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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] |
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the dynasty and the empire itself became indisputably Indian. The interests and futures of all concerned were in India, not in ancestral homelands in the Middle East or Central Asia. Furthermore, the Mughal empire emerged from the Indian historical experience. It was the end product of a millennium of Muslim conquest, colonization, and state-building in the Indian subcontinent." For some two hundred years, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus river basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of present-day Assam and Bangladesh in the east, and the uplands of the Deccan Plateau in South India. Quote: "The realm so defined and governed was a vast territory of some , rang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic servants, and other unmarried female relatives. In harems of the past, slave concubines were also housed in the harem. In former times some harems were guarded by eunuchs who were allowed inside. The structure of the harem and the extent of monogamy or polygamy has varied depending on the family's personalities, socio-economic status, and local customs. Similar institutions have been common in other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern civilizations, especially among royal and upper-class families, and the term is sometimes used in other contexts. In traditional Persian residential architecture the women's quarters were known as ''andar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darogha
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 Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the ... [...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] |
Niccolao Manucci
Niccolao Manucci (19 April 1638 – 1717) was a Venetian writer, a self-taught physician, and traveller, who wrote accounts of the Mughal Empire supposedly first-hand but with many details now considered doubtful. He also documented folk beliefs and customs of the period. Biography Niccolò Manucci was born in Venice to Pasqualino Manucci and Rosa née Bellin. He joined an uncle in Corfu as a teenager and went aboard an English ship to India. In Delhi he lived with Jesuit priests learning Persian and some medical knowledge. He sent a ring back home with instructions that it should be sold for books on medicine to be sent back to him. After several dubious attempts as a medical practitioner with lucky cures effected for some influential patients he seems to have managed to work as a physician in the court of the Mughals. In 1653, he was recruited as a servant and guide by Henry Bard, 1st Viscount Bellomont, envoy from Charles II of England to Abbas II of Persia and Shah Jahan. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bahadur Shah I
Bahadur Shah I (14 October 1643 – 27 February 1712), also known as Muhammad Mu'azzam and Shah Alam I. was the eighth Mughal Emperor who ruled from 1707 until his death in 1712. In his youth, he conspired to overthrow his father Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, and ascend to the throne. He was governor of Akbarabad (later known as Agra), Kabul and Lahore. Bahadur Shah was also Aurangzeb's third son. After Aurangzeb's death, his eldest son by his chief consort, Muhammad Azam Shah, declared himself successor, but was shortly defeated in one of the largest battles of India, the Battle of Jajau and overthrown by Bahadur Shah. During the reign of Bahadur Shah, the Rajput states of Jodhpur and Amber were annexed again after they declared independence a few years previously. Shah also sparked an Islamic controversy in the ''khutba'' by inserting the declaration of Ali as '' wali''. His reign was disturbed by several rebellions, the Sikhs under the leadership of Banda Singh B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aurangzeb
Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling from July 1658 until his death in 1707. Under his emperorship, the Mughals reached their greatest extent with their territory spanning nearly the entirety of South Asia. Widely considered to be the last effective Mughal ruler, Aurangzeb compiled the Fatawa 'Alamgiri and was amongst the few monarchs to have fully established Sharia and Islamic economics throughout South Asia.Catherine Blanshard Asher, (1992"Architecture of Mughal India – Part 1" Cambridge university Press, Volume 1, Page 252. Belonging to the aristocratic Timurid dynasty, Aurangzeb's early life was occupied with pious pursuits. He held administrative and military posts under his father Shah Jahan () and gained recognition as an accomplished military commander. Aur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per the 2011 population census) makes it the fifth-most populous city in India, and the encompassing urban agglomeration population estimated at 6,357,693 is the seventh-most populous in India. Ahmedabad is located near the banks of the Sabarmati River, from the capital of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, also known as its twin city. Ahmedabad has emerged as an important economic and industrial hub in India. It is the second-largest producer of cotton in India, due to which it was known as the 'Manchester of India' along with Kanpur. Ahmedabad's stock exchange (before it was shut down in 2018) was the country's second oldest. Cricket is a popular sport in Ahmedabad; a newly built stadium, called Narendra Modi Stadium, at Motera can accommodate 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium BCE. Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures: courtiers or equivalent domestics, for espionage or clandestine operations, castrato singers, concubines, or sexual partners, religious specialists, soldiers, royal guards, government officials, and guardians of women or harem servants. Eunuchs would usually be servants or slaves who had been castrated to make them less threatening servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence. Seemingly lowly domestic functions—such as making the ruler's bed, bathing him, cutting his hair, carrying him in his litter, or even relaying messages—could, in theory, give a eunuch "the ruler's ear" a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rupee
Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, Burma, German East Africa (as Rupie/Rupien), and Tibet. In Indonesia and the Maldives, the unit of currency is known as '' rupiah'' and '' rufiyaa'' respectively, cognates of the word rupee. The Indian rupees () and Pakistani rupees () are subdivided into one hundred paise (singular ''paisa'') or pice. The Nepalese rupee (रू) subdivides into one hundred paisa (singular and plural) or four sukaas. The Mauritian, Seychellois, and Sri Lankan rupees subdivide into 100 cents. Etymology The Hindustani word ''rupyā'' is derived from the Sanskrit word ''rūpya'' (), which means "wrought silver, a coin of silver", in origin an adjective meaning "shapely", with a more specific meaning of "stamped, impressed", whence "coin". It is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jahangir
Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Early life Prince Salim was the third son born to Akbar and his favourite Queen Consort, Mariam-uz-Zamani in Fatehpur Sikri on 30 August 1569. He had two elder brothers, Hassan Mirza and Hussain Mirza, born as twins to his parents in 1564, both of whom died in infancy. Since these children had died in infancy, Akbar sought the blessing of holy men for an heir-apparent to his empire. When Akbar was informed of the news that his chief Hindu wife was expecting a child, an order was passed for the establishment of a royal palace in Sikri near the lodgings of Shaikh Salim Chisti, where the Empress could enjoy the repose being in the vicinity of the revered saint. Mariam was shifted to the palace established there and during her pregnancy, Akba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Ghiyas Beg, who served under Jahangir's father, Emperor Akbar. Nur Jahan was the most powerful empress in the Mughal Empire. More decisive and proactive than her husband, she is considered by historians to have been the real power behind the throne for more than a decade. Nur Jahan was granted certain honours and privileges which were never enjoyed by any Mughal empress before or after like having coinage struck in her name. Jahangir's addiction to alcohol and opium made it easier for Nur Jahan to exert her influence over him and exercise power. She was granted the privilege to issue farmāns (sovereign mandates). The only other empress to command such devotion from her husband was Mumtaz Mahal, for whom the Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Sha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
