Jahangir Mahal
Encyclopedia
Orchha
Orchha is a town in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was established by Maharaja Rudra Pratap Singh in 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state of central India, in the Bundelkhand region. Orchha lies on the Betwa River , 80 km from Tikamgarh &...
, it was completed in the year 1598 by the victorious Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Prince Salem (later known as the Mughal Emperor Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
) after defeating Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha during Jahangir's reign as the Mughal emperor of India. He was an ally of Jahangir's in the latter's struggles against his father, Akbar. Vir Singh killed Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, an adviser of Akbar's in 1602....
of Bundela
Bundela
The Bundelas are a Rajput clan of Chattari lineage who ruled several states in central India, in Bundelkhand region from the 16th century.The Bundelas are the most prominent Rajputs hailing from Central India...
a sworn enemy of the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
s, the Jahangir Mahal was built to be a garrison and a citadel, that would allow the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
s greater control over the rebellious Bandela
Bandela
Bandelє is a village Garwula District, Grand Cape Mount, in north-west Liberia.As of January, 2006, the population was approximately 1,165. The area was settled by the Bande clan of the Mende people. Residents speak a dialect of the Mende language called Bandi...
. The dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
s of the Jahangir Mahal, were built according to Timurid
Timurid
Timurid may refer to:* Timur , also known as Tamerlane in English, a fourteenth-century conqueror of Western, South and Central Asia, founder of the Timurid Empire and Timurid dynasty in Central Asia...
customs and its grand Iwan
Iwan
An iwan is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called pishtaq, a Persian term for a portal projecting from the facade of a building, usually decorated with calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and...
's are large enough to accommodate the entry of War elephant
War elephant
A war elephant was an elephant trained and guided by humans for combat. Their main use was to charge the enemy, trampling them and breaking their ranks. A division of war elephants is known as elephantry....
s and its high position over the landscape allowed Cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s to gain superior range.
The Jahangir Mahal was constructed after, Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha during Jahangir's reign as the Mughal emperor of India. He was an ally of Jahangir's in the latter's struggles against his father, Akbar. Vir Singh killed Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, an adviser of Akbar's in 1602....
of Bundela
Bundela
The Bundelas are a Rajput clan of Chattari lineage who ruled several states in central India, in Bundelkhand region from the 16th century.The Bundelas are the most prominent Rajputs hailing from Central India...
Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s revolted against the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha during Jahangir's reign as the Mughal emperor of India. He was an ally of Jahangir's in the latter's struggles against his father, Akbar. Vir Singh killed Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, an adviser of Akbar's in 1602....
was informed about Akbars disputes within the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
court in the year 1594 regarding succession.
The Mughal Emperor Akbar dispatched his most influential son prince Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
, Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan
Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan
Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan was the father of Arjumand Banu Begum, also known as Mumtaz Mahal, who was the wife of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, the Emperor of India. Asaf Khan was also the elder brother of Mehrunissa, , the empress of Shah Jahan's father, Jahangir. Many scholars have been researching...
and Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak
Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak
Shaikh Abu al-Fazl ibn Mubarak also known as Abu'l-Fazl, Abu'l Fadl and Abu'l-Fadl 'Allami was the vizier of the great Mughal emperor Akbar, and author of the Akbarnama, the official history of Akbar's reign in three volumes, and a Persian translation of the Bible...
to capture the city of Orchha
Orchha
Orchha is a town in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was established by Maharaja Rudra Pratap Singh in 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state of central India, in the Bundelkhand region. Orchha lies on the Betwa River , 80 km from Tikamgarh &...
, which was considered the center of the revolt. Jahangir arrived with a force of 12,000 after many ferocious encounters and battles, Jahangir finally subdued the kingdom of Bundela
Bundela
The Bundelas are a Rajput clan of Chattari lineage who ruled several states in central India, in Bundelkhand region from the 16th century.The Bundelas are the most prominent Rajputs hailing from Central India...
its rebellious ruler Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha during Jahangir's reign as the Mughal emperor of India. He was an ally of Jahangir's in the latter's struggles against his father, Akbar. Vir Singh killed Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, an adviser of Akbar's in 1602....
surrendered to young Jahangir and agreed never to break an alliance with the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha during Jahangir's reign as the Mughal emperor of India. He was an ally of Jahangir's in the latter's struggles against his father, Akbar. Vir Singh killed Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, an adviser of Akbar's in 1602....
then handed over 5000 Bundela infantry and 1000 cavalry, hence weakening himself. Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo
Vir Singh Deo was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha during Jahangir's reign as the Mughal emperor of India. He was an ally of Jahangir's in the latter's struggles against his father, Akbar. Vir Singh killed Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, an adviser of Akbar's in 1602....
later killed Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak
Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak
Shaikh Abu al-Fazl ibn Mubarak also known as Abu'l-Fazl, Abu'l Fadl and Abu'l-Fadl 'Allami was the vizier of the great Mughal emperor Akbar, and author of the Akbarnama, the official history of Akbar's reign in three volumes, and a Persian translation of the Bible...
in the year 1602 during Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
's succession to the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
throne and remained a fugitive until his death.
In October 4, 1635, the 16 year old Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
then raised the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
flag on the highest terrace of the Jahangir Mahal. After the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
s achieved a victory during the "Bundela War, 1635" Devi Singh was installed as the new administrator and after the death of the rebel Jhujhar Singh and the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
was declared the sovereign of Bundela
Bundela
The Bundelas are a Rajput clan of Chattari lineage who ruled several states in central India, in Bundelkhand region from the 16th century.The Bundelas are the most prominent Rajputs hailing from Central India...
.