Shahar Banu
Shahar Banu, 1665, princess of Bijapur. Sister of the young ruler, Sikander, she was surnamed Padishah Bibi. Though only 16, she was very wise, and exercised considerable authority over the affair, of the State, and was held in great respect by the people of Bijapur. She resolutely refused to desert her brother, to go to Delhi, and as a Shia, to marry a son of the bigoted Sunni, Aurangzeb. She was ultimately persuaded by the regent, Masand, to accept the match as the only way of saving Bijapur from extinction. On 1 July 1679 she left Bijapur for Delhi, much to the grief of the people, and was married to Aurangzeb’s son, Prince Azam on 26 July 1681. Her husband was killed in June 1707 in the war of succession following the death of Aurangzeb.
