Mariam-Uz-Zamani,

 the Queen Mother of Hindustan.

AKBAR THE GREAT-6

एक दुखी परिवार – २6

Mariam-Uz-Zamani was referred to as the Queen Mother of Hindustan, during the reign of the Great Mughal, Emperor Akbar and also during her son Emperor Jahangir's reign. She was the longest serving Hindu Mughal Empress. Her tenure, from 6 February 1562 to 27 October 1605, is that of over 43 years.

Her marriage to Akbar led to a gradual shift in his religious and social policy. Akbar's marriage with Rajkumari Heer Kunwari was a very important event in Mughal history. 

She is widely regarded in modern Indian historiography as exemplifying Akbar's and the Mughal's tolerance of religious differences and their inclusive policies within an expanding multi-ethnic and multi-denominational empire. The term, secularism was not invented then as a prevalent nomenclature, but it was Akbar's religious outlook which in the modern times in India is termed as Secularism. 

Akbar's marriage with Heer Kunwari had far-reaching effects. It led Akbar to take a much more favourable view of Hinduism and his Hindu subjects.

In a marriage of political alliance, Heer Kunwari was married to Akbar on February 6, 1562 at Sambhar near Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.

 Heer Kunwari became one of the chief wives of Emperor Akbar after her marriage. Mariam, as mother of the heir-apparent, took precedence over all the other wives of Akbar though she was already designated as the Chief Hindu Mughal Queen Consort along with the other two Chief Mughal Empresses . This was intended at wooing the trust of the skeptical Hindu subjects who still thought the Rajputana territories to be their safe habitat but were shaky due to the numerous fragmented kingdoms there, all of which were at logger's head inter se, and if not inter se, then too vis-a-vis the bordering Mughal Empire.

Though she remained a Hindu, Heer Kunwari was honoured with the title Mariam-uz-Zamani ("Mary of the Age") , after she gave birth to Jahangir. Despite her being a non-Muslim wife, she held great respect and honour in the Mughal household.

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