This scene from "Akbarnama" depicts the birth of Salim and Mariam Ur Zamani is shown on the bed, her complexion clearly more subcontinental than the Timurid ladies. In Jahangir's own memorial Tuzk E Jahangiri he fondly remembers her by her title Mariam Ur Zamani. She lived well into her son's reign, had her own trading ships and business dealings and died in 1623 A.D. Upon Salim's birth she was given the title of "Mariam Ur Zamani" or Mary of the Age. The only reason Harka Bai finds more mention in Akbar's self sponsored Biography by Abul Fazl, the Akbarnama is because she had given birth to his first heir Salim, after much difficulty in Akbar's life for an heir apparent. Rukaiya remained Akbar's Padshah Begum throughout her life.
She along with other princesses who came from different Hindu states made the Rajput Harem which she in turn headed. Harka Bai was of prominence in order to establish Akbar as a secular ruler and contributed to history by incorporating her Rajput culture and heritage into the Timurid legacy. His chief wife, cousin and consort, Rukaiya Sultana Begum, the daughter of his father's half brother Hindal Mirza and Salima Sultana Begum, the daughter of his father's sister, who also happened to be a widow of his mentor Bairam Khan who died in an attack. She came into Akbar's Harem after a marriage of Alliance between Amer and the Timurids. Her date of birth remains unknown as is the case with most Rajput women of her times but her lineage is in no way related to the Rathores of Marwar.
She is Harka Bai, born to Raja Bharmal of Amer and is also referred to as Heer Kanwar. The title had over time been wrongly attributed to her. (Harem being where the women including royals and their staff stayed) But the princess of Amer, who is referred to as Jodha Bai was not actually someone with that title. He may have had princesses from Marwar in his harem as well. That can also include Merta Princesses, the most popular one being Meera Bai, who was married to Bhoj Raj the heir apparent of Rana Sanga of Chittorgarh, Mewar.Īkbar married not one but many Rajput princesses under his alliance policy. The princesses who hail from Marwar, presently Jodhpur, Mehrangarh Fort or any other place belonging under the Marwar Rathore rulers were actually addressed as Jodha Bai or Jodh Bai. Who should be referred to as Jodha Bai?.
JODHA AKBAR MOVIE FANFICTION TV
This movie inspired the later Zee TV drama called "Jodha Akbar" by the television star producer Ekta Kapoor where yet again she has been portrayed as his love, and the chief queen. Skip to Ashutosh Gowariker's most popular historical movie so far, the 2008 Hritik- Aishwarya starrer "Jodha Akbar" yet again, the Rajput princess from Amer has been addressed as Jodha Bai. There we see Prithviraj Kapoor in his iconic voice as Akbar referring to his queen and Salim's mother as Jodha as well. One of the most iconic movies ever made in the industry is "Mughal E Azam" that revolves around yet another fictitious tale of Prince Salim, the later Jahangir falling for a dancing girl of his father's harem, Anarkali. India's most popular platform of entertainment besides its cricket is Bollywood and Hindi Cinemas. These folktales have been taken up by various animators to be made into series. She appears in various folklores of the popular "Akbar Birbal stories for Children '' as a queen and these fiction tales on the wit of Birbal often are in fact our first introduction to both Akbar and Jodha Bai as children. Jodha Bai as we know her, is the title by which we refer more often to the Rajput wife of Emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar, the third Emperor of the Mughal (originally Timurid) dynasty who ruled between 15 A.D.