Shah Jahan Begum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sultan Shah Jahan |
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Shah Jahan Begum in 1872
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| Begum of Bhopal | |
| Reign | 30 October 1868 – 16 June 1901 |
| Predecessor | Sikandar Begum I |
| Successor | Sultan Jahan I |
| Born | 29 July 1838 Islamnagar, Bhopal State, now Madhya Pradesh, India) |
| Died | 16 June 1901 (aged 62) Bhopal State, now India |
| Spouse | Baqi Muhammad Khan Siddiq Hasan Khan |
| Issue | Sultan Jahan I, Nawab Begum of Bhopal |
| Urdu | سلطان شاہ جہاں بیگم |
| House | Bhopal |
| Father | Jahangir Mohammed Khan |
| Mother | Sikandar Begum I, Nawab Begum of Bhopal |
| Religion | Sunni Muslim |
Shahjahan Begum (born 29 July 1838 – died 16 June 1901) was an important ruler in India. She was the Begum of Bhopal, which means she was the queen of the state of Bhopal in central India. She ruled twice: first from 1844 to 1860, and then again from 1868 to 1901.
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Her Life Story
Shahjahan Begum was born in Islamnagar, a place near Bhopal. She was the only child of Sikandar Begum of Bhopal and Jahangir Mohammed Khan.
She became the ruler of Bhopal in 1844 when she was just six years old. Her mother, Sikandar Begum, acted as her regent. A regent is someone who rules for a young king or queen until they are old enough.
In 1860, the British decided that her mother, Sikandar Begum, should rule Bhopal on her own. So, Shahjahan stepped aside for a while. But when her mother passed away in 1868, Shahjahan became the Begum of Bhopal again.
Improving Bhopal
Shahjahan Begum was prepared to lead her state. She made many improvements during her rule:
- She made the tax system better, which helped the state collect more money.
- She increased the pay for her soldiers.
- She updated the army's weapons.
- She built a dam and an artificial lake to help with water supply.
- She made the police force work more efficiently.
- She ordered the first census (counting of people) after two serious illnesses had reduced the population.
Her Writings
Shahjahan Begum was also a writer. She wrote several books in Urdu. One of her books, Gauhar-i-Iqbaal, talks about the important events during her early years as ruler. It also describes what life was like in Bhopal at that time. An English version of this book is called An Account of My Life.
She also wrote Akhtar-i-Iqbaal, which was a second part to her first book. Later, she wrote Iffat-ul-Muslimaat, where she discussed ideas about purdah and hijab (ways women cover themselves) in different parts of the world.
Building Projects and Donations
Shahjahan Begum started building one of the largest mosques in India, called the Taj-ul-Masajid, in Bhopal. However, it was not finished during her lifetime. Work on it started again much later in 1971.
She also built the beautiful Taj Mahal palace in Bhopal. She really wanted to go on the Hajj, which is a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. But she was not healthy enough, and she was afraid of shipwrecks, so she never went.
Shahjahan Begum was very generous. She gave a lot of money to help build a mosque in Woking, England. She also gave money to help start the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in Aligarh, which later became the Aligarh Muslim University. She even helped pay for a railway line to be built between Hoshangabad and Bhopal.
Family Life
In 1855, Shahjahan Begum married Baqi Muhammad Khan. He passed away in 1867. Four years later, she married Siddiq Hasan Khan. She did not have any children from her second marriage. She also experienced the sadness of losing two of her granddaughters.
Her Final Years
In her later years, Shahjahan Begum continued to lead Bhopal well. In 1901, she became ill with cancer. A message was sent to the people of Bhopal, asking for their forgiveness if she had ever done anything wrong. This made people very sad because she was a popular ruler.
Her daughter, Sultan Jehan, visited her one last time. Shahjahan Begum passed away shortly after, on 6 June 1901. Her daughter, Sultan Jehan, then became the new ruler of Bhopal.
Bhopal's First Stamps
During Shahjahan Begum's time as ruler, Bhopal started issuing its own postage stamps.
- In 1876 and 1878, stamps with values of half and quarter anna were released.
- The 1876 stamps had the words "HH Nawab Shahjahan Begam" in an eight-sided shape.
- The 1878 stamps had the same words in a round shape, along with her title in Urdu.
- The last stamps with her name were issued in 1902.
Bhopal continued to issue its own stamps until 1949.
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1876 stamp issued during the Begum's reign
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1908 one anna stamp of Bhopal State
