Mughals, Mosques and Mausoleum

On this date in 1666, 350 years ago, the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent, died in Agra, India at the age of 74. Shah Jahan would reign during what is called the Golden Age of Mughal architecture. His thirty year reign (1628-1658) would see the construction of one of the world’s most iconic buildings, but would also presage the decline of the empire.

Shah Jahan and his favorite wife

Shah Jahan (b. 1592) was reportedly a descendant of one of history’s most notorious and feared conquerors, the man who founded the Mongol Empire--Genghis Kahn (1162-1227). Shah Jahan would take a page out of the Genghis Kahn playbook when he added to the empire by conquering part of Persia. In 1648 Mughals occupied part of Persia, but the conquest was temporary as it would be back in Persian hands before the end of the decade. Shah Jahan is considered by many to be the ideal Mughal Emperor, after all he was more tolerant than some other emporers of the Hindu practices of his subjects. In his practice of Islam, he was more orthodox than the highly regarded third emperor Akbar, but less orthodox than the son who would succeed him. Much of the world was (and is) in wonder of the splendor and opulence of royal courts, and Shah Jahan’s royal court would have well pleased royal watchers of the 17th century. It is said the Mughal court reached its apex during his tenure as emperor. His efforts at conquest and re-conquest would put the empire on the verge of bankruptcy. While the empire would grow to its greatest extent during the rule of his son Aurangzeb, it was also during his son’s reign that the empire would start its decline.

Pearl Mosque

However, the architectural marvels built under his reign were anything but representative of decline. Under his reign the Red Fort at Delhi was constructed, he made additions to the Red Fort at Agra, and he had constructed the Pearl Mosque and the Great Mosque. Yet, the crown jewel of his construction was a mausoleum for his third, and most treasured spouse, Mumtaz Mahal who died in childbirth in 1631. The couple was married in 1612. She gave birth to 14 of his 16 children. The mausoleum he constructed is of course one of the world’s most iconic structures, the Taj Mahal. The marble of the main structure is such that it reflects the hues of the sunlight or the moon light. Its four facades are almost identical. In 1983 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and today is visited by millions of a persons a year. Shah Jahan himself would die within site of the magnificent tomb he had constructed for his most favored wife.

Red Fort at Delhi

Shah Jahan took ill in 1657, and this would set off a level of palace intrigue only the Borgia’s (and possibly the Cardinal’s in the Vatican) would be able to outdo. Four of his sons tried to outdo the others to claim rule of the empire. In the end one son, Aurangzeb, would depose a brother who was the anointed successor and a child born to Shah Jahan's beloved Mumtaz, to take control of the empire in 1658. Like Pope Celestine, who had resigned in the 13th century, and essentially imprisoned by his successor Boniface VIII, Shah Jahan would spend his final years in the Red Fort of Agra.  Apparently Aurangzeb had either power issues, or Daddy issues, but possibly both.  Is there a greater disgrace than to be imprisoned by your own offspring to avoid you claiming the rule after an illness?  Shah Jahan was tended over those last eight years by one of his daughters. At least one of his children had some semblance of decency. He would look out his window at the monument he had built for his wife. Shah Jahan’s name is a footnote in history. The Taj Mahal is history.  His greatest achievement to empire builders may be his ruthless son who succeeded him, but to most others his glorious achievement is a the mausoleum for his most treasured spouse. Power is fleeting, life is momentary, marble is durable.

Taj Mahal