Salima Sultan Begum

Salima Sultan Begum was the daughter of Mughal princess Gulrukh Begum and her husband, the Viceroy of Kannauj, Nuruddin Muhammad Mirza. Her father was the grandson of Khwaja Hasan Naqshbandi and was a scion of the illustrious Naqshbandi Khwajas, who were held in great esteem and were related to Sultan Abu Sa'id Mirza of the Timurid Empire through his son, Sultan Mahmud Mirza. Salima's mother, Gulrukh Begum, was the daughter of the first Mughal emperor Babur. The identity of the mother of Gulrukh Begum is disputed. In some sources her mother's name is mentioned as Saliha Sultan Begum. However, this name is not mentioned in the Baburnama written by Babur himself or the Humayun-Nama written by Gulbadan Begum, and therefore the existence of such a woman is questionable. She may also have been the daughter of Dildar Begum, who may have been the same woman as Saliha Sultan Begum. Gulrukh was thus a half-sister of the second Mughal emperor Humayun, and if she was Dildar's daughter, a full-sister of Humayun's youngest brother, Hindal Mirza. ==Education and accomplishments==

Salima was a highly educated and accomplished woman, has often been described as extremely talented, she was a gifted writer and a renowned poet of her time. She wrote under the pseudonym of Makhfi, a pseudonym later adopted by her equally talented step great-great-granddaughter, the gifted poetess, Princess Zeb-un-Nissa. Salima was also a passionate lover of books and was very fond of reading. She not only maintained a great library of her own but freely used Akbar's library as well. Abdus Hayy, the author of ''Ma'asir al-umara'', quotes one of her famous couplets: Akbar's court historian, Bada'uni, in his book Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh, gives one passage which throws light on Salima's love for books. ==Marriage to Bairam Khan (1557–1561)==

At the age of 18, Salima Begum was married to the considerably older Bairam Khan (who was in his fifties) on 7 December 1557 in Jalandhar, Punjab. Bairam was the commander-in-chief of the Mughal army and a powerful statesman at the Mughal court, who was acting as Akbar's regent at the time. Salima's maternal uncle, Humayun, had promised Bairam that he would give his niece in marriage to him as soon as India was conquered (which was accomplished in Akbar's reign). The bride was probably a reward for the surpassing services done by Bairam for Humayun. The marriage enhanced his prestige among the Mughal nobles, as it made him a member of the imperial family. It is said that the marriage excited great interest at court. It united two streams of descent from Ali Shukr Beg: that is, the Blacksheep Turkomans from Bairam Khan's side and Timur from Salima's side, as Salima was a Timurid through her maternal grandfather, Emperor Babur, and through Mahmud, one of her great-grandfathers. Salima became Bairam's second wife, after the daughter of Jamal Khan of Mewat, who was his first wife and the mother of his son, Abdul Rahim. ==Marriage to Akbar (1561–1605)==

While on his way to Mecca, Bairam Khan was attacked in Patan, Gujarat on 31 January 1561 by a band of Afghans led by Mubarak Khan, whose father had been killed fighting against Bairam at the Battle of Machhiwara in 1555. Bairam Khan's camp was also put to plunder and the newly widowed, Salima Begum, along with her step-son, Abdul Rahim (aged four), reached Ahmedabad after suffering many hardships. Akbar was shocked to hear the sad news of his former teacher and guardian's death. As per his orders, Salima and Abdul Rahim were brought under imperial escort to the Mughal court with great honour and respect. Akbar himself married her on 7 May 1561 as a regard for the astute services offered by her late husband to the Mughal Empire and acknowledging her exalted lineage. She was about three and a half years older than him and became his third wife. Salima remained childless throughout her marriage. She was entrusted with parenting Akbar's son, who was born to one of the serving-girls (concubine), named Sultan Murad Mirza. He was entrusted for his first few years to Salima Sultan Begum for the upbringing and returned to his mother's care in 1575, as Salima left for Hajj. Being an extensive reader, she kept accounts of her encounters with the Emperor and the state of affairs. Salima was therefore one of the most important ladies in the Mughal court. In 1575, Salima traveled to Mecca to perform the Hajj pilgrimage along with her aunt, Gulbadan Begum, and many other Timurid ladies. She was the only wife of Akbar who accompanied the pilgrims. Akbar himself was dissuaded from traveling only by the pleas of Abu'l Fazl. The high-ranking female party, under the fortunate auspices of Akbar, left Fatehpur Sikri on 15 October 1575 and after taking a year to get to the sea, set sail for Mecca on 17 October 1576. They were said to have spent three and a half years in Arabia and made the hajj four times, returning home to Agra in March 1582. ==Political influence at the Mughal court==

Salima had much influence over Akbar and her step-son, Salim, In 1601, Salim had revolted against Akbar by setting up an independent court in Allahabad and by assuming the imperial title of "Salim Shah" while his father was still alive. This situation became very critical and in the end, it was Salima Sultan Begum and Hamida Banu Begum who pleaded for his forgiveness. Akbar granted their wishes and Salim was allowed to present himself before the Emperor. Salima Begum went to Allahabad to convey the news of forgiveness to the prince. She went with an elephant named Fateh Lashkar, a special horse, and a robe of honour. Salim received her warmly and agreed to go back to Agra with her. The prince was finally pardoned in 1603 through the efforts of his step-mother and his grandmother, Hamida Banu Begum. She also secured a pardon for the powerful Khan-i-Azam, Mirza Aziz Koka. Aziz Koka had been a foster brother of Akbar's and consequently a great favourite in the harem for decades. One of his daughters had married Jahangir's eldest son, Khusrau Mirza, and when Khusrau revolted against his father in 1606, Aziz Koka was discovered to have been in the plot from the very beginning. Aziz Koka would surely have received the death penalty had not Salima Sultan Begum yelled out from behind the screens: Jahangir was thus constrained to go to the female apartment, and on account of the pressure exercised by revered elderly women of Harem, he finally pardoned him. ==Death==

Salima died in 1613 in Agra, after suffering from an illness. Her step-son, Jahangir, gives particulars of her birth and descent and her marriages. By his orders, her body was laid in Mandarkar Garden in Agra, which she had commissioned. Jahangir praises Salima both for her natural qualities and her acquirements, saying "she was adorned with all good qualities. In women, this degree of skill and capacity is seldom found." She creates an impression of herself as a charming and cultivated woman. ==In popular culture==

• Salima Sultan Begum is a character in Indu Sundaresan's award-winning historical novel The Twentieth Wife (2002). • Salima was portrayed by Manisha Yadav in Zee TV's fictional drama Jodha Akbar. • Riya Deepsi portrayed Salima in Sony TV's historical drama Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap. • Parvati Sehgal portrayed Salima in Colors TV's frictional drama Daastan-E-Mohabbat Salim Anarkali. • Zarina Wahab portrayed Salima in ZEE5's web series Taj: Divided by Blood ==References==