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Mughal Harem
The Mughal Harem was the harem of Mughal emperors of the Indian subcontinent. The term originated with the Near East, meaning a "forbidden place; sacrosanct, sanctum", and etymologically related to the Arabic ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; female members of the family" and ''ḥarām'', "forbidden; sacred". It has the same meaning as the Turkish word ''seraglio'' and the Persian word ''zenana''. It is also similar to the Sanskrit word anthapura, meaning ‘the inner apartment’ of the household. It came to mean the sphere of women in what was usually a polygynous household and their segregated quarters which were forbidden to men. The Harem, being a forbidden place, was constant topic of speculation and curiosity. It was a vibrant and a big physical space where women were arranged in regard to their proximity to the Emperor. History The women Harems were composed of wives and female relatives of the Mughals. Most women usually entered the Harem through marriag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zenana
Zenana ( fa, زنانه, ur, , bn, জেনানা, hi, ज़नाना) literally meaning "of the women" or "pertaining to women", in Persian language contextually refers to the part of a house belonging to a Muslim, Sikh, or Hindu family in the Indian subcontinent which is reserved for the women of the household. The ''zenana'' are the inner apartments of a house in which the women of the family live. The outer apartments for guests and men are called the ''mardana''. Conceptually in those that practise purdah, it is the equivalent in the Indian subcontinent of the harem. Christian missionaries were able to gain access to these Indian girls and women through the zenana missions; female missionaries who had been trained as doctors and nurses were able to provide them with health care and also evangelise them in their own homes. Mughal court life Physically, the zenana of the Mughal court consisted of exceptionally luxurious conditions, particularly for princesse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mughal Harem
The Mughal Harem was the harem of Mughal emperors of the Indian subcontinent. The term originated with the Near East, meaning a "forbidden place; sacrosanct, sanctum", and etymologically related to the Arabic ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; female members of the family" and ''ḥarām'', "forbidden; sacred". It has the same meaning as the Turkish word ''seraglio'' and the Persian word ''zenana''. It is also similar to the Sanskrit word anthapura, meaning ‘the inner apartment’ of the household. It came to mean the sphere of women in what was usually a polygynous household and their segregated quarters which were forbidden to men. The Harem, being a forbidden place, was constant topic of speculation and curiosity. It was a vibrant and a big physical space where women were arranged in regard to their proximity to the Emperor. History The women Harems were composed of wives and female relatives of the Mughals. Most women usually entered the Harem through marriag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Mughal Harem
''The Mughal Harem'' is a book by historian K.S. Lal published in 1988 about the Mughal Harem. Scholars perceive the work as communal propaganda, intended to exoticize the harem. Contents Based on contemporary sources, Lal studies queens, princesses, dancing girls, and slaves who belonged to Mughal harem from 15th to 18th century. The political roles of Nur Jahan Nur Jahan, born Mehr-un-Nissa P ersian: نورجهان (; – 18 December 1645) was the wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir from 1620 until his death in 1627. Nur Jahan was born Mehr-un-Nissa, as the daughter of a Mirza Gh ..., Jahanara and Roshanara are described in detail. Reception A. Jan Qaiser of Aligarh Muslim University was very dismissive of the book. Ruby Lal noted Lal's work to be one of the few academic accounts on the topic but laden with oriental tropes of sexuality and seclusion. Karuna Sharma shared Ruby Lal's concerns; K. S. Lal's was the first comprehensive study of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anthapura
The Anthapura or Antahpura (Sanskrit ) was the royal harem of an Indian palace, the portion of king's palace where the queen and other court ladies stayed—the 'ladies' section' of the palace. Normally, this portion of the palace would be accompanied with the Queen's Bath. Most of the palaces in India have ''anthapura'' as integral part (for example, Hampi and Mysore Palace).''Early Indian secular architecture'' by K Krishna Murthy. Delhi: Sundeep Prakashan, 1987. p.113 and following. See also *Women-only space A women-only space is an area where only women (and in some cases children) are allowed, thus providing a place where they do not have to interact with men. Historically and globally, many cultures had, and many still have, some form of female sec ... References Architecture in India Palaces in India Indian culture Women's culture Harem {{India-palace-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seraglio
A seraglio, serail, seray or saray (from fa, سرای, sarāy, palace, via Turkish and Italian) is a castle, palace or government building which was considered to have particular administrative importance in various parts of the former Ottoman Empire. "The Seraglio" may refer specifically to the Topkapı Palace, the residence of the former Ottoman sultans in Istanbul (known as Constantinople in English at the time of Ottoman rule). The term can also refer to other traditional Turkish palaces (every imperial prince had his own) and other grand houses built around courtyards. Etymology The term ''seraglio'', from Italian, has been used in English since 1581. The Italian Treccani dictionary gives two derivations: # one via tr, seray or (with the variants ''seraya'' or ''saraya''), which comes from fa, سرای, sarāy, palace or, per derivation, the enclosed court for the wives and concubines of the harem of a house or palace (see ); # the other — in the sense of enc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gulbadan Begum
Gulbadan Begum ( 1523 – 7 February 1603) was a Mughal princess and the daughter of Emperor Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire. She is best known as the author of ''Humayun-Nama'', the account of the life of her half-brother, Emperor Humayun, which she wrote on the request of her nephew, Emperor Akbar. Gulbadan's recollection of Babur is brief, but she gives a refreshing account of Humayun's household and provides a rare material regarding his confrontation with her half-brother, Kamran Mirza. She records the fratricidal conflict among her brothers with a sense of grief. Gulbadan Begum was about eight years old at the time of her father's death in 1530 and was brought up by her older half-brother, Humayun. She was married to a Chagatai noble, her cousin, Khizr Khwaja Khan, the son of Aiman Khwajah Sultan, son of Khan Ahmad Alaq of Eastern Moghulistan at the age of seventeen. She spent most of her life in Kabul. In 1557, she was invited by her nephew, Akbar, to join ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Humayun Nama
Gulbadan Begum ( 1523 – 7 February 1603) was a Mughal princess and the daughter of Emperor Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire. She is best known as the author of ''Humayun-Nama'', the account of the life of her half-brother, Emperor Humayun, which she wrote on the request of her nephew, Emperor Akbar. Gulbadan's recollection of Babur is brief, but she gives a refreshing account of Humayun's household and provides a rare material regarding his confrontation with her half-brother, Kamran Mirza. She records the fratricidal conflict among her brothers with a sense of grief. Gulbadan Begum was about eight years old at the time of her father's death in 1530 and was brought up by her older half-brother, Humayun. She was married to a Chagatai noble, her cousin, Khizr Khwaja Khan, the son of Aiman Khwajah Sultan, son of Khan Ahmad Alaq of Eastern Moghulistan at the age of seventeen. She spent most of her life in Kabul. In 1557, she was invited by her nephew, Akbar, to jo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jahanara Begum
Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a Mughal Empire, Mughal princess and later the Padshah Begum of the Mughal Empire from 1631 to 1658 and again from 1668 until her death. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. After Mumtaz Mahal's untimely death in 1631, the 17-year-old Jahanara was entrusted with the charge of the royal seal and conferred the title of ''Padshah Begum'' (First lady) of the Mughal Empire, despite the fact that her father had three surviving wives. She was Shah Jahan's favourite daughter, wielded major political influence during her father's reign, and has been described as "the most powerful woman in the empire" at the time. Jahanara was an ardent partisan of her brother, Dara Shikoh, and supported him as her father's chosen successor. During the war of succession which took place after Shah Jahan's illness in 1657, Jahanara sided with the heir-apparent Dara and ultimately joined her father ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahaldar
Mahaldars in the Mughal Empire were the chief officers of the imperial harem. Chosen from the ranks of the darogha administrators of the zenana, the mahaldar was responsible for maintaining order in this large community of women. Niccolao Manucci writes that "the way in which these kings are waited on deserves mention. For just as the king has his officers outside, he has the same among the fair sex within the Mahal". Duties Already having been honored by selection for duties within the women's quarters, a mahaldar was exalted above the others for her special services to the emperor. These special services included the management of the other ranking administrators, and reporting conflicts and intrigues from the zenana directly to the Emperor. In that way, she served as a kind of spy on behalf of the Emperor. She was also given the task of reading out daily reports from the public and secret news court writers to the emperor. The emperor's spy Often, princes in the royal entoura ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daroghas
Darogas (also spelled darogha or daroghah) were police officials in the Mughal Empire and the British Raj. In the Mughal Empire, a daroga was superintendent of the "slaves" of a Mughal monarch. Duties performed by daroga The darogas served in the armies of Kachhwahas and Mughals; and in accordance with the duties performed by them, the darogas were given various titles like ''daroga-i-sutarkhana'', ''daroga-i-topkhana'', and ''daroga-i-baroodkhana''. Daroghas answered to district magistrates who were in charge of areas at least ; because the magistrates were responsible for such a large area, the daroghas were normally the most powerful local authorities. In some cases, they were in charge of factories. The darogas also had command over the police in rural areas. Female daroga The women assigned to the administration of the imperial harem were also given the title of darogha. The position was appointed by the emperor himself, and marked a great honor for the woman and her family. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akbarnama
The ''Akbarnama'', which translates to ''Book of Akbar'', the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor (), commissioned by Akbar himself and written by his court historian and biographer, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak. It was written in Persian, which was the literary language of the Mughals, and includes vivid and detailed descriptions of his life and times. It followed the ''Baburnama'', the more personal memoir by his grandfather, Babur, founder of the dynasty. It was produced in the form of lavishly illustrated manuscripts. The work was commissioned by Akbar, and written by Abul Fazl, who was one of the ''Nine Jewels'' (Hindustani: Navaratnas) of Akbar's royal court. It is stated that the book took seven years to be completed. The original manuscripts contained many miniature paintings supporting the texts, thought to have been illustrated between and 1594 by at least forty-nine different artists from Akbar's imperial workshop, representing the best of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
