Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Emperor Shah Jahan, died on 28 June 1631, while Shah Jahan, then in the third year of his reign, was on a military campaign in the Deccan (Central India). Mumtaz Mahal was bearing her fourteenth child and was accompanying her royal husband as she had done for the eighteen years of their married life. Mumtaz died in childbirth with her husband at her side.
Arjunand Banu Begam was the daughter of Asaf Khan, a prime minister of the Mughal Court. She married Prince Khurram on 27 March 1612 and was given the title of Mumtaz Mahal by her father-in-law, Jahangir. "Mumtaz Mahal" means "The chosen one of the palace", while Prince Khurram's title "Shah Jahan" means "King of the world". It is reported that during their married life Mumtaz Mahal was a close companion and adviser to her husband.