Here’s the English translation:


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*Mughal Princess Jahanara Begum*


Jahanara Begum (Persian: جہان آرا بیگم‎; 23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a Mughal princess and the Padshah Begum of the Mughal Empire from 1631 to 1681. She was the eldest child of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Often referred to as Begum Sahib (Princess of Princesses), she was also the elder sister of Crown Prince Dara Shikoh and Emperor Aurangzeb.


Jahanara’s early education was entrusted to Sati al-Nisa Khanam, the sister of Jahangir’s poet laureate, Talib Amuli. Sati al-Nisa Khanam was known for her knowledge of the Quran and Persian literature, as well as for her knowledge of etiquette, household management, and medicine. She also served as the principal lady-in-waiting to her mother, Mumtaz Mahal.


Many women in the Imperial Household were accomplished in reading and writing poetry and painting. They also played chess, polo, and went hunting outdoors. The women had access to the library of the former emperor Akbar, which was filled with books on world religions and Persian, Turkish, and Indian literature.


Jahanara was known for her active role in caring for the poor and financing the construction of mosques. When her ship, the _Sahibi_, was about to set sail on its maiden voyage (on 29 October 1643), she ordered that the ship travel to Mecca and Medina and, “...that every year fifty koni (one koni was 4 maunds or 151 pounds) of rice should be sent by ship for distribution among the poor and needy of Mecca.”


As the de facto primary queen of the Mughal Empire, Jahanara was responsible for charitable works. She organized the distribution of alms on important state and religious days, supported famine relief, and supported pilgrimages to Mecca. Jahanara made significant financial contributions in support of education and the arts. She supported the publication of many works on Islamic mysticism, including commentaries on Rumi’s _Masnavi_, a mystical work very popular in Mughal India.


She wrote a biography of Moinuddin Chishti, the founder of the Chishtiyya order in India, titled _Mu’nis al-Arwah_, as well as a biography of Mulla Shah, titled _Risala-i Sahibiyah_, in which she described her initiation by him. Her biography of Moinuddin Chishti is highly respected for its judgment and literary quality.


She regarded him as having spiritually initiated her four centuries after his death, described her pilgrimage to Ajmer, and referred to herself as a _faqirah_ to reflect her profession as a Sufi woman. As a patron of Sufi literature, she commissioned translations and commentaries on many works of classical literature.


In Agra she is best known for sponsoring the construction of the Friday Mosque or Jama Masjid in 1648, in the heart of the old city. The mosque was entirely funded by Jahanara from her personal allowance. She established a madrasa attached to the Jama Masjid to promote education. She also had a significant impact on the landscape of the capital city of Shahjahanabad. Of the eighteen infrastructure projects initiated by women in the city of Shahjahanabad, Jahanara initiated five of them. All of Jahanara’s construction projects were completed inside the city walls of Shahjahanabad around 1650. The best known of her projects was Chandni Chowk, the main street in the walled city of Old Delhi.

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