He is presented here with a sharply pointed nose, a well trimmed moustache curving downwards, thoughtful eyes, and prominently delineated ears. These, and the scarf on his shoulders, are characteristic features of most portraits of Shahjahan.
Jehangir's third son Khurram Shihab al-Din Muhammad, who ruled as Shahjahan from 1628 to 1657, was born in 1592 to a Rajput queen of Jehangir from Marwar. When twenty, he was married to Arjumand Banu Begum renamed later as Mumtaz Mahal. History bears testimony to Shahjahan's two passions, one for his wife Mumtaz Mahal and the other for architecture. The Tajmahal stands as the highest monument of love. Built in the memory of his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, it combines both his infatuations - architecture and his mad yearnings for Mumtaz, the companion of his struggles, woes, and miseries in his adverse days.
It is befitting that the creator of Tajmahal has himself been represented here on marble. Along the raised circumference of this marble saucer are embossed entwined, dense flowery motifs and creepers in 24 karat gold. These are reminiscent of the floral motifs appearing as incised painted patterns on the Tajmahal. Indeed it was during the reign of Shahjahan that Indian artists refined such depictions, transforming them into a hallmark of Mughal decorative style.
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