Described as 'the darling of Aurangzeb's old age', Udaipuri Mahal had been a slave girl in the harem of Aurangzeb's elder brother Prince
Dara Shikoh, and before entering his harem, she had been a dancing girl. She was either from
Kashmir, or from nearby
Udaipur, or as stated by her contemporary, the Venetian traveler
Manucci, she was a
Georgian Christian. Other sources have stated
Armenia or
Circassia. Ever since the reign of Emperor
Akbar, it had been ordained that the names of the women of the imperial
Mughal harem should not be mentioned in public, they should be designated by some
epithet, derived either from the place of their birth or the city or country where they had entered the imperial harem. She was described as having red hair that captivated Aurangzeb, and loved him deeply. She was an alcoholic. In 1686, she was in
Aurangabad or
Ahmadnagar with Aurangzeb in his camp. Udaipuri Mahal was an influential woman. She continued to influence Aurangzeb until his death, and it was the result of her influence that he pardoned many faults of his son Kam Bakhsh. Following the transfer of most of Aurangzeb's sons and grandsons, she continued to cultivate ties to Khidmatgar Khan, his successor Khwaja Ambar (who was also titled Khidmatgar Khan after 1704), and other imperial eunuchs. In a letter written by Aurangzeb in 1707 on his death-bed to Kam Bakhsh, he says "Udaipuri, your mother, who has been with me during my illness, wishes to accompany [me in death]." When Aurangzeb died, she grieved deeply, and died within four months at
Gwalior, in July 1707.
Bahadur Shah I carried out her dying wishes with regard to her household and gave her remains for burial in a grave close to the shrine of
Qutb-al Aqtab,
Delhi. ==References==