Shah Jahan (redirected from Shah Jehan)

Shah Jahan or Shah Jehan (both: shä jəhän`), 1592–1666, Mughal emperor of India (1628–58), son and successor of Jahangir. His full name was Khurram Shihab-ud-din Muhammad. He rebelled against his father in 1622 but was pardoned and succeeded to the throne in 1628. In the course of his long reign he conquered most of the Deccan and temporarily (1638–49) recovered Kandahar from the Persians. Shah Jahan's reign is considered the golden age of Mughal art and architecture. Among the buildings he erected were the unsurpassed Taj Mahal and the Pearl Mosque, both at Agra, and the new city at Delhi, which he made his capital. Literature also flourished at his magnificent court. Shah Jahan fell seriously ill in 1657, and this led to a war of succession among his sons. In 1658 he was deposed and imprisoned for the rest of his life by his son Aurangzeb.

Bibliography

See B. P. Saksena, History of Shahjahan of Dihli (rev. ed. 1958, repr. 1962); M. Lal, Shahjahan (1986).

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Shah Jahan

(born Jan. 5, 1592, Lahore, India—died Jan. 22, 1666, Agra) Mughal emperor of India (1628–58). During the reign of his father, Jahangir, he was part of the clique that dominated Mughal-dynasty politics. After Jahangir's death, he garnered enough support to proclaim himself emperor. His reign was notable for its successes against the Deccan states. Though attempts to reconquer lost territory almost bankrupted the empire, his reign marked the zenith of Mughal court splendour. Of his great architectural undertakings (including a fortress-palace built when he transferred the capital from Agra to Delhi), the most famous is the Taj Mahal. Though a more orthodox Muslim than his father, he was less orthodox than his son and successor, Aurangzeb, and he was relatively tolerant of his Hindu subjects.