Read Nurjahan's Daughter Online
Authors: Tanushree Podder
Nurjahan's Daughter (40 page)
What happened to Laadli after Nur Jahan’s death? No one really knows. She had never figured in the list of the rich and the famous; the mousy daughter of a mighty empress has no place in history. Laadli died unsung; her sacrifices unrecognised.
It is a quirk of fate that she was laid to rest beside her mother. The two women had shared an uneasy relationship for most of their lives. An empress, who was insensitive to her daughter’s feelings, shares her final resting place with a daughter who was too timid to protest against the wrongs heaped on her. Laadli’s austere tomb lies within the premises of Jahangir’s mausoleum, a man she hated till the very end. Does the desolate spirit of the reluctant princess baulk at the company she is forced to share, or is it at peace lying near the two people who played such crucial roles in her life?
Throughout their lives, Nur Jahan and Laadli remained diametrically opposed to each other in thoughts and deeds; in death they remain close to each other, cocooned in their respective graves under the same roof, sharing the same rays of sunlight that filter into the vault.
| abbajaan | : | father |
| ahadis | : | royal elite guards |
| aigrette | : | large ornate pin used to decorate the turban |
| alekum salaam | : | acknowledgment of greetings |
| ammijaan | : | mother |
| asharfis | : | coins used during Mughal period |
| apa | : | elder sister |
| attar | : | perfume |
| badi ammi | : | grandmother |
| badshah | : | emperor |
| baradari | : | pavilion |
| bawarchi | : | chef |
| begum | : | a title used by ladies of class; also meaning wife in some cases. |
| cabaya | : | robe |
| caftan | : | long, flowing robe-like garment |
| champa | : | frangipani |
| chadar | : | deep-throated marble chutes inlaid with coloured marble |
| charbagh | : | a type of Mughal garden |
| chaugan | : | polo |
| chaupar | : | a form of chess |
| choli | : | short, usually backless blouse worn over the ghagra |
| chulahs | : | oven made of clay |
| churidar | : | tight trousers |
| durries | : | rugs |
| dams | : | currency used during early Mughal era |
| dargah | : | place of worship, usually the tomb of a venerated saint. |
| dastarkhan | : | carpeted arrangement made for dining on the ground. |
| divan | : | a low bed |
| diwan | : | superintendent of the household |
| diwan-é-aam | : | hall of public audience |
| diwan-é-khas | : | hall of private audience |
| fargal | : | jacket |
| farman | : | royal decree |
| firanghee | : | foreigner |
| ganjifa | : | playing cards |
| ghagra | : | long, voluminous skirt |
| ghusalkhana | : | bathroom |
| hakim | : | physician |
| hammamgah | : | royal bath chamber |
| houri | : | angel |
| huzoor | : | sir |
| jagirdar | : | landlord |
| jaali | : | delicate fretwork done on marble or sandstone, usually a network of geometric design. Surface ornamentation, known as arabesque, included the use of plants or geometric motifs represented in a fancifully combined pattern peculiar to Islamic art. Generally constructed in the palaces to afford privacy. |
| jagir | : | estate |
| jahanpanah | : | protector of the world |
| jannat | : | paradise |
| jharokha | : | balcony |
| kafila | : | caravan |
| kameez | : | long, knee-length shirt worn over tight trousers. |
| kasam | : | promise |
| khilat | : | robe of honour; the typical Mughal khilat was a sumptuous set of clothes. The 'core symbol was a cloak which was the outermost, most visible garment of courtly life' (Gordon 1996, 225), but the khilat could include a turban, long coat, gown, jacket, shawl, sash, trousers, shirt, and scarf (Sarkar 1961, 144; Sen 1998, 33). The investiture conferred titles, responsibilities, and rewards, but it also entailed obedience. Protocol demanded that one immediately don the khilat. |
| kornish | : | courtesy shown by bowing thrice |
| khwabgah | : | royal bed chamber |
| lehenga | : | ankle-length pleated skirt |
| leheriya | : | a type of pattern |
| mansabdar | : | office holder; mansbadars were divided into 33 classes, each member of each class being supposed to furnish a certain number of cavalry to the imperial army. The three highest grades, 'commanders' of from 7000 to 10, 000 were ordinarily reserved for the princes. The other mansabs ranged from ten to 5,000. |
| mansab | : | estate |
| mans | : | unit of weight |
| minakari | : | enamel work on gold |
| mallika | : | queen |
| mojris | : | embroidered slippers |
| mushaira | : | poetry contest |
| mazaar | : | tomb |
| nazarband | : | under house arrest, in custody |
| nazrana | : | gift |
| nazm | : | couplet |
| paan | : | betel leaf |
| nikah | : | marriage according to Muslim laws |
| nissar | : | special kinds of coins |
| odhni | : | veil |
| Panchatantra | : | Indian fables |
| pir/paighambars | : | holy men and saints |
| qaba | : | robe like garment |
| qamargah | : | a form of hunt devised by the Mughul emperors wherein the beaters and soldiers round up the wild beasts within a circle of a few kilometres, by beating drums and closing in gradually. |
| ustaad | : | teacher |
| razai | : | quilt |
| reham | : | mercy |
| riyaya | : | subjects |
| shabda bhedi | : | shooting an animal by the sound it makes while drinking water |
| shahenshah | : | king of kings |
| shah begum | : | chief queen |
| shama | : | candle |
| salaam alekum | : | greetings |
| shatranj | : | chess |
| sheesh mahal | : | palace of mirrors |
| shehzada | : | prince |
| shehzadi | : | princess |
| sherwani | : | long, pleated shirt |
| shikar | : | hunt |
| shikaras | : | small boats |
| surkh | : | a unit of measure |
| zardosi | : | a kind of embroidery |
| zari | : | golden thread |
| zenana | : | harem |
