Tehwildars in the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

court, were the female financial officers assigned to the

zenana Zenana (, "of the women" or "pertaining to women"; ; ; ) is the part of a house belonging to a Muslim family in the Indian subcontinent, which is reserved for the women of the household. The zenana was a product of Indo-Islamic culture and was ...

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

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

. Differing accounts of the size of his

harem A harem is a domestic space that is 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 Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...

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, 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 occupations Mughal court Positions of subnational authority Historical economic occupations {{Mughal-stub

See also

References