1 612-13 Winter, Agra Shehzade Khurram thought that time had stopped when he stared at Arjumand at their Nikah and saw her blush at him. He had waited for this moment for so long; it was almost unreal, like a dream. Arjumand Banu felt cold and nervous. She was wearing jewellery belonging to the Timurid heritage, and her clothes were probably heavier than hers. She felt all eyes on her, scrutinising her every move, and was unsure of her survival strategies in the harem. Her mother had constantly confused her more with a list of dos and don'ts. But all her fears were set to rest with his warm, reassuring smile and Qandahari Begum’s warm hand on hers. She had found family. It was a long celebration after which she was finally alone with Shehzaade Khurram. Her husband. That night, Khurram had asked her to accompany him to Mewar. She had readily agreed. He had warned her of danger. She knew he would protect her. The next few weeks went by in preparation for the journey. Arjumand Banu ...
Agra, Rainy Season, 1611 Ladli Begum sat up alert, keeping aside her painting brushes as Hoshiyar Khan announced the arrival of Empress Nur Mahal. She stood up, brushing her colour-stained dress a little, noticing Hoshiyar Khan’s glance at her. Nur Mahal arrived at Ladli Begum’s well-lit chamber, visibly smaller than the others in the quarter but enough for her. Nur Mahal smiled as she bowed. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed Hoshiyar Khan and her handmaids, as well as those of Ladli’s and sat down on the bed, dragging Ladli by her hand on it. “I had written to you, but you didn’t answer any of my letters.” Nur Mahal put her hand on her daughter’s ruffled hair as she shook her hand off and stood up. “Pardon me, Nur Mahal Begum, will I be punished?” Ladli’s voice made Nur Mahal feel a lump in her throat. Clearing it away, she said, “Ladli, I am still your Amma, you can call me....” “I have been taught to address royals by their titles in my grooming classes.” She said plainly. “But...
Mandu, 1611 Jehangir set his matchlock and took a shot at the antelope, whose horns moved in the bushes. With the ear-deafening shot, a few birds flew away from the nearby trees. Nur Mahal had just targeted a wild rabbit with her bow and arrow, which also sprang away, making her give a disappointed stare at her husband. He smiled sheepishly. It was the third week into the vacation, and every dawn they had set out to hunt, in search of the tiger they competed over. But in vain, all they found were a few antelopes, wild boars and rabbits. Jahangir kept persuading Nur Mahal to use the matchlock he carried; she insisted she could hunt better without the ear-deafening noise. Today, they were headed for a tree house in the forest. The locals guaranteed tiger sightings there. Nur Mahal was atop an elephant, while Jahangir wrote another. Some of these days, she had to ride horses around the forest too, but in vain, in search of tigers. In their leisure time, they savoured the different t...
Mandu, 1611 Jahangir loved to visit Mandu and Orchha during his princely times. The forestland, rugged plateau tops with beautiful sunrises and sunsets, the lakes, everything about the place touched his heart. It wasn’t so frequent these days that he visited the places, with Pervez and sometimes Khurram stationed at Burhanpur to look into the matters of the area. But the moment Nur Mahal agreed to marry him, he had made up his mind to spend a good few days at Mandu, away from the politics of the harem, with his beloved, sharing his love for the place with her. They had always enjoyed participating in each other’s hobbies. She, in his hunting stories, has a fascination with animals and birds and he, in her poetry. Mehr Un Nisa was skilfully trained in hunting, as far as he had heard from Asaf Khan. The only people accompanying them were the royal cook, his own guards and Nur Mahal’s newly appointed personal eunuch, Hoshiyar Khan, alongside a few hunting elephants, dogs, horses, caravans...
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Last updated: February 4, 2026.
