Is the lady in the image Emperor Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz Mahal? Know the truth.

Currently, an image of a lady in royal attire is going viral on social media with a claim that she is Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz Mahal for whom the emperor constructed Taj Mahal. 

However, Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. The lady in the image is not Mumtaz Mahal but Begum of Bhopal Shah Jahan Begum. 

Sharing this image, a user mockingly wrote, “Inke liye Shahjahan ne Taj Mahal banwaya. (For her Shah Jahan constructed Taj Mahal)”

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Fact Check- 

A Google Reverse Image Search led us to the same image published on a Royal Collection Trust website. According to the information, this is an image of Bhopal’s Begum Sultan, Shah Jahan Begum. 

A relevant keyword search on Google led us to the government’s Indian Culture website where the same image was published. According to the information, Shah Jahan Begum was born on 29 July 1838. On April 11, 1845, the British government officially acknowledged and endorsed the succession of Shah Jahan Begum, declaring her as the leader of the state. Additionally, her mother, Sikander Begum, was appointed as the regent to oversee the governance during Shah Jahan Begum’s rule. In November 1861, the Begum was given the highest Order of the Star of India at Allahabad.

According to the Madhya Pradesh’s governor’s website, Shah Jahan Begum was the ruler for two terms. She was born in Islamnagar near Bhopal. At the age of 6, she was given the status of ruler of Bhopal. In 1855 she married Waki Muhammad Khan. For the second time in 1868, after the death of her mother, she became the ruler. Her reign lasted until 1901.

Conclusion: 

Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. The lady in the image is not Emperor Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz Mahal but Begum Sultan of Bhopal, Shah Jahan Begum.