Padshahnamah fol. 123r
(plate 24)

One half of a double-page illustration depicting Prince Dara-Shukoh’s barat wedding procession arriving at the Agra Fort on 12 Feb 1633. It is probable that this painting was not intended to form part of the same composition as the work opposite. The procession, comprising musicians mounted on elephants and men bearing presents and lanterns, is seen arriving at a gateway into to the public audience hall, whereas the following royal party in the accompanying sheet are shown in a different area of fort.

The wedding of Prince Dara-Shukoh, whom Shah-Jahan favoured as his successor, was performed with exceptional splendour. It was the first major celebration after Mughal the court spent over a year in mourning for Mumtaz Mahal, the Emperor's wife and the mother of the prince, who had died in childbirth. Mumtaz Mahal would have organised public ceremonies but instead these were arranged by Dara-Shukoh’s sister, Jahanara. The bride was Nadira Banu Begam, Dara-Shukoh's first cousin and the daughter of Shah-Jahan's elder brother Parviz and Jahan Banu Begam, who were also first cousins (her father, Shah-Murad, was Jahangir's younger brother).

Bibliography:
Milo Beach and Ebba Koch, King of the world : the Padshahnama, an imperial Mughal manuscript from the Royal Library, Windsor Castle, 1996
Saqib Baburi, Beyond the Akbarnamah: Padshahnamahs and Official Regnal Chronography for Shah-Jahan Padshah (r. 1037/1628-1068/1658), 2010.