Is the Jodha-Akbar love story fictional, as the Rajasthan governor claims?

First Post

30-05-2025

Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade has raised doubts about the marriage of Rajput princess Jodha Bai to Mughal Emperor Akbar. He claimed that history was distorted by the British. Historians' accounts about this episode from the Mughal history differ. But is the romanticised marriage of Jodha-Akbar a lie? read more
A modified version of Persian painting named 'Glory of Faith' having inscription 'Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar with Mariam-uz-Zamani begum' dated to be of Akbar's era. Wikimedia Commons
Is Jodha Bai's glorified love story with Mughal Emperor Akbar fictitious? Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade's recent claims have prompted a revisit to the history of Akbar's marriage with the Hindu Rajput princess.
Popular movies and TV shows have romanticised the pair. However, several contradictory claims exist about Jodha Bai's marriage to Akbar.
Let's delve into this debate in detail.
What Rajasthan governor said
Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade has stirred a discussion about the existence of Jodha Bai and her marriage to Akbar.
Addressing a programme in Udaipur on Wednesday (May 28), he claimed that there is no mention of Jodha and Akbar's marriage in Akbarnama, the official chronicle of the reign of the Mughal emperor by Abul Fazl.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
'It is said that Jodha and Akbar got married and a film was also made on this story. History books also say the same thing, but it is a lie,' Bagade claimed.
The Rajasthan governor went on to further allege that Akbar was wedded to the daughter of a maid of King Bharmal.
'The British changed the history of our heroes. They did not write it properly and their version of history was initially accepted. Later, some Indians wrote history but it was still influenced by the British,' Bagade was quoted as saying by PTI.
He also contested that Rajput ruler Maharana Pratap wrote a treaty letter to Akbar, describing it as 'misleading'.
The 'great' romance of Jodha-Akbar
Mughal Emperor Akbar is said to have married a Rajput princess in 1562. However, many say her birth name was not Jodha Bai. Akbar reportedly tied the knot with Harkha Bai, the daughter of Raja Bharmal, the ruler of Amer or Amber, in present-day Rajasthan.
The third wife of Akbar, she began living as a queen inside the Agra Fort after their wedding. Historians say their marriage was a political alliance.
'She was the princess of Jaipur and being Muslim, the Mughals would often go to Ajmer on pilgrimage. It was, in a sense, the gateway to the region of Rajasthan. The alliance led to the ease of travel. Moreover, Jodha's father Raja Bharmal helped broker Emperor Akbar's relationship with other Rajput principalities and this ensured his stability as a ruler,' Nitin Singh, a history graduate and a licensed guide, told Condé Nast Traveller magazine in 2022.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Many accounts say Jodha Bai was Akbar's favourite queen consort, who inspired him to become more secular.
Jodha Bai was granted the title of Mariam-uz-Zamani by Akbar. Wikimedia Commons
She gave Akbar his first living male heir – Salim, who later came to be known as Jahangir. Akbar, who was 'desperate' for a male child, then bestowed the title of Mariam-uz-Zamani, literally translating to 'Mary of the Age', on Jodha, according to the report in the Condé Nast Traveller.
While it can be questioned whether it was a desire for a male child that made Jodha endearing to Akbar, many historians credit the Rajput queen's influence on the Mughal ruler for his religious tolerance.
Jodha, an intelligent and perceptive queen, had sway over Akbar's political and social policies. Citing Akbarnama, the Condé Nast Traveller report says that Jodha has been described in the book as the chief driving force behind Akbar's secular outlook.
In 1563, Akbar abolished the jizya tax levied on non-Muslims, which won him support among many Hindus. He also introduced Sulh-I kul, meaning 'peace with all', which guaranteed the same rights to Muslims and non-Muslims.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
In his history podcast Empire, renowned historian and author William Dalrymple speaks about Akbar's 'Empire of Tolerance'.
'As Emperor, Akbar promoted Hindus at all levels of the administration, married a Rajput princess and entrusted his army to his former Hindu opponent, Raja Man Singh of Jaipur,' he said.
Akbar is said to have ordered a dedicated kitchen for Jodha, who was a vegetarian. 'Of his own accord, Akbar used to be a vegetarian three days a week after his marriage,' Nitin told Conde Nast Traveller.
'Akbar personally took on many Hindu and yogic practices, even becoming a vegetarian,' as per Dalrymple's podcast.
New from @EmpirePodUK
Akbar's Empire of Tolerance
As Emperor, Akbar promoted Hindus at all levels of the administration, married a Rajput princess and entrusted his army to his former Hindu opponent, Raja Man Singh of Jaipur.
He ended the jizya tax levied only on… pic.twitter.com/6AG7dnRKVc — William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) December 12, 2024
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Akbar, who was uneducated, had granted the right to Jodha to issue official documents (farmans) and take key decisions.
His fondness for Jodha made him accept Hindu rituals. Not only did he build her a palace, but also a temple devoted to Lord Krishna inside it.
Nitin told Conde Nast Traveller India that Jodha's palace was later used by Jahangir and it came to be known as Jahangiri Palace.
As per Times of India (TOI), Akbar's tomb in Agra is just a kilometre from Jodha's. The ASI slab at the entrance of Jodha's tomb says it is of Mariam-uz-Zamani, a princess of Amber who married Akbar.
The contrasting versions
The absence of Jodha's name in Akbarnama has been used by some to argue that she did not marry Akbar. Instead, some historians claim that Jodha was the wife of the Mughal ruler's son, Jahangir.
Parvati Sharma's biography Akbar of Hindustan mentions that Akbar married the daughter of Raja Bihari Mal Kachhwaha, Harkha.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Sharma wrote that she is 'often misidentified as Jodha Bai', who is 'frequently miscast as the great love of Akbar's life.'
'Indeed, Harkha doesn't exist only as Akbar's bride in history; she is known for her formidable trading business, too. It is also likely that she was a great influence on Akbar – along with the several other Rajput princesses the padishah would marry; that she swayed his thoughts on religion, policy, even diet," the book says.
Sharma also confirmed that Harkha gave birth to Akbar's first son.
Author Luis de Assis Correia has claimed that Jodha Bai was not a Rajput princess but a Portuguese woman named Dona Maria Mascarenhas.
As per India Today, he wrote in his book, Portuguese India and Mughal Relations 1510-1735, that Mascarenhas was captured by Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, who gave her to a young Akbar. The Mughal ruler fell in love with her beauty and married her.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The contrasting accounts remain, but historians do acknowledge the existence of a Rajput princess who married Akbar, even if their 'great' love story continues to raise questions.
With inputs from agencies