COMPANIONS from India

Top 5

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Indian Companions of all time. This list of famous Indian Companions is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Mumtaz Mahal (1593 - 1631)

With an HPI of 64.52, Mumtaz Mahal is the most famous Indian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 59 different languages on wikipedia.

Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Banu Begum; Persian pronunciation: [mʊmˈt̪aːz mɛˈɦɛl]; lit. 'The Exalted One of the Palace'; 29 October 1593 – 17 June 1631) was the empress consort of Mughal Empire from 1628 to 1631 as the chief consort of the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal in Agra, often cited as one of the Wonders of the World, was commissioned by her husband to act as her tomb. Mumtaz Mahal was born Arjumand Banu Begum in Agra to a family of Persian nobility. She was the daughter of Abu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan, a wealthy Persian noble who held high office in the Mughal Empire, and the niece of Empress Nur Jahan, the chief wife of Emperor Jahangir and the power behind the emperor. She was married at the age of 19 on 10 May 1612 or 16 June 1612 to Prince Khurram, later known by his regnal name Shah Jahan, who conferred upon her the title "Mumtaz Mahal" (Persian: the exalted one of the palace). Although betrothed to Shah Jahan since 1607, she ultimately became his second wife in 1612. Mumtaz and her husband had 14 children, including Jahanara Begum (Shah Jahan's favorite daughter), and the Crown prince Dara Shikoh, the heir-apparent, anointed by his father, who temporarily succeeded him until deposed by Mumtaz Mahal's sixth child, Aurangzeb, who ultimately succeeded his father as the sixth Mughal emperor in 1658. Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631 in Burhanpur, Deccan (present-day Madhya Pradesh) during the birth of her 14th child, a daughter named Gauhar Ara Begum. Shah Jahan had the Taj Mahal built as a tomb for her, which is considered to be a monument of undying love. As with other Mughal royal ladies, no contemporary likenesses of her are accepted, but imagined portraits were created from the 19th century onwards.

2. Mariam-uz-Zamani (1542 - 1623)

With an HPI of 58.95, Mariam-uz-Zamani is the 2nd most famous Indian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Mariam-uz-Zamani (lit. 'Mary/Compassionate of the Age'); (c. 1544 – 19 May 1623), commonly known by the misnomer Jodha Bai, was the chief consort and principal Hindu wife as well as the favourite wife of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar. She was also the longest-serving Hindu empress of the Mughal Empire with a tenure of forty-three years (1562–1605). Born a Rajput princess, she was married to Akbar by her father, Raja Bharmal of Amer due to political exigencies. Her marriage to Akbar led to a gradual shift in the latter's religious and social policies. She is widely regarded in modern Indian historiography as exemplifying both Akbar's tolerance of religious differences and their inclusive policies within an expanding multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire. She was said to possess uncommon beauty. She was widely known for both her grace and intellect. Mariam-uz-Zamani occupied an important place in Akbar's harem, she was a senior-ranking wife of Akbar who in the words of Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, commanded a high rank in the imperial harem. She is stated as the favourite and an influential consort of Akbar, having a considerable influence in the matters of the court. Described as an intellectual, amiable, kind and liberal woman, she was often consulted by Akbar on important matters. She was the mother of Akbar's eldest surviving son and eventual successor, Jahangir, and the grandmother of Shah Jahan.

3. Mastani (1699 - 1740)

With an HPI of 54.24, Mastani is the 3rd most famous Indian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Mastani (29 August 1699 – 28 April 1740) was the daughter of Chhatrasal and Ruhani Bai Begum. She was the second wife of the Maratha Peshwa (Prime Minister) Baji Rao I. Her relationship within the Maratha Brahmin family has been subject of both admiration and controversy and well adapted in Indian novels and cinema.

4. Brian Horrocks (1895 - 1985)

With an HPI of 50.17, Brian Horrocks is the 4th most famous Indian Companion.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Gwynne Horrocks, (7 September 1895 – 4 January 1985) was a British Army officer, chiefly remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and other operations during the Second World War. He also served in the First World War and the Russian Civil War, was taken prisoner twice, and competed in the modern pentathlon at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Later he was a television presenter, wrote books on military history, and was Black Rod in the House of Lords for 14 years. In 1940 Horrocks commanded a battalion during the Battle of France, the first time he served under Bernard Montgomery, the most prominent British commander of the war. Montgomery later identified Horrocks as one of his most able officers, appointing him to corps commands in both North Africa and Europe. In 1943, Horrocks was seriously wounded and took more than a year to recover before returning to command a corps in Europe. It is likely that this period out of action meant he missed out on promotion; his contemporary corps commanders in North Africa, Oliver Leese and Miles Dempsey, went on to command at army level and above. Horrocks' wound continued to impair his health and led to his early retirement from the army after the war. Since 1945, Horrocks has been regarded by some as one of the most successful British generals of the war, "a man who really led, a general who talked to everyone, down to the simplest private soldier" and the "beau ideal of a corps commander".General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Western Europe, called him "the outstanding British general under Montgomery".

5. Jagat Gosain (1573 - 1619)

With an HPI of 48.82, Jagat Gosain is the 5th most famous Indian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Manavati Bai, also spelled Manvati Bai, (13 May 1573 – 8 April 1619), better known by her title, Jagat Gosain (lit. 'Saint of the World'), was the second wife and the empress consort of the fourth Mughal emperor Jahangir and the mother of his successor, Shah Jahan.She is also known as Mani Bai, Manmati, Jodh Bai (lit. 'Princess of Jodhpur'), Taj Bibi (lit. 'Lady of the Crown') and was also given the posthumous title of Bilqis Makani (lit. 'Lady of the Pure Abode'). She was also wrongly referred to as Balmati Begum by Manrique. She should not be confused with her mother-in-law, Mariam-uz-Zamani, who was erroneously called as "Jodha Bai" by European historians since any daughter belonging to the Jodhpur region could be called Jodha Bai or daughter of Jodhpur region.By birth, she was a Rajput princess of Marwar (present-day Jodhpur) and was the daughter of Raja Udai Singh (popularly known as Mota Raja), the Rathore ruler of Marwar and the full-sister of Sawai Raja Sur Singh, another Rathore ruler of Marwar and Maharaja Kishan Singh, founder of Kishangarh.