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Ladli Begum

Mihr-un-nissa Begum, better known as Ladli Begum, was the daughter of Mughal empress Nur Jahan and her first husband, Ali Quli Khan Istajlu, more famously known as Sher Afgan Khan, who was killed fighting Kutubuddin, the governor of Bengal, in 1607. Nur Jahan had become the 20th wife of Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1611.  

In 1621 Ladli Begum married Shaharyar, son of Jahangir. Naturally enough, Nur Jahan pushed Shaharyar's claim to the Mughal throne after the death of Jahangir on 27th October, 1627. This was resented by Nur Jahan's brother Asaf Khan who wanted his son-in-law Shah Jehan (another son of Jahangir) to be the next emperor.  

Hence all the competitors to the throne including Shaharyar were executed by Asaf Khan, father of Mumtaz Mahal (Shah Jahan’s wife in whose memory world renowned monument Taj Mahal in Agra was built). Nur Jehan and her daughter Ladli Begum were imprisoned for life. Shah Jahan ascended the throne on 19 January 1628. 

Nur Jahan died in 1645 and was buried in a tomb at Shahdara in Lahore, which she herself got built during her lifetime. Her mausoleum is close to her husband Jahangir’s mausoleum. Ladli Begum was also buried beside her mother.  Asaf Khan's mausoleum is adjacent to that of Jahangir.    

Bengali writer Narayan Sanyal  had written a historical novel Ladli Begum in 1986, which won him a literary award. 

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