Akbar’s fondness for Jodha only made him more accepting of Hindu rituals. It is also accepted that Jodha had the permission to worship in the Hindu way in her palace and continued to remain a devotee of Lord Krishna. Jodha used her influence to build gardens, wells, and mosques around the country.
She was Akbar’s only queen who could issue farman (official decree), which was normally the exclusive privilege of the emperor. Subsequently, Jodha is said to have enjoyed increased clout over political matters. Was Akbar’s affection for Jodhabai thus familial and borne out of a sense of gratitude? Akbar’s first queen was the childless Ruqaiyya Begum, and his second wife was Salima Sultan, the widow of his most trusted general, Bairam Khan.Ī sense of desperation seemed to mark Akbar’s prayers at the dargah of the Shaikh Salim Chishti, which later led to the birth of his first surviving child Jahangir. But apart from her personality attributes, she gave Akbar what his other queens could not - an heir. Jodha, it is said, was extremely gorgeous and dignified. What then could have possibly led to Jodha being given this preference? Yet, there seems to be near unanimity over Jodhabai being referred to as Akbar’s favourite queen. History does not corroborate any instance of Akbar’s romance with Jodhabai in the real sense. The law of Hindu succession has always been patrimonial, so the threat to lineage, in marrying their princesses for political gain, was pretty inconsequential. The fact that other Rajput kingdoms, subsequently, also established similar matrimonial alliances with Akbar, cannot be disproved.
It will be interesting to note here that there is little clarity on the total number of wives that Akbar eventually had.
Hira Kunwari (Jodha’s maiden name) was married to Akbar on January 20, 1562, at Sambhar near Jaipur. Akbar’s marriage with the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber (modern day Jaipur) was quite unequivocally a device used for political acquisition.
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