Mariam-uz-Zamani was a wife of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar. In subsequent centuries, she has been referred to with several other names, including Hira Kunwari, Harkha Bai and Jodha Bai.
Born a Hindu Rajput princess in 1542, Mariam-uz-Zamani was offered in marriage to Akbar by her father, Raja Bharmal of Amber. The wedding, held in Sambhar, was a political one and served as a sign of submission of her father to the Mughals. 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 and the Mughals' tolerance of religious differences and their inclusive policies within an expanding multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire.
She was the mother of Akbar's eldest surviving son and eventual successor, Jahangir.