The Mughals were the most vital and dominant rulers in Indian history. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Mughals expanded their Empire almost all over the country. Rajput rulers were losing control over North and North East India, the places they used to rule, to the Turko Afghan sultanate. They were valiant fighters who fought till the end. Still, they were in a disadvantageous position politically. Whereas the Mughals defeated the Turko Afghan sultanate.
They also defeated the last king Rana Sanga of Chittor from the Rajput confederation. When Akbar came to power, he realized the necessity of having loyal and strong armed forces. Thus, he formed a new diplomacy policy. On the hand, the Rajput rulers were also thinking of newer ways of coming back to power. Subsequently, Rajputs became close allies with the Mughals.
It was Akbar’s diplomatic strategy to reinforce their control all over the country by forming close ties with the Rajputs. He believed Rajputs would provide them with a loyal and strong military. The military power would provide immense protection to him and the Mughal empire as a whole. Emperor Akbar engaged Rajputs in various services under the Mughal empire.
The way the Rajputs were providing protection and strengthening the Mughal empire, they were eventually awarded money and various important positions in the administration, for instance, the post of Mansabdars was offered to the Rajputs. As the alliance strengthened over a period of time, Emperor Akbar abolished Jizya Tax and Pilgrimage tax for the Hindus. Through the rapprochement techniques with Hindus, particularly with the Rajputs, Emperor Akbar slowly expanded the Mughal Empire to Northern India and partly to the Deccan area.
After the mid-15th century, the two rulers Mughals and Rajputs formed a marital alliance between them. As the Rajputs were losing political hold gradually, they agreed to trade their daughters for political advantage. Rajputs agreed to send their daughters to the imperial harem of Akbar. The imperial harem of Akbar was functional for 150 years, starting from 1562 to 1715.
The first Rajput girl who got married to the Mughal Emperor Akbar and got entry to the Mughal zenana, in 1562, was known by various names such as Jodha Bai, Harkha Bai, and Hira Kunwai. She was the daughter of the king of Amber, Raja Bihari Mal (Bharmal). By getting her married to the Mughal king, the Rajputs acquired a lot of rewards and power. The brother of Akbar’s wife named Raja Bhagwan Das also became a commander in Mughal cavalry. Similarly, Bikaner's Rao Kalyanmal also wanted to marry off his two nieces namely Raj Kanwar and Bhanumati to Emperor Akbar.
It was around the same time the king of Jaisalmer Hari Raj wanted their daughter, Rajkumari Nathi Bai to get married to Emperor Akbar. His son Kunwar Sultan Singh was also got appointed by Akbar as a nobleman in the court.
Akbar never opposed them practicing their own Hindu religion. Even he offered respectable positions to his wives’ parents and other relatives in the nobility. Akbar never tried to convert them to Islam, they were allowed to practice various Hindu rituals and prayers as they did in their paternal house.
But the striking thing is, in the Mughal chronicles, there are no Hindu names of the Mughal Emperor’s wives are recorded, they are only Muslim names of the wives that are recorded. Thus, there is no mention of Jodha Bai in Mughal records rather she is identified as 'Mariam-uz-Zamani', which was a title given by Akbar to his wife.
Akbar’s son and successor Jahangir too continued the marital ties with the Rajputs. Before his accession to power, Jahangir married the daughter of Raja Bhagwant Das, a Kachchwaha princess named Mani Bai. Then, after becoming the Emperor, he married several Rajput girls. Notably, the daughters of Ram Chandra Bundela and Jagat Singh Kachchawaha, who was the son of Raja Man Singh, got married to Jahangir.
After a period of time, when Mughals observed that they had achieved stability in their empire, the marital alliances between Mughals and Rajputs became less in number. The last marriage alliance between the Mughals and Rajputs was in 1715. Emperor Farrukhsiyar married Indira Kanwar, who was the daughter of King of Marwar Ajit Singh. But the Rajput king hated his son-in-law and was instrumental in overthrowing his rule and killing him. India Kanwar was also brought back from the imperial harem and got converted to the Hindu religion.
Here is a list of marriage alliances between the Mughals and the Rajputs −
| Names of Notable Mughal Emperors | Their Rajput Wives and The Year of Their Marriage Alliances |
|---|---|
| Akbar married |
|
| Shahzada Sultan Danial Mirza married. | The daughter of Raja Kanwar Raomal of Jodhpur in 1595 |
| Jahangir married |
|
| Sultan Muhammad Parvez Mirzamarried | The sister of Raja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur in1624. |
| Shah Jahan married | Lilavati Baiji, the daughter of Rao Sakat Singh of Kharwar in 1627. |
| Prince Suleiman Shikoh married | Anoop Kunwar Bai, the daughter of AmarSingh of Nagaur in 1654. |
| Aurangzeb married | Anuradha Bai, the daughter of Raja RajuMaharaj of Rajauri in 1639. |
| Farrukh-siyar narried | Indira Kanwar, the daughter of Raja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur in 1715. |
Interestingly, there were not many instances of Mughal princesses getting married to the Rajput kings. It is believed that in spite of a few attempts of Akbar marrying off the Mughal princesses to the Rajputs, the Rajputs did not agree, as they wanted to maintain the purity of blood in their clan.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, under the Mughal Empire, the course of the history of the Indian and Subcontinent changed a lot. The mighty Rajput rulers in Northern India were losing their hold over various places gradually. On the other hand, the Mughals were unable to expand their empire throughout the country. Among various strategies for expanding their empire, the most impactful one was Akbar’s strategy of marriage alliances with the Rajputs. Rajputs were also willing to strengthen the Mughal Empire for their political advantages. They willingly married off their daughters to the Mughal emperors and in return, they were rewarded with money and other respectable positions in various services under the Mughal empire.
Q1. Who were the Rajputs?
Ans. The Rajputs were the warrior clans who were famous for their bravery and loyalty. The name ‘Rajput’ was taken from the Sanskrit word ‘Raja Putra’ which means a King’s son. They had their origin in West India, North India, East India, and some parts of Pakistan. They ruled India from the 6th century to the 12 century.
Q2. Who were the Mughals?
Ans. The Mughals were a part of the Timurid dynasty. This dynasty had its origin in the Turco Mongols of Central Asia. They began their rule in India in 1526 and ruled over the subcontinent which includes modern India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan by 1707. Till the 1850s they were the ruling power in India.
Q3. Who was Emperor Akbar?
Ans. Emperor Akbar’s full name was Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar. He was the third Mughal emperor who was in power from 1556 to 1605. He was the son of emperor Humayun. Akbar was called ‘the great’ emperor because of his several accomplishments such as expanding the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent, his tolerant attitude towards other religious practices, his administrative reform policies, and his progressive attitude to abolishing discrimination between Hindus and Muslims by terminating taxes.
Q4. What is Jizya?
Ans. Under the Islamic law ruled state the Jizya is a taxation system that is a per capita taxation submitted yearly. It was only charged to the non-Muslims or dhimmis of the state. Jizyas are mentioned in The Quan and the hadiths, but the amount of taxation is not mentioned there. Although earlier Jizyas were charged on the Jews and Christians, when the Islamic rulers built their empire in the Indian subcontinent, Jizyas were charged upon Hindus too. Jizyas were the prices non-muslims had to pay for getting protection from the Islamic rulers.
Q5. Whom did Azam Shah marry?
Ans. Azam Shah the Mughal emperor married the princess Ramani Gabharu Nawab Rehmat Banu Begum, who was the daughter of King Swargadeva Jayadhwaj Simha of Assam in 1668. In 1669, he married Jahanzeb Bano Begum who was his cousin. His third wife was Shahar Bano Begum. She was the daughter of Ali Adil Shah II, whom he married in 1681.
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