Born in 1614 in Agra, Jaha'n Ara Begum was the daughter of Mughal Emperor Shah Jaha'n and Mumtaz Mahal and the elder sister of Aurangzeb.
When Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631, Jaha'n Ara was 17 years old. She came to be known as the Princess of the Mughal Empire. Along with taking care of her siblings, she also took care of her loving father, Shah Jaha'n, the King.
Mumtaz Mahal died while giving birth to her 14th child. It is believed that the value of Mumtaz Mahal's private jewelry was worth Rs.10 million at that time. Shah Jaha'n divided it into two parts. One part was consigned to Jaha'n Ara and the other part was divided among children. Shah Jaha'n often consulted his daughter in administrative matters and used to call his beloved daughter by such titles as Sahib-e-Jahan Sahibat Al-Zamani (a title given by her brother Aurangzeb), Padshah Begum, and Begum Sahib.
In 1644, on the occasion of Jahan Ara's 30th birthday, an accident took place in which Jaha'n Ara's clothes caught fire and she was burnt. Shah Jaha'n was very upset about this and started taking care of his daughter by handing over the administrative matters to others. He also visited Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer Sharif. When Ara recovered, Shah Jaha'n gave her precious diamonds, jewels and ornaments as a gift and also presented the income from Surat port as a gift.
Jaha'n Ara wrote the biography of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti named Monis-ul-Arwah. Similarly, she also wrote the biography of his mentor Mullah Shah Badakhshi, named Risala-e-Sahibiya. Her account of Moinuddin Chishti is considered as a great literary achievement of this period. She also took a keen interest in translations of classical literature and Sufi literature. Jaha'n Ara died in Delhi in 1681 and was buried near the shrine of Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya. There is an inscription on his shrine that reflects the utterly simple life she led.