Nadira Banu Begum

Nadira Banu Begum
Shahzadi of the Mughal Empire
This portrait is thought to be of Princess Nadira Banu Begum daughter of Sultan Parviz
Born	14 March 1618 Merta, Rajasthan, India
Died	6 June 1659(1659-06-06) (aged 41) Balochistan, Pakistan
Burial	Tomb of Nadira Begum, Lahore
Spouse	Dara Shikoh
Issue	Sulaiman Shikoh Mumtaz Shikoh Sipihr Shikoh Jahanzeb Banu Begum
House	Timurid (by birth)
Father	Sultan Parvez Mirza
Mother	Jahan Banu Begum
Religion	Islam

Nadira Banu Begum (14 March 1618 – 6 June 1659) was a Mughal princess and the wife of Crown prince Dara Shikoh, the heir-apparent to the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. After Aurangzeb's rise to power, Dara Shikoh's immediate family and all of his supporters were in grave danger. Nadira died in 1659, several months before her husband's execution, and was survived by two sons and a daughter.

Nadira Banu Begum was born a Mughal princess and was the daughter of Mughal prince Sultan Parvez Mirza, the second son of Emperor Jahangir and his wife, Sahib-i-Jamal Begum. Her mother, Jahan Banu Begum, was also a Mughal princess being the daughter of Sultan Murad Mirza, the second son of Emperor Akbar. Nadira was thus, of the most exalted lineage being a Timurid both from her maternal and paternal side.

Nadira's paternal uncle was Emperor Shah Jahan, who later became her father-in-law as well. Nadira Bagum was considered to be rather beautiful, and considerably intelligent. Her husband-to-be was reportedly eager for the marriage and they had a good relationship throughout his turbulent life.

The marriage was originally arranged when the couple were both teenagers, by Dara's mother, Empress Mumtaz Mahal. When the Empress died in 1631 with the birth of her last child, Gauharara Begum, the wedding arrangements halted as the Mughal Empire plunged into mourning and Shah Jahan was consumed in his grief. After much coaxing by many, including his favorite daughter Jahanara Begum, he resumed life as normal and let her oversee the remaining aspects of the wedding.

Nadira married her first cousin, Dara Shikoh, on February 1, 1633 at Agra; midst great celebrations, pomp and grandeur. The nikah ceremony was performed after midnight. By all accounts, Nadira and Dara were both devoted to each other, and Dara's love for Nadira proved to be even more faithful than that of Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal — for unlike his father, he never contracted any other marriage.