Tomb of Nithar Begum

Tomb of Sultan Nisar Begum ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Sultan Nisar (from the Arabic word for 'aid') Begum or Sultan al-Nisa Begum Sahiba was the daughter of Nur-ud-din 'Salim' Jahangir and Man Bai of Amer, the Rajput princess. Though interred at Sikandara, she had built a tomb for herself at the Khurso Bagh, which is the most ornate of the four tombs there. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Sultan Nisar Begum was the sister of the ill-fated Mughal prince Khusro, who was lost his life to the power struggles of the empire. After his murder in the Deccan, Jahangir ordered his body to be brought here and laid to rest in a tomb where his mother is buried. The Begum was given the reins of supervision for this initiative and while building his', she also built one for herself. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The tomb is a very ornate one whose ceilings have been elaborately painted with stars in concentric circles. The central room has on its walls floral decorations depicting Persian cypresses, wine vessels, flowers and plants. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ After all the above background is where the mystery starts for me. Sultan Nisar Begum is not a name that we have read in our history books like Jahan ara or Raushanra. A book on Mughal women by Sunita Sharma mentions ' Jahan Ara identify that Hem Singh is the real son of Raja Satrasal and report it to sultan Nisar Begum so that he may be rewarded with a Khilat (ceremonial robe) and mansab (a military unit)' So clearly she was a powerful woman but why is she missing from the pages of history? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Moreover, the 2nd picture is from Thomas Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery' where The Daniells wrote, 'The remains of Sultan Purveiz, the son of the Emperor Jehangir, were here deposited about the year 1626.' The identification of the tomb is actually uncertain and it is now believed to be that of his sister Nithar Begum (d. 1624/5). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I have not found her mention in the recently released book on Akbar or Shah Jahan (I do not currently have my hands on the Jahangir book, so if someone can shed more light on this I will be grateful). #guidebook #pindlebook #prayagraj #allahabad #tomb #subrography #sagar_pavale #travel