Bega Begum
Bega Begum, 1581, Mughal princess. First cousin of Humayun, she was also the wife of his youth. A son horn to them in 1528 when Humayun, who was still in Badakshan, was only 21. She came to India after Babar’s death (1530) and her second child, a daughter Aqiqa, was born in ‘India in 1531. She was later neglected by him. In 1539 she was captured by Sher Shah when Humayun’s army was overwhelmed at Chausa, though she was later escorted hack to Humayun, she had lost her young daughter. She was with Humayun in Kabul in 1545, when he had fled from India. She returned to India after Humayun had re-established the Mughal empire, and joined Akbar in 1557. In 1564-65 she went to Mecca on a pilgrimage and returned only after three years. For this reason she has also been referred to as Haji Begum. She built the tomb of Humayun at Delhi.
