Jahangir, the anguished soul had hardly any resemblance with his wise father, Akbar. During Akbar`s lifetime only, he demanded rebelliously the possession of Agra. However, he later calmed down.But all through ,he remained restless,with unfulfilled passions regarding his love-relationship with Anarkali.

A week after Akbar`s death, Jahangir (1605-1627) succeeded to the throne. Like Akbar, Jahangir managed diplomatic relations on the Indian subcontinent adroitly, was tolerant of non-Muslims, and was a great patron of the art. He was greatly assisted by his wife Nur Jahan(Light of the World) in administrative affairs. She excelled in the art of speech eloquence. And her inclination to Persian Poetry helped the genre to flourish. Even music and painting , scholarly exercises were cultivated under her patronage. Tuzaki-i-Jahangiri is a comprehensive document of his reign. Jahanghir ,placed emphasis on justice and set up a chain of bells which people were required to pull in order to catch his attention to their ion to their complains.Hoewever, there is doubt regarding the success of this arrangement. He also devised a code of 12 rules or Dastur-ul-amal for the general well-being of the people.It included measures like: [1] Abolition of certain taxes like Tagma, [2]construction of mosques, Sadaikhanas and drinking wells on the roadside, [3]prohibition of manufacture and selling of drugs and alcohol,[4]prevention of forcible occupation of the cultivator`s land by the landlords and many others . Despite his acute intelligence, he hardly harboured any concern for the greater interests of the empire. Yet the empire squashed the Afghans in Bengal and the Rajputs of Mewar. Although, the Mughals were restricted from spreading towards Ahmadnagar by the able Abysssinian minister,Malik Ambar of the kingdom.


His self-indulgent and sensual attitude and the plethora of opulence gave license to corruption and vices within the court.But the biggest jolt he received from his own son Khusrau who pounced upon a plan to usurp his father`s throne. But equally atrocious was Jahangir. He blinded Khusrau as a punishment of his disobedience.

Similarly harsh was the slaughter of Guru Arjun Dev,the fifth Sikh Preacher and the author of Guru-Granth Sahib(the Sikh holy book).

Nur Jahan`s tremendous influence was the cause of disappointment among certain Mughal nobles, like Mohabat Khan, and Jahanghir`s son Prince Khurram,who struggled his way to the throne. Because Nur Jahan voted for Shariyar, another son of Jahanghir as the next ruler. Her hostility propelled Prince Khurram to revolt in 1622.This revolt snatched away Kandahar from the Mughal Empire. Jahanghir`s inability as a ruler can only be ignored considering the growth of Mughal art and architecture in this period.