Sultan Shah Jahan, Begum of Bhopal
Encyclopedia
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
CI
Order of the Crown of India
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
KIH
Kaiser-i-Hind
The Kaisar-i-Hind was a medal awarded by the British monarch between 1900 and 1947, to civilians of any nationality who rendered distinguished service in the advancement of the interests of the British Raj....
(July 29, 1838 – June 16, 1901) was the Begum of Bhopal
Begum of Bhopal
The Nawabs of Bhopal were the Muslim rulers of the princely state of Bhopal, now part of the modern state of Madhya Pradesh, in India. The last Nawab was Hamidullah Khan, who acceded his state to India in 1947....
(the ruler of the princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Bhopal
Bhopal (state)
Bhopal State was an independent state of 18th century India, a princely salute state in a subsidiary alliance with British India from 1818 to 1947, and an independent country from 1947 to 1949...
in central India) for two times: 1844–60, and secondly during 1868–1901.
Born in Islamnagar
Islamnagar, Bhopal
Islamnagar or Islamnagar is a panchayat village in the Bhopal district of Madhya Pradesh, India. Formerly a fortified city, Islamnagar was the capital of the Bhopal princely state for a brief period...
near the city of Bhopal, Shahjahan was the only surviving child of Sikandar Begum, sometime Nawab of Bhopal
Nawab of Bhopal
The Nawabs of Bhopal were the Muslim rulers of the princely state of Bhopal, now part of the modern state of Madhya Pradesh, in India. The last Nawab was Hamidullah Khan, who acceded his state to India in 1947....
by correct title, and her husband Jahangir Mohammed Khan. She was recognised as ruler of Bhopal in 1844 at the age of six; her mother wielded power as regent during her minority. However, in 1860, her mother Sikandar Begum was recognised by the British
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
as ruler of Bhopal in her own right, and Shahjahan was set aside. Shahjahan succeeded her mother as Begum of Bhopal
Begum of Bhopal
The Nawabs of Bhopal were the Muslim rulers of the princely state of Bhopal, now part of the modern state of Madhya Pradesh, in India. The last Nawab was Hamidullah Khan, who acceded his state to India in 1947....
upon the death of the latter in 1868.
A lady of learning and piety, Shahjahan is credited with the authorship of several books in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
. She was instrumental in initiating the construction of one of the largest mosques in India, the Taj-ul-Masajid
Taj-ul-Masajid
Taj-ul-Masajid is a mosque situated in Bhopal, India. The mosque is also used as a madrasah during the day time.-History:...
, at Bhopal. The construction however remained incomplete at her death and was later abandoned; work was resumed only in 1971. She also built the Taj Mahal palace
Taj Mahal, Bhopal
Taj Mahal, Bhopal is a palace built by Sultan Shah Jahan, Begum of Bhopal. It is located besides the Taj-ul-Masajid in Bhopal, India.- History :...
at Bhopal.
Shahjahan Begum made sizable donations towards the building of a mosque
Shah Jahan Mosque
The Shah Jahan Mosque is the first purpose-built mosque in Britain built 1889 in Woking, 30 miles south-west of London in Oriental Road.-Construction:...
at Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. She also contributed generously towards the founding of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh, which developed into the Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
. She also subsidised the cost of a railway to be constructed between Hoshangabad
Hoshangabad
Hoshangabad is a city and a municipality in Hoshangabad district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is a city in the central india region, located on the south bank of the Narmada River, and is the administrative center of Hoshangabad District.-History:mohammed bharmal & abdeali batawalaThe...
and Bhopal .
In 1855, Shahjahan Begum married Baqi Muhammad Khan, a nobleman of Bhopal, as his third wife. He died in 1867. Four years later, Shahjahan married Nawab Sadiq Hasan Khan of Qanuj in the then United Provinces
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1947; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces, by which the province had been commonly known, and by which name it was also a province of...
. The second marriage was childless.
Shahjahan Begum died in Bhopal, and was succeeded as ruler by her only surviving daughter, of her first marriage, Kaikhusrau Jahan
Kaikhusrau Jahan, Begum of Bhopal
Nawab Begum Dame Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan GCSI GCIE GBE GCStJ CI KIH was a notable and progressive Begum of Bhopal who ruled from 1901 to 1926.-Early life:...
.
Titles
- 1838–1844: NawabNawabA Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
zadi SultanSultanSultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Shah Jahan Begum Sahiba - 1844–1860: Her Highness NawabNawabA Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
Sultan Shah Jahan Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Dar-ul-Iqbal-i-BhopalBegum of BhopalThe Nawabs of Bhopal were the Muslim rulers of the princely state of Bhopal, now part of the modern state of Madhya Pradesh, in India. The last Nawab was Hamidullah Khan, who acceded his state to India in 1947.... - 1860–1868: Wali Ahad Bahadur Nawabzadi Sultan Shah Jahan Begum Sahiba
- 1868–1872: Her Highness Nawab Sultan Shah Jahan Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Dar-ul-Iqbal-i-Bhopal
- 1872–1877: Her Highness Nawab (title Sultan Shah Jahan Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Dar-ul-Iqbal-i-Bhopal, GCSI
- 1877–1878: Her Highness Nawab Sultan Shah Jahan Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Dar-ul-Iqbal-i-Bhopal, GCSI, KIHKaiser-i-HindThe Kaisar-i-Hind was a medal awarded by the British monarch between 1900 and 1947, to civilians of any nationality who rendered distinguished service in the advancement of the interests of the British Raj....
- 1878–1901: Her Highness Nawab Sultan Shah Jahan Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Dar-ul-Iqbal-i-Bhopal, GCSI, KIH, CICICI or Ci may refer to:-Criminology and military:* Counter-intelligence* Confidential Informant* Confidential Information* Crazy Ivan, a U.S...
Honours
- Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI)-1872
- Kaiser-i-Hind Medal (KIH)-1877
- Companion of the Order of the Crown of IndiaOrder of the Crown of IndiaThe Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...
(CI)-1878 - Order of Nobility, 1st Class in brilliants of the Ottoman EmpireOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
-1892 - Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal-1897
Further reading
- The Taj-ul Ikbal Tarikh Bhopal, Or, The History of Bhopal, by Shah Jahan Begum, H. C. Barstow. Published by Thacker, Spink, 1876.
- Muslim women, reform and princely patronage: Nawab Sultan Jahan Begam of Bhopal, by Siobhan Lambert-Hurley. Published by Routledge, 2007. ISBN 0415401925.