Roshanara Begum

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Roshanara Begum
Shahzadi of the Mughal Empire
Princess Roshanara with her attendants
Padshah Begum
Tenure	1658–1668
Predecessor	Jahanara Begum
Successor	Jahanara Begum
Born	3 September 1617 Burhanpur, India
Died	11 September 1671(1671-09-11) (aged 54) Delhi, India
Burial	Roshanara Bagh, Delhi
House	Timurid
Father	Shah Jahan
Mother	Mumtaz Mahal
Religion	Sunni Islam

Roshanara Begum (Persian: روشن آرا بیگم, lit. 'Adorned in Light'); 3 September 1617 – 11 September 1671)^[1] was a Mughal princess and the third daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Roshanara was a brilliant woman and a talented poet. She was a partisan of her younger brother, Aurangzeb, and supported him during the war of succession which took place after Shah Jahan's illness in 1657. After Aurangzeb's accession to the throne in 1658, Roshanara was given the title of Padshah Begum by her brother displacing her sister and rival Jahanara Begum. This made her the de-facto First Lady of the Mughal Empire, and a powerful political figure. However, after the death of Shah Jahan, Jahanara succeeded in regaining her title of Padshah Begum, by replacing Roshanara. Towards the end of her life, Roshanara was sidelined in Aurangzeb’s court.

Today, however, Roshanara is best known for the Roshanara Bagh,^[2] a pleasure garden located in present-day north Delhi. The present-day Roshanara Club which was constructed in the late 19th century by the British is a country club that was actually originally a part of the Roshanara Bagh.