Akbar #3: Harem goes on Hajj

The royal women’s hajj in 1575 turned out to be an event of significance, writes Ira Mukhoty in Akbar. Concerns arose of the safety of the women since the departure port would be Surat, an area under Portuguese control. The Mughals, remember, were not a naval power, whereas the Portuguese were. An uneasy truce existed, but what if the Portuguese attacked the royal harem?

 

Eventually, the women did go for the hajj. Since the journey was so long and unlikely to be repeated, they stayed on in the holy lands for years. They participated in the communal events of the places they went to, and distributed the enormous wealth Akbar had given them for the trip.

“The wealth was so ostentatious that it would cause a sharp reaction from the Ottoman authorities.”

 

The Ottoman sultan complained bitterly to the authorities at Mecca about the “extended stay” of the Mughal women, and their “anti-sharia activities”. He railed about the overcrowding caused by the huge retinue that came with these women. He moaned about the increase in pilgrim count who came only hoping to receive part of the huge donations being made by the Mughal harem.

 

It was clear the Mughal largess was becoming a challenge to the Ottoman prestige. Eventually, the Ottomans were able to force the women to return to India, much against their wishes.

 

When they returned, all this made Akbar realize that his was probably the far richer kingdom. While the Ottomans may have had jurisdiction over the holy sites, Akbar’s empire was larger and richer. There was no reason for him and the Mughals to consider themselves as subordinates to the Ottomans…