the encapsulating Mehr-un-Nisa

The riveting life of Nur Jahan and her ambitious resolve made her one of the most powerful figures in the Mughal Empire.

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The woman who managed to decree the title of Nishan in an erstwhile male-dominated Mughal empire, Nur Jahan or Mehr-un-Nisa, was a force to be reckoned with. The woman who managed to win over the addict, dissolute Emperor is famously known for her tactical and strategic planning to expand the Mughal Empire and establish a rule of her own.

Despite her best efforts, however, in death, a grim quote covers her epitaph.

"on the grave of this poor stranger,

Let there be neither lamp nor rose.

Let neither butterfly's wing burn nor nightingale sing."

Even so, the glorious life of Mehr-un-Nisa is one of academic and historical interest to many. Mehr-un-Nisa was born to a noble Persian family in Kandahar, present-day Afghanistan. As her family took an arduous journey from Kandahar to the Indian subcontinent, they were looted. However, after the birth of their daughter, a kind merchant offered them a ride on their caravan; sure that it was the birth of their baby girl that brought this luck, she was named Mehr-un-Nisa or the Sun among Women.

At 17, she married Ali Quki Beglst'ajlu, a Persian immigrant. However, soon the promiscuous eyes of Emperor Jahangir fell on her. In 1607, under the pretext of rebelling against the Governor of Bengal, Jahangir conveniently had her husband murdered.

Post their marriage, in 1611, the title of Nur Jahan (Light of the Palace) was bestowed upon her to reflect her husband's title Nur-ud-Din Jahangir (Light of the World).

The Emperor was addicted to opium and alcohol as sustenance to the point that even when his hands shook due to addiction, he had others help him get drunk. Aside from the health implications that afflicted Jahangir, Nur Jahan slowly became the most powerful woman in the Mughal Empire. Even though she could not produce any offspring and carry on the royal blood, she stayed as the real power behind the throne. For more than fifteen years, her word was the gospel.

In his own words, Jahangir said, "I have sold my kingdom to my beloved queen for a cup of wine and a dish of soup."

The unmatched power of Nur Jahan is reflected in her actions. Countless coins were struck in her name, and the imperial seal was within her control. All documents of royal importance required legal validity when through her. Slowly, she became the actual person in power while Jahangir remained the symbolic head.

The ambitious Nur Jahan did not forget to consolidate her family's position. She appointed her brother and her father as the Grand Vizier and arranged for her stepdaughter Ladli to marry the Emperor's youngest son. As a result, even her brother's daughter or niece was married to the future Emperor Shah Jahan or Prince Khurram. As such, Mehr-un-Nisa fortified her family's future in the Mughal Empire as her husband drowned himself in alcohol laced with opium.

Several historians would often point out the irony of the name Jahangir itself. For a word that means "conqueror of the universe," he let himself be conquered by the infatuation with inebriation.

Alas, distrust and betrayal became the order toward the end of Jahangir's rule. After the Emperor's capture by rebels, he lived in captivity, where Nur Jahan later joined him. Even when Nur Jahan managed to escape the confinement of Mahabat Khan due to her creativity, she was ultimately imprisoned by Prince Khurram and died in exile in Lahore.

Despite her glorious life, she met an appalling end. But, even then, the name Nur Jahan remains vividly edged into the memories of many.