260 TRAVEL, ADVENTUEE, AND SPORT. 



throne. He did, in fact, love mercy as well as do 

 justice, and was far from being a bad ruler. He was 

 wont to say that he would rather lose all the rest of 

 his empire than Kashmir j 1 and it is likely that in 

 this and similar gardens he enjoyed the most pleasure 

 which his life afforded. His companion there was 

 Mihrunnisa Khanam, better known as ]S"iir Jahan, 

 " the Light of the World." 2 When a young prince 

 he had seen and loved her, but they were separated 

 by circumstances ; and it was not until after the 

 death of her husband, Sher Afgan, and he had over- 

 come her dread of marrying one whom she supposed 

 to have been her husband's murderer, that Mihrun- 

 nisa became Jehangfr's wife, and received the name 

 of the Light of the World. A great improvement 

 in the Emperor's government resulted from this 

 union : the story is a curious illustration of the abid- 

 ing power of love, and it goes far to redeem the 

 character of this dissipated emperor, who would allow 

 nobody to get drunk except himself. I daresay, if 

 the truth were known, the Light of the World must 

 have had a sad time of it with her amorous lord ; 

 but she was at least devoted to him, and seriously 



1 Voyages de Francois Bernier, contenant la Description des 

 Etats du Grand-Mogol. Amsterdam, 1699. 



2 She was also, for a time, called Nur Mahall, the Light of 

 the Palace ; and under this name must be distinguished from 

 the queen of Jehttngir's son, Shah Jahdn, to whom was raised 

 the wonderful Taj Mahal at Agra. 



