Bibi Julliana: A peculiar personality in the Mughal Court
Hidden among the old buildings and bustling traffic of Okhla one can spot a sign board with ‘Sarai Julena Gaon’. The actual Sarai, now lost in oblivion, was built by a Portuguese lady named Dona Juliana Dias da Costa. How did a Portuguese woman come to construct a Sarai? Moreover who was this Julliana da Costa, also referred to as Bibi Julliana in Mughal texts?
She is well known for serving in the Mughal court in late 17th and early 18th century Mughal India and for being a close companion of the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah First (Shah Alam). Nevertheless, none of the accounts of her early life are backed up by historical evidence. She reportedly joined the Mughal Court and served there, according to several accounts. Her extensive professional background included serving as a doctor, a Portuguese ambassador, a diplomat, and a tutor for the royal prince.
It is believed that Julliana’s parents were captured among the 4500 captives in Shah Jahan’s campaign on Hugli in the year 1632 and they were brought to the court where they served the Mughals. Father Antonio de Magalhanes raised Juliana in Delhi when her parents passed away. She developed skills necessary to become a diplomat as a result of her upbringing under the tutelage of Jesuit Fathers. Through Father Magalhanes, she cleared the path for her arrival in the Mughal court in 1681–1682. Some sources mention her to be a widow at an early age while some account her marriage to one of the physicians in royal service.
Julliana was appointed as the tutor of Prince Muazzam, later known as Shah Alam. From there she became close to the prince. She accompanied Shah Alam wherever he was posted and even stood by his side when he was jailed on the suspicion of treason. This association with the prince later raised her to prominence when he Shah Alam became the emperor. She also accompanied Shah Alam in battles. It is said that five or six thousand men on foot escorted Juliana whenever she rode.
Ippolito Desideri, an Italian Jesuit, claims that Juliana had such a profound impact on Shah Alam that she nearly got him to get baptized. She convinced the monarch to declare Surat a duty-free port for the Portuguese because it was a crucial port for trade, and the emperor did so for her. This further demonstrates her strong presence in the Mughal court. In addition, she received a number of other titles, including “Fidavi Bahadur Shah Juliana” (Juliana, Bahadur Shah’s devoted servant). Even after Shah Alam’s passing, her influence continued to grow rather than diminish.
She received a few villages near Delhi as a reward for her service to the Mughal and Estado da India empires, and she was appointed the jagirdar of four of them. When Muhammad Shah “Rangeela” ascended to the Mughal throne in 1720, Juliana constructed a Sarai, or rest house, in Okhla for European tourists.
Raghuraj Singh Chauhan and Madhukar Tiwari, in their book titles Juliana Nama(2017), opine that Juliana has not deserved the attention she should have from the medieval historians. Despite being neglected by history, there are some references here and there to her life in a number of languages, including Persian, Portuguese, Urdu, and English, to mention a few. The Dutch published Juliana’s only portrait in the Netherlands in 1726. The Persian text Tarikh-e-Muhammadi then makes a certain reference to her documenting that a firangi woman who was dearest to the Late Bahadur Shah first, died in Delhi in 1734.
Portrait - An elderly woman, Bibi Juliyana (Juliana Dias da Costa), a former attendant of the Mughal Emperors, Mughal, circa 1730-50, Islamic and Indian Art, https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29318/lot/153/an-elderly-woman-bibi-juliyana-juliana-dias-da-costa-a-former-attendant-of-the-mughal-emperors-mughal-circa-1730-50/
In her work “Visions of Juliana: A Portuguese Woman at the Court of the Mughals,” Taymiya R. Zaman, an associate professor of history at the University of San Francisco, tries to separate reality from fiction regarding Juliana Dias da Costa. European contributors, such as Gaston Bruit and Jean-Baptiste Gentil, have written a good deal about Juliana. According to Portuguese narratives, Juliana served as a stand-in for their political ambitions during a period when their own power was waning, while Jesuit sources present her as a stand-in for their spiritual mission in India.
Juliana Dias da Costa, often known as Bibi Julliana, was a prominent figure in Shah Alam’s court. She possessed a wide range of talents that enabled her to serve both the Mughal court and the Portuguese kingdom. Her life personality can be described as having multiple layers of depth. However, mainstream history has not been kind to her, referring to her solely as the ‘lover of Shah Alam’.
Bibliography:
- Aman Kumar Singh. “Revisit of Delhi’s Sarai: Historical Significance and Modern Relevance.” Academia.edu. Accessed March 8, 2025. https://www.academia.edu/126683254/Revisit_of_Delhi_s_Sarai_Historical_Significance_and_Modern_Relevance.
- Author Unknown. “The Story of a Portuguese Woman in Mughal Harem.” Delhipedia. Accessed March 8, 2025. https://delhipedia.com/the-story-of-a-portuguese-woman-in-mughal-harem/
- Author Unknown. “Juliana Dias da Costa (1658–1733) and All About Her.” Navrang India, August 2015. Accessed March 8, 2025. https://www.navrangindia.in/2015/08/juliana-dias-da-costa-16581733-and-all.html.
- Dias, Luis. “The Many Worlds Inhabited by the Enigmatic Dona Juliana Dias da Costa.” Luis Dias’ Blog, June 9, 2024. Accessed March 8, 2025. https://luisdias.wordpress.com/2024/06/09/the-many-worlds-inhabited-by-the-enigmatic-dona-juliana-dias-da-costa/.
- Gauree Malkarnekar. “A Love Affair That Saved Portuguese from Mughals.” Times of India, July 22, 2017. Accessed March 8, 2025. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/a-love-affair-that-saved-portuguese-from-mughals/articleshow/59719523.cms.
- Shivam Pathak. “Dona Juliana: A Forgotten Christian in Mughal Harem.” International Journal of Research, May 9, 2020. Accessed March 8, 2025. https://internationaljournalofresearch.com/2020/05/09/dona-juliana-a-forgotten-christian-in-mughal-harem/.
- Zaman, Taymiya R. “Visions of Juliana: A Portuguese Woman at the Court of the Mughals.” Journal of World History 23, no. 4 (December 2012): 761–791.
About the Author:
Author: Sadia Shakil
Sadia Shakil is a post graduate in History and an independent researcher with specialisation in the field of art and cultural history. Her work spans heritage sites, historical literature and art and craft blogs.
