Studded with precious pieces of jewellery and extortionate ghararas, the women of the Mughal household were much more than just alembicated personalities busy with their la-di-da in the royal harems. Bearers of izzat and elaborate veils, they are said to be the ‘Makhfi’ or Hidden One. But who were they? Participating in trade and business, patrons of art and culture, were more important than the emperor of the Mughal-e-Sultanate.

Mariam-uz-Zamani aka Jodha was the daughter of the reputed king of Amber, Raja Bharmal, and his wife, Rani Champawati. Being the granddaughter of the valiant Raja Prithviraj Singh I, Jodha too grew up to be brave, yet humble and caring in nature. Though her birth name is not confirmed, she was bestowed with the title of Mariam-uz-Zamani (Mary of the Age) by Akbar after she gave birth to the future Mughal King, Salim aka Jahangir, as mentioned in all the Mughal chronicles like Akbarnama and Tuzk-e-Jahangiri.

Some other historical accounts suggest a variety of names which include Harkha Bai, Jiya Rani, Maanmati, Harika, and Shahi Bai. The Kachwaha clan genealogy belonging to the 18th century gives her the name Harkhan Champavati. One of the most famous names of modern times that has been used by historians is Jodha Bai.

The name Jodha Bai was first seen in James Tod’s Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, written in the 19th century. But closely tracing the origin of this name, one can see that this name has a relationship with the royal families of Jodhpur, rather than the royalty of Amber. It is also said that the Kachwaha Rajputs belonged to the Solanki lineage or the sun worshippers. Some others say that they descended from Kusha who was the second son of Rama and Sita.

Further, it was also seen that Akbar did not marry any Jodhpur princess, but his son, Salim married a woman named Jodha Bai who is said to be the daughter of Raja Udai Singh of Jodhpur. In short, hum ghum phirke usi sawal pe aate hain that who exactly was Mariam-uz-Zamani? As much frustrating it is for us not knowing the real identity of the Mughal queen when we keep on unravelling various identity theories, more interesting stories surface from the bottom.

The marriage alliance between Mariam-uz-Zamani and Akbar was the result of a diplomatic relationship that was formed between Raja Bharmal and Akbar. This started with the conflict that arose between Shenshah’s brother-in-law, Sharif-ud-din Mirza, and Bharmal. Frequently harassed at the hands of Sharif, Bharmal approached Akbar for his intervention. Though Akbar agreed to his request, he put forth a condition of marriage with Bharmal’s daughter.

Before the marriage could take place, the Rajput princess put forth two conditions that changed the entire history of the Mughal-e-Sultanate. Her first condition was that she should never be forced to change her religion and the second condition was that a small temple should be built in her room where she would keep the idol of Lord Krishna.

These conditions though shocked everybody, they also made Akbar more tolerant towards all the religions that were present within the empire. These conditions were also the reason behind him getting the title of Akbar The Great when he revoked a law that imposed taxes on Hindu pilgrims.

Though this story has been portrayed in many movies and TV series, there are numerous other speculations regarding the identity of Mariam-uz-Zamani. One of the most bizarre claims suggested that her real name was Dona Maria Mascarenhas and she was Portuguese by birth. She was given the name Mariam because of her first name Maria. She was considered to be an amazing businesswoman, studded with beauty and unmatched intelligence. Often deemed as 'a great adventurer’, her phenomenal business tactics put the most experienced businessmen to shame. The harem too was under her control.

Considered as the seniormost personality of the Mughal court, Maria was the only woman to hold a military rank with 12,000 cavalries and also had the freedom to issue farman. One of her most prized possessions was Rahimi, the largest trading ship in the Red Sea. It could carry 1,500 tonnes and its mast was as high as 44 yards. Apart from trading goods worth millions, this ship also had the task to carry the Muslim pilgrims to Mecca. But this ship was seized by the Portuguese and they subsequently burnt it to ashes.

Though many mysteries loom around her identity, Mariam-uz-Zamani for us was Jodha whose beauty claimed the ferocious heart of Jalal, who often claimed that he was heartless. Every time that we read the story of this amazing woman or pass by her exquisite mosque, we imagine the ferocious and brave lady who defied every Mughal norm and married Akbar on her terms.