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A Dervish among the Mughals
(Mehr un-Nisa, an Indian Princess of the Hearts)
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ehr un-Nisa, daughter of
Aurangzeb Alamgir (16581707), is among the least known
Mughals in Indian history. No wonder that very little can be traced about her life and
works through the authentic sources. A mezaar in
the east of Lahore believed to be Mehr un-Nisa’s
and a gateway that once used to lead to an orchard
built by her, in the city centre of modern Lahore,
are perhaps the only commonly known references
to a princes who had taken a lot after her Dervish
uncle, Dara Shikuh, than her father Aurangzeb,
the emperor of the most potent Muslim kingdom of
its time. Mehr un-Nisa’s name, though, appears in
several chronicles and Tazkira al-Shura (reference
book of poets of the age) as the leading female poetess who composed diwan in Persian but was known
to have plenty of compositions in Hindwi/Urdu as
well. Despite the fact that the Diwan was definitely
entirely lost by 1800, as one chronicle published
the very year, refers to her name claiming that all,
’this princess had ever composed was lost during
the massacre and the destruction of Delhi’ in
1730’s Afghan invasion of Mughal India, her poetry remains alive among her people even after 400
years of her death; she was indeed the princess of
the hearts. It is also known that she died young, in
her 22nd year; and her father was left broken hearted who perhaps believed that out of all those who
could possibly succeed him, Mehr un-Nisa was the
most capable Mughal. Aurangzeb’s last days confirm that his interest in the issue of succession of
his sons was so minimal that the ’king makers’
(court conspirators) managed to marginalize even
his last will which mentions that his crown prince,
Muazzam, was bound to work in collaboration with
a council he had himself appointed. Muazzam died
mysteriously within 4 years of his reign leaving
behind a political vacuum that led to the successive
crowning and dethroning of five kings in seven
years and ultimately the Afghan invasion of Nadir
42 ^xÄtÅâËÄ [IFA’
Shah that put an end to Mughal supremacy in the
region and paved the way for the British to consolidate their power to conquer the last great civilization of the classical age of the Islamic world.
One wonders what the history of India would be
like if Mehr had succeeded Aurangzeb. This also
forces one to think if she was another of those political casualties of late era of Mughal decline like her
brother Muazzam or was she a victim of that policy
of intolerance and puritanical interpretation of
Islam that her own father is accused of introducing
in the India of Jalal ad-Din Akbar. Akbar’s spiritual vision, which gave birth to an empire, was inherited by his son Jahangir and the grandson Shah
Jehan. Shah Jehan, the aashiq whose Taj Mahal
remains the wonder of the world and which incor-