New History of the Marathas v1.c19.s1.3

v1.c19.s1.3

Throughout the Emperor's residence in the Deccan, his domestic affairs were looked after by his daughter Zinat-un-Nisa Begam, an intelligent, pains-taking and kind-hearted lady, unmarried, now 47 years old (born on 5 October 1643), to whose care the Emperor entrusted the prisoners Shāhu and Yesubai.³ The Begam was born of the same mother as the Emperor's rebel son Akbar, and like him entertained a tender feeling for the Marathas, being by nature of a pious philosophical outlook upon life. She, therefore, felt a deep interest and compassion for Yesubai and her son, who on this account developed a sense of filial reverence for her, which endured long after Aurangzeb's death. This Zinat-un-Nisa built a mosque at Delhi out of her own private money and died in 1721. When, therefore, Balaji Vishwanath led an expedition to Delhi in 1718, Zinat-un-Nisa must have, one may presume, helped Yesubai's release and return. She was certainly instrumental in letting Shāhu go back to the Deccan from the river Narmada in 1707.