453 years of Marriage of Akbar and Mariam-Uz-Zamani | Part - II

Friends, 

This is Part-2 of the special post on the occasion of the 453rd marriage anniversary of Mughal Emperor Akbar and the Princess of Amer - Harka Bai/Mariam-Uz-Zamani. The marriage took place in Sambhar (Rajputana) on 6th February, 1562.

So, decided to write a DETAILED post related to this event, which defined the future of this nation. This was not only a marriage of 2 individuals, but also a synthesis of two different cultures, religions and races. Such alliances between different communities happened before also, but this one was different from all of them and the magnitude of its impact was unprecedented. It was to change the course of the history of Hindustan. The beauty lies in the fact that the possibility of such an alliance was very remote but it still happened and left an indelible imprint on the annals of Hindustani history.

Since this is a VERY LONG Post, i am providing an index of the contents to act as a mind map.

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 Part-1

This is the first Part. Link to the Post: Click Here

I. Political Events from 1500 to 1562
     - First Battle of Panipat + End of Delhi Sultanate & Estb. of Mughals(1526)
     - Battle of Khanua + Death of Rana Sanga & Prithviraj Kachwaha(1527)
     - Death of Babur(1530), Interruption by Sher Shah Suri's Empire(1540-55)
     - Birth of Maharana Pratap(1540) & Birth of Akbar(1542)
     - Marriage of Akbar and MUZ (1562)

II. Background of this Marriage - Events in Amer till 1562
     - Death of Raja Prithviraj Kachwaha(1527)
     - Father of Kunwar Suja, PuranMal comes to throne(died in 1534)
     - Delicate Political Situation & first contact of Mughals-Rajputs(1534)
     - Uncle of Suja becomes next ruler(till 1537), succeeded by his son(till 1547)
     - Raja BharMal comes to throne(1548-74)
     - Challenge to maintain balance with Mughal-Rajput-Afghan power equation
     - BharMal summoned by Akbar to Delhi(1557)
     - Problems created by Kunwar Suja and Sharif-ud-din(1556-1561)
     - BharMal son/nephews taken hostage by Sharif-ud-din who makes HEAVY demands(1561)
     - Bharmal appeals for peace with Chugtai Khan(1561-62)
     - Chugtai Khan introduces BharMal's nephew to Akbar(1562)
     - Akbar insists on "personal" homage, hence brother of BharMal also meets Akbar
     - At last, Finally, BharMal meets Akbar with Chugtai Khan(1562)
     - Decide to have a marital alliance, Akbar fixes Sambhar as the venue
     - Marriage on 6th February, 1562

III. Account of Raja BharMal and Marriage of Akbar with Raja Bharmal's Daughter, from Maasir
     - clan of Raja BharMal
     - loyalty and valor impresses Akbar
     - marriage on 6th February, 1562
     - appointment to high offices

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Part-2
This is the present post.

IV. Account with minute details of this marriage from Akbarnama
     - Akbar visits Ajmer
     - Meeting with BharMal
     - Sharif-ud-din shows "hesitation" in releasing son/nephews of BharMal despite orders of Akbar
     - Marriage in Sambhar on 6th February, 1562
     - Man Singh and Bhagwan Das taken to Agra
     - BharMal made a mansabdar of 5000

V.  Interesting details from Scanned Horoscope of Akbar from Akbarnama 
     - mentions he WILL marry native princesses from India and more.....
     - mentions about sons from them
     - talks about increasing relish of friendship and love
     - grandchildren

VI. Foundations of this marriage laid down by Humayun before his death
     - paper from the Indian History Congress
     - Humayun advised by King of Iran to conciliate with Rajputs & Afghans
     - Humayun advises Akbar NOT to use force but conciliate with Rajputs

VII. Rajputana records of this marriage
     - wrong date of birth of Harka Bai on Internet
     - Harka Bai was engaged twice before her marriage to Akbar
     - her fiance died in a war

VIII. Views of eminent historian Late Dr. B.P. Saxena about this marriage 
     - no other marriage in medieval history was as happy & fruitful politically
     - new dawn in Indian politics

IX. Views of eminent biographer historian Dr. Lal about this marriage 
     - views about Akbar
     - DETAILED views about Harka Bai & her equation with Akbar

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Now, starting with the Main Post | Part-2

IV. Account with minute details of this marriage from Akbarnama..


 
Well...
It is interesting to note that, in the Akbarnama (II), Abu'l Fazl has devoted a complete chapter to describe the marriage of Akbar with the Princess of Amer. 

We all know, Akbar contracted many marriages which were political in nature, but it is a point worth noting that ONLY his marriage with the Princess of Amer has found mention in Akbarnama in such depth, that too in a separate chapter. 

Surprisingly, his marriage with Ruqayya Begum has not received even a passing reference in the entire text of Akbarnama.! This point was startling for me, hence i mentioned it here.

I have posted the scans below along with the text in English. The entire text from Akbarnama is present below and is worth reading in entirety. Though, i have highlighted some part.


 
Pg-240 

His Majesty's Visit to Ajmer and Marriage with Raja BharMal's(also called BiharMal) Daughter

" As the Shahinshah's holy soul searches after knowers of the Truth and is inquisitive about reputations founded on reality, he determined on the very hunting-ground to pursue spiritual game, and though his followers urged that he should not go to remote places, and spoke of the dangers of them and the numbers of refractory persons there, he did not give heed to them, for his mind was set upon going, and only became more determined to make the expedition. On the day of Shahriyar 4 Bahman, Divine month, corresponding to Wednesday 9th Jamada-al-awwal (14th January, 1562), he set off to Ajmer with a few attendants who belonged to the hunting-party. An order was also issued that Maham Anaga should convey the seraglio to Ajmer by way of Mewat, and in accordance with it she hastened thither. 

When His Majesty reached the village of Kalavali (Karauli), Chaghatai Khan(remember Chugtai Khan from the show, who was Raja BharMal's well-wisher), who as an intimate courtier had means of speaking to him, represented the facts of the loyalty of Raja Bihari Mal, who was head of the Kachwaha clan, which was a distinguished tribe of Rajputs. The Rajah, he said, was eminent for wisdom and valour and had always been loyal to the sublime family and had done excellent service. He had in Delhi kissed the threshhold and had conducted himself as one of those who were firmly bound to the sublime saddle-straps.   
{From the Part-1 post of this series we already know that Raja BharMal was summoned to Delhi, by Akbar in 1556-57.}

For a long time he had been apprehensive on account of his bad treatment by Sharif-ud-Din Husain Mirza and had taken refuge in the folds of the hills. If a ray from the sun of the Shah were to fall upon him and he were raised from the dust and so freed from the tribulations of the age, perchance his services would be approved of by the holy glance which is an elixir of auspiciousness.


 
Pg-241

The brief details of the oppression that he had suffered are that when Mewat was made Muhammad Sharifud-Din Husain's fief, he wanted to take possession of the town of Amber which is in Marwar and was the seat of Rajah Bihari Mal's ancestors. 

At this time the son of Puran Mal, the Rajah's elder brother,(Kunwar Suja) out of wickedness and because he wanted the chiefship for himself, came and paid his respects to the Mirza(Sharif-ud-din) and raised troubles. The Mirza led an army against Rajah Bihari Mal, and as the times were unfavourable and the Rajah had not a large force, he came to terms. A fixed contribution was laid upon him, and his son Jagannath, Raj Singh the son of Askaran, and Khangar Singh the son of Jagmal, who were the Rajah's brothers' sons, were taken as hostages, who in Hindi are called ol . The Mirza then went off to Ajmer and Nagor, and this year it was his fixed intention to collect troops and to extirpate the family.

When the tale of the loyalty of this old family had been communicated to His Majesty he graciously gave permission for the introduction of the Rajah. When the cavalcade reached Deosa, most of the inhabitants fled from fear. His Majesty said, "We have no other intention than to do good to all mankind. What can be the reason of the flight of those people? Apparently these rustics of the valley of desolation have drawn an inference from the oppression they have undergone from Sharifud-Din Husain and so have run away." 

{
Note:
The image of Akbar was such in the minds of the inhabitants of Rajputana that time, the entire village fled when they came to know that Akbar was coming here.! Basically, it was fear of Akbar which drove them away. Though, Abu'l Fazl has put the entire blame on Sharif-ud-din for this, but we have some acts committed by Mughal forces ; for example - in Alwar (Hemu's hometown) after winning the Second Battle of Panipat, which are enough to create fear in anyone's mind. Remember that, this was another shade of Akbar. He was "soft and hard" - "spiritual and cruel" ; at the same time. It is very tough to understand this monarch, completely. Till date, i am trying.  :-)
}

At the close of the day, Jaimal(do not confuse him with the Jaimal who fought in Chittor Battle against the Mughal forces) the son of Rupsi, Rajah Bihari Mal's brother and the headman of this district, came and was introduced by the courtiers and did homage. {It was insisted that Jaimal's father, Rupsi should come personally, and hence he came later. See below.}
They represented that the son of the advent as a great gift of God and himself come and kiss the threshshold." Of necessity Rupsi came in person and made the dust of fortune's threshhold the antimony of the eye of auspiciousness. He was exalted by royal favours.


Pg-242

Next day when the village of Sanganir(7 miles South-West of Jaipur) was made the camping ground, Chaghatai Khan introduced Rajah Bihari Mal together with many of his relations and leading men of his clan. Rajah Bhagwant Das, the Rajah's eldest son, was excepted, as he had been left in charge of the families. 
(
^^ The date was 20th January 1562. I made a post on this. Here is the Link: 
When Akbar visited Ajmer for the First Time
)
His Majesty with his discerning glance read devotion and sincerity in the behaviour of the Rajah and his relatives. He captured his [the Raja's] heart by kindness and exalted his rank. The Rajah, from right thinking and elevated fortune, considered that he should bring himself out of the ruck [crowd] of landholders and make himself one of the distinguished ones of the Court. In order to effect this purpose he thought of a special alliance, to wit, that he should by means of those who had the right of entree introduce his eldest daughter, "in whose forehead shone the lights of chastity and intellect", among the attendants on the glorious pavilion. In as much as graciousness is natural to His Majesty the Shahinshah, his petition was accepted, and His Majesty sent him off from this station along with Chaghatai Khan, in order that he might arrange for this alliance, which is the material of the eternal glory of the family, and quickly bring his daughter.

{
Note:
Now, here is the catch. Though, it is mentioned that Raja Bharmal "thought of an alliance" & decided to get his daughter married, but the idea was not his; it was suggested to him from the Mughal side. The policy was started by Humayun. He formed marital alliance with the Hasat Mewati. Read below. After the end of Akbarnama extract, I have given a paper of Mr. S.Chandra, President of Indian History Congress.
}

One of the dominion-increasing events of this time, and [one] which was an instance of the daily-increasing distribution of justice by the Shahinshah and a cause of tranquilizing a crowd of the terrified inhabitants of the district, was the punishment of a leopard-keeper. The brief account of this is that as the Shahinshah made the hunting with the leopard one of the veils of his world-adorning beauty, and showed a strong passion for it and often indulged in it, one of the leopard keepers waxed proud in his ignorance, and forcibly took off a man's pair of shoes and appropriated them. The owner was lamenting, and accidentally his cries came to His Majesty's ears and the truth was discovered. The redresser of injustice, as soon as he heard of the tyranny, ordered that the leopard-keeper should be seized and brought to him. An order was issued for cutting off his feet, and this was a warning to men of the world, and a lesson in wisdom to the savages of the fields of heedlessness. It became known in the country, and afterwards no one thought of running away or becoming a vagabond.

{
Note:
Similar incident was shown in the Jodha Akbar show. Akbar ordered the feet of a person to be cut, as he did a crime of stealing shoes. This happened just before his marriage.
}


Pg-243

{
Note:
Following section talks about the incident where Akbar asks Sharif-ud-din to hand over Raja BharMal's relatives back safely to him(Akbar). But, Sharif makes excuses and returns the hostages back after severe warning of Akbar. It is interesting to see that Sharif was NOT ready to give away the hostages despite the personal insistence of Akbar.
}


Peace and tranquility appeared in the country. When the standards were pitched at Sambhar, Sharif-ud-Din Mirza had the bliss of doing homage, and brought suitable gifts. 

His Majesty the Shahinshah demanded Jagannath, Raj Singh, and Kangar, whom the Mirza had taken as hostages, in order that Rajah Bihari Mal might be entirely free from apprehensions. 

The Mirza agreed to surrender them, but put off the time of doing so by subterfuges. His Majesty thought the excuses were genuine and waited in expectation of the arrival of the hostages. 

At this stage Adham Khan came from behind and joined the camp. From here the expedition went with all possible speed to Ajmer, and arrived at that bliss-conferring city in an auspicious hour. The visit to the illustrious shrine of his holiness the Khwaja [Mu'in-ud-din Chishti] was performed, and the persons in charge of that sacred city were the recipients of fortune.

Maham Anga brought the ladies by way of Mewat and had the bliss of accomplishing her service. His Majesty decided that the return journey should be quickly undertaken.
Sharif-ud-Din Husain Mirza, to whom the task of taking Mirtha had been entrusted, ignorantly suggested that in order to aid in his accomplishing this work, His Majesty should go thither to hunt. 

When he was convinced that this plan was impracticable, he fell into the notion that His Majesty would remain encamped at Ajmer for some days. But as the holy heart was bent upon returning to the capital, all the officers who held Jagirs [=land-holdings] in the neighborhood... were appointed to assist the Mirza, and His Majesty moved toward Agra.  

A stringent order was issued for the production of the hostages, and when the camps had been pitched at Sambhar, the Mirza brought before His Majesty Jagannath, Raj Singh, and Kangar. 

Rajah Bihari Mal, in the sincerity of his disposition, made the arrangements for the marriage in the most admirable manner, and brought his fortunate daughter to this station and placed her among the ladies of the harem. 

For the purpose of holding the marriage-feast, the imperial cavalcade halted for a day in Sambhar. At the same place leave to depart was given to Sharif-ud-Din Husain, and His Majesty set off rapidly on his march.

 
Pg-244

When he came near Ratanpur*, Rajah Bihari Mal and all his children and other relatives were exalted by doing homage. Man Singh, the son of Rajah Bhagwant Das, the heir of Rajah Bihari Mal, was then exalted by the auspicious ray of His Majesty's glance, and was made a permanent officer.
{
Note:
* Persian text of Akbarnama says > "Ratanpur". But, the English translator says "Ranthambore". This should be Ratanpur only. That time, Ranthambore was in occupation of Rao Surjan Singh Hada(clan of Chauhan Rajputs), who was an ally of Rana Udai Singh of Mewar.
}

Rajah Bihari Mal wished that His Majesty the Shahinshah should honor his house by visiting it, so that the promotion of his family's glory might obtain completion. As His Majesty was fixed in his intention of returning to Agra, and was in a great hurry, the fulfillment of this wish was put off to another time. 
{
^^Akbar promised to visit Amer another time, which he did. 
See this end of this post. Link:
Relations of Akbar with Mariam-Uz-Zamani and Rajputs of Amer Clan
}

The Rajah was encompassed with favours and given leave to depart. Rajah Bhagwant Singh, Man Singh, and a number of their officers and relatives attached themselves to the stirrup of fortune and proceeded on to the capital. The long distance was accomplished in less than three days, and on the day of Isfandarmaz, Divine month, corresponding to Friday 8 Jamadi-al-Akhiri, His Majesty arrived alone at the capital. 
{^^The distance from Sambhar to Agra was completed in 3 days.}

The city received celestial exaltation by the halo of the advent, and the eyes of the spectators gained the glory of stars from the rays of his. The camp proceeded in his wake, stage by stage, and all, high and low, uttered congratulations and thanks to God for the advent. The Khedive of the age sat on the masnad of rule, and undertook the discharge of the intricacies of administration. As the daily-increasing fortune glorifies the state, every new day confers a special blessing. Wonderful regulations were promulgated. As the principles of the rule of the Lord of the Age were good, the results appeared in the return of a time of auspiciousness. Every class obtained a career suitable to its condition, and worldly aspirants had their desires gratified.

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V.  Interesting details from Scanned Horoscope of Akbar from Akbarnama 
I want to share something interesting. While reading Akbarnama, i came across Akbar's horoscope. I am NOT used to astrology but for those who know this science , the information may prove very interesting and they may understand it better. For me, it was quite fascinating.

Akbar's horoscope given in Akbarnama (I;101,113) says something worth noting. I am talking about the Seventh House from his horoscope which represents marriage. 

Here is the post where i posted horoscope of Akbar:
REAL Date of Birth of Akbar | Was Akbar a Title ?

The horoscope says that:
   
(a) Akbar will (<- future tense because this horoscope was made sometime after his birth) marry the chaste ladies from indigenous ruling families of India. 
(b) It mentions about the princes from them. 
(c) It also talks about an increasing relish of friendship and love.

If we try to understand these points, it is quite clear that - >

a. Akbar did marry Rajput princesses from the native ruling families of Hindustan. 
b. His first wife was from among those native families - Harka Bai (later MUZ) who DID give birth to his sons (princes). First, the twins Hasan and Husain. Later, Salim who became the next ruler, Murad and Daniyal, who all lived considerably longer. 
c. And lastly, no doubt, MUZ's & Akbar's story is still famous, in the form of the "special bond" they shared, be it from contemporary Hindustani sources (Facts-MUZ Point#1) or from other accounts (MUZ in FS accounts-II)|(MUZ-III).

The scan of the horoscope from Akbarnama is given below. This is what Akbarnama itself says-->

Positions of Stars in Seventh House:

Explanation of the Seventh House:

^^^^ I hope this bit of information was interesting. :-P


Just for information, i want to mention that Akbar's horoscope also indicates that he would have his grandchildren under his care, which was quite true. We saw in the post on Khusrau how much Akbar was attached to Khusrau and kept him under his personal attention. (Khurram was also attached to Akbar). We also saw in that post that Akbar declared that he loved his grandchildren more than his own children.

Link:
Khusrau - The Unfortunate Mughal Prince - Struggle for Power - Part-1

Here is another scan from Akbarnama (I, 108), which indicates that Akbar's grandchildren would grow up under his care.

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VI. Foundations of this Marriage Laid Down by Humayun Before his Death


 
According to Mr. S.Chandra, Secretary(1971-73) and General President(1977) of the Indian History Congress and the founder member of Centre for Historical Studies, JNU -> 

"Akbar's marriage with Harka Bai, Princess of Amber was an event, the background of which was laid down by his father at the time of his death. He had asked Akbar to conciliate with the Rajputs because this "Qaum/race" was not used to subjugation and transgression."

He further says - 

" When Sher Shah Suri had defeated Humayun and he was ousted from Hindustan, he took refuge with the King of Iran. There, the king asked Humayun about the reasons for his losses and also the bravest clans in Hindustan as per his opinion. Humayun replied about Rajputs and Afghans. The king advised him to win them by conciliation as force won't work against them. In short, he urged him to win their loyalty to his side. Coming back to Hindustan(1555), Humayun formed an alliance with Hasan Khan of Mewat, by marriage. The alliance with Rajputs was not made possible in the lifetime of Humayun(as he died next year, in 1556) but by his son - Akbar, which formed the roots of Mughal Empire in India. {Afghan power got weakened, Akbar employed Rajputs as his trusted aides.} "

For more details, I have posted here the relevant scans from his research papers. {I have written almost the entire text of these scans in English above, in brief, because some of the readers use the Google Translate option to translate the contents to Russian, Indonesian and Vietnamese, but the scanned pics won't get translated. If these readers require the entire text of the scans to be written in English, then let me know via a comment. I'll do it. }

^^ Note the last few lines of this text, in light of the preceding lines. It was "insisted" that the Raja should submit personally and it was suggested to him that the daughter be married.

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VII. Rajputana records of this marriage - Harka Bai was Engaged Twice Before.!!

Harka Bai (HK) was engaged (not married) twice, before her marriage with Akbar. It may seem shocking to readers but the fact is -

1. One of the princes to whom she was engaged died in a war (a border skirmish) while fighting.
2. Another engagement was broken.

I do NOT have the exact chronology of these^^ events with me at present. These engagements happened when she was 11 and 14 years old. {The names of the princes to whom HK was engaged can be found but would need time. }

Also, the Year of Birth of Harka Bai mentioned on the Internet is not correct. The sources i referred to mention her DOB around mid-1546. So she was 15+ at the time of her marriage with Akbar. She got married to Akbar exactly 8 months after her previous engagement.


The official reason for this marriage as given in the Royal Amer accounts > 

"Amer Raja Vanshawali, Jaipur MS, Pg-63", is  -> "Rival claimants to the throne of Amer, with Mughal interference for support to rivals, the settlement of which ultimately lead to this marriage with Akbar." 

This clearly refers to the Suja-Sharif-BharMal incident, which we all know from our reading just now. Suja went to Sharif-ud-din. Later BharMal had to go to Akbar to request the release of his son/nephews, the cost of which was paid by Harka Bai. Her mother was DEAD AGAINST this marriage.
{
Note:
 Both the movie and serial Jodha Akbar are 'partially' correct about HK's engagement(s) with Rajput prince(s) before her marriage to Akbar, and it seems they built the story on whatever truth they had come to know. If anyone knows someone who is well-versed in Rajputana history and has access to Imperial records, the person would be able to tell better. I am still searching. Will take time. 
}

**************************************



VIII. Views of Eminent Historian Late Dr. B.P. Saxena About This Marriage 

Writing around a 100 years back, in 1920's, eminent historian Prof. B.P. Saxena, Uni. HOD Allahabad & later Jodhpur, says the following about this marriage. 

Note: 
He died early, in 1945. After his death, his papers were published in the Indian History Congress.

See the text highlighted in yellow color -

**************************************

IX. Views of Eminent Mughal Biographer / Historian Dr. Lal About This Marriage 

Here is another piece of work from a noted historian of Delhi. He is famous by his pen name Lal. 

{This account has been shared with me by a friend of mine. I do not claim any credit for this scan/work/piece of information.} 


As i have already mentioned - In "old texts" the name is often found as Jodha Bai / but as more research is done and documents dug up, the case becomes clear; recent researches have corrected the name to Harka Bai(as you saw in the paper by Dr. Chandra, Indian History Congress, which i posted above)

Another thing which i would like to clarify - is about Maham Anga. The text says - She became fond of Jodha Bai(means, HK). Yes, it's true, but that happened at the fag end of her life. Otherwise, she was a great political player. Indirectly, she has been blamed for miscarriages in the harem by Abu'l Fazl, who says - "His Majesty was broken, knowing the role of the lady, whom he gave his mother's status, in him remaining childless. ".

Read the following scan, especially the part highlighted in yellow color, which talks about Akbar and the importance of the HK(Heer Kunwari / Harka Bai) in his life. It also talks about Akbar's visit to Ajmer and consequent marriage. Keep emphasis on the highlighted text.

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Conclusion:

So friends, this was a post on marriage of Akbar and Mariam-Uz-Zamani - An event which defined the future of this land. The coming together of these two people was a landmark event in the history of this land. The beauty of their relationship lies in the fact that these 2 were strangers to each other. 

One of them claimed descent from the Mongols and another belonged to the land of Rajputana of Hind. Despite these differences their relationship evolved and there was something so special and mysterious about them, that they are still remembered and praises of them are sung in the Golden Triangle region of India. Their tale survived the ravages for time for 450+ years and will surely survive in future also. Some bonds are made for eternity.

It took a LOT of time to make these 2 posts.  I have tried to give as much details as possible. Still, some accounts have been left due to paucity of time. Will post them in future.

Hope you all enjoyed reading it. 
Including the horoscope of Akbar and the last account which mentioned about the equation of Akbar and MUZ and the place of the latter in the former's life.






The Part-1 can be read here..
453 years of Marriage of Akbar and Mariam-Uz-Zamani | Part - I
 

This article has been posted under the Mughals(Akbar) and Jodha Akbar section of history_geek's BLOG.