WHO WAS JODHA BAI ?

          Famous spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji Maharaj once said that this world is full of miracles.  There are millions of miracles in the world about whom nobody can unravel their mystery.  So as our eminent historians are also capable of creating any type of miracles.  One such miracle is the creation of Akbar's Jodha Bai.  It may be their poetic or creative license or a great political design.  But one thing is sure, that they have created their own patterned history, which suits their God- fathers.

            Famous film producer Ashutosh Gowarikar has made a film, Jodha-Akbar but he has to answer some uncomfortable questions about the identity of Jodha Bai. Now a question is raised whether she was Akbar’s or Jahangir’s or anybody else’s or she existed at all.

            Indian historians have succeeded in peddling an imaginative romanticised folklore of Jodha Bai as trenches of history.  Now scholars are raising doubts over the very existence of the character of Jodha Bai, which has been created by the Indian historians for Mughal Emperor Akbar.

            Now a natural question comes to mind, that after all who was Jodha Bai? Whether she was a real character or the imagination of historians to fulfil their designs? Now, the groups of historians who believe in the existence of Jodha Bai are bitterly divided about her conjugal position.  One group of historians made this Jodha Bai as Akbar's wife while other group made her Akbar's daughter in law or wife of notorious prince Salim, who later came to be known as Jahangir.

            Abul Fazl, Badaumi, and Nizamuddin Ahmed, etc wrote in their account that the eldest daughter of Raja Bhar Mal of Amber was married to Akbar, but her name was kept a secret. Her name was also omitted from the Vanshawali of the Amber raj gharana. After giving birth to a male child this princess was titled as Mariyam-us-Zamani. Akbar had many wives, but this Rajput queen was the chief queen.

              

            Some historians believe that the second Rajput wife of Jehangir was Jodha Bai whose real name was Jagat Gosain and she was the daughter of Raja Uday Singh of Jodhpur. The word Jodha has traditionally been the name of the princess of Jodhpur.

            But there is unanimity on one point this mysterious lady was the daughter of Raja Bharmal, the Rajput ruler of Amber, but no- body knows the name of this prince.  It is another mystery that even Jahangir, in his memoirs, Tuzuk-i- Jahangir, kept complete silence about his own mother.  He nowhere mentioned that Jodha Bai was his mother.

            There is no authentic historical evidence to corroborate this fact that the daughter of Amber rules Raja Bhar Mal was married to Akbar.  First time this was mentioned by a Punjab historian, Sujan Rai Bhandari, in his book Khulasaf-ut-Tawarikh that the mother of Jahangir, was the Amber prince, whom Akbar married.  But Rai also nowhere mentioned the name of that princess and the mother of Jahangir as Jodha Bai.

            Noted historian James Tod gives another version. He wrote in Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, first published as Annals of Rajputana in 1832. He says there was a Jodha Bai daughter of Rai Singh and married to Jahangir and who was very powerful in the Mughal court. Some historians believe that the Kachwaha Rajputs of Amber had given a daughter to the Mughals. She was the daughter of Bhagwan Das but her name was lost in obscurity. This princess was married to Jahangir and was the mother of Khusro.

            Then who was Jodha Bai? Another noted historian Prof.  Satish Chandra twisted the saga of Jodha Bai in a different direction.  In an NCERT text-book on history on Medieval India, he states on page No.165 that one Udai Singh married his daughter Jagat Gosai to Akbar’s eldest son Salim or Jahangir.  This Jagat Gosain later on, came to be called as Jodha Bai, who mothered Shahjahan, Mughal emperor after Jahangir.

            It is a very sad commentary on the calibre of history scholars and academicians that the country does not know the real facts about Jodha Bai, the wife of Akbar or Jahangir, a real or fictitious character.

            History is a very important subject.  But after independence, some handful of historians are firmly in total control of all the affairs of history in our country and at their will and suitability, they have twisted the tales of history.  As a matter of fact, this group of eminent historians in our country are the agents of certain political outfits.  So tales and facts have emerged from their jholas, not from research institutions and libraries. 

            It would be in the fitness of things to discuss another fact about Akbar in this creation of fictitious history.  A group of historians, came very close to declare that Akbar almost renounces Islam and started and embraced Deen-e-Ilahi, sect. , due to the powerful influence of this Rajput princess.  So it can be very safely argued that when Akbar breathed his last, he was not a Mughal but the founder head, follower and preacher of Deen-e-Ilahi.  But due to secular pulls and pressures, this theory could not see the light of the day.

           

            Now it seems that there definitely a powerful lady existed during the era of Akbar and Jahangir. She was very close to both father and son duo and naturally both were interested in her also. Perhaps she was like a modern day PAGE-3 brand socialite, whom Rajput rulers might have presented to Akbar and Jahangir to influence and control wild Mughals, like honey trap and in their attempts they were highly successful too.

            Now one question comes to mind, why historians created and romanticised the character of Jodha Bai so intelligently that it enhanced the stature of Akbar considerably.

          The first thing may be, that by highlighting the marriage of a Rajput Princes with a Mughal, Indian historians have in mind to lower the pride and chivalry of Rajputs in particular and Hindus in general and enhance the stature of Moguls.  Second by connecting different tales with the legend of Jodha Bai Indian historians might have in mind to create a gigantic, huge, character of Akbar the Great, who was liberal and secular, because most of the eminent Indian historians live and die to project Moguls as secular and liberal.

            So this is high time that in the interest of the nation and society, such type of biased history and history writers should be shown the door.  Nation and people should have an honest, authentic and unbiased history of their nation, people and civilisation.  It is also the duty of Human Resource Development Ministry, UGC, Indian History Congress etc., to give projects to clear the doubt over the legend of Jodha Bai.