Roshanara Begum

Roshanara Begum (Persian: روشن آرا بیگم, lit. 'Adorned in Light'); 3 September 1617 – 11 September 1671) was a Mughal princess and poet. She was the third daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and supported her younger brother Aurangzeb 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, 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.