Tehwildars in the Mughal court, were the female financial officers assigned to the

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 f ...

. The majority of the consolidation of Mughal court etiquette occurred under the reign of Emperor

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

. Differing accounts of the size of his

harem Harem (Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A hare ...

range anywhere from 300 to 5,000 wives. Residing within the zenana were also eunuchs, concubines, members of the royal household, servants, and entertainers, all of which comprised a massive community within itself. As such, the necessity for organizing the administration of zenana life led to the creation of several official posts within the harem. Among these positions was the Tehwildar. Described as the "lady accounts officer and cashier to whom all officials, including

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 ...

, had to apply for their salaries," she was responsible for all of the financial transactions related to the zenana and its residents. The disbursement of salaries may have been the primary responsibility of the cash-keeper. However, other duties included the administration of allowances to the royal women. All requests of funds were first sent to the Tehwildar for approval. She then wrote a memorandum to the applicant who approved her official document. Afterward the treasury minister would release the funds in cash.

References

Gubernatorial titles Law enforcement titles Mughal Court Positions of subnational authority Historical economic occupations {{Mughal-stub

See also

References