by his regnal
name Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal emperor, who reigned from
1628 to 1658. He is widely considered one of the greatest Mughal
emperors; under his reign the Mughal Empire reached the peak of its
glory. Although an able military commander, Shah Jahan is perhaps
best remembered for his architectural achievements.
 Information about Shah Jahan
Full Name- Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram
Date of Birth and Place- 5 January 1592 in Lahore, Pakistan
Date of Death and Place- 22 January 1666 in Agra Fort, Agra
Father- Jahangir
Mother- Jagat Gosain
Wife- Mumtaz Mahal, Izz-un-nissa, Akbarabadi Mahal, Fatehpuri Mahal, Muti Begum, Qudsia Begum
Sons- Aurangzeb, Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja, Murad Bakhsh, Sultan Daulat Afza, Sultan Ummid Baksh,
Sultan Luftallah
Daughters- Jahanara Begum, Roshanara Begum, Parhez Banu Begum, Gauhar Ara Begum, Husnara
Begum, Shahzadi Surayya Banu Begum, Huralnissa Begum, Purhunar Banu Begum
Successor- Aurangzeb
 Administration
Evidence from the reign of Shah Jahan states that in 1648 the army consisted of 911,400 infantry, musketeers,
and artillery men, and 185,000 Sowars commanded by princes and nobles.His cultural and political initial steps
have been described as a type of the Timurid Renaissance, in which he built historical and political bonds with
his Timurd heritage mainly via his numerous unsuccessful military campaigns on his ancestral region of Balkh.
In various forms, Shah Jahan appropriated his Timurid background and grafted it onto his imperial
legacy.During his reign the Marwari horse was introduced, becoming Shah Jahan's favourite, and various
Mughal cannons were mass-produced in the Jaigarh Fort. Under his rule, the empire became a huge military
machine and the nobles and their contingents multiplied almost fourfold, as did the demands for more revenue
from their citizens. But due to his measures in the financial and commercial fields, it was a period of general
stability—the administration was centralised and court affairs systematised.
 Architectural Achievements

Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the southern bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It
was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.It is One of the greatest Architectural Achievements Of
Shah Jahan.Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643, but work continued on other phases of the
project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost
estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees. The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the
guidance of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.
 Architectural Achievements
Red Fort
The Red Fort is a historic fort in the city of Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors.
Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift his capital from
Agra to Delhi. Originally red and white, Shah Jahan's favourite colours, its design is credited to architect Ustad Ahmad
LahoriConstructed in 1639 by the fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as the palace of his fortified capital Shahjahanabad, the
Red Fort is named for its massive enclosing walls of red sandstone. The imperial apartments consist of a row of pavilions,
connected by a water channel known as the Stream of Paradise . The fort complex is "considered to represent the zenith of
Mughal creativity under Shah Jahan"
 Military Achievements
During his reign he was able to expand the empire considerably. He sent his sons with large armies to
conquer territories on different fronts. He annexed the Rajput confederates of Baglana, Mewar and
Bundelkhand, and went on to conquer the fortress at Daulatabad, Maharashtra. His son Aurangzeb
also added several territories to the Mughal Empire.Shah Jahan and his sons successfully continued
their military campaigns and captured the city of Kandahar in 1638 from the Safavids. This led to
retaliation of the Persians, led by Abbas II of Persia who reclaimed the territory after a few years.
Even though Shah Jahan was unable to recapture it from the Persians, he was able to expand the
Mughal Empire to the west beyond the Khyber Pass to Ghazna and Kandahar.
 Last Days of Life
Shah Jahan fell ill in 1658 and appointed his and Mumtaz Mahal's eldest son Dara Shikoh as his
regent. Dara's three younger brothers immediately rose up against him and marched on the
capital at Agra. Aurangzeb defeated Dara and his other brothers and took the throne. Shah Jahan
then recovered from his illness, but Aurangzeb declared him unfit to rule and had him locked up
in the Agra Fort for the rest of his life. Shah Jahan spent his last eight years gazing out the
window at the Taj Mahal, attended by his daughter Jahanara Begum.Princess Jahanara had
planned a state funeral which was to include a procession with Shah Jahan's body carried by
eminent nobles followed by the notable citizens of Agra and officials scattering coins for the poor
and needy. Aurangzeb refused to accommodate such ostentation. The body was taken to the Taj
Mahal and was interred there next to the body of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.