Rajput Ladies In Mughal Harem

The present study deals with the royal Mughal ladies in details and is concerned with their achievements and contributions which till today form a part of rich cultural heritage. It provides a detailed account of the life and contributions of the royal Mughal ladies from the times of Babar to Aurangzeb's, with special emphasis on the most prominent among them.

The Mughals - descendants of Timur and Genghiz Khan with strong cultural ties to the Persian world - seized political power in north India in 1526 and became the most important artistically active Muslim dynasty on the subcontinent. In this richly illustrated book, Dr Milo Beach shows how, between 1555 and 1630 in particular, Mughal patronage of the arts was incessant and radically innovative for the Indian context.

This work is a maiden attempt at research in the hitherto overlooked area of social history of medieval India.It attempts to recapitulate the day-to-day life of the ladies of the seraglio.The delicate and delightful task has been deftly handled and it is hoped that scholars and laymen both will enjoy.

Nur Jahan was one of the most powerful and influential women in Indian history. Born on a caravan traveling from Teheran to India, she became the last (eighteenth) wife of the Mughal emperor Jahangir and effectively took control of the government as he bowed to the effects of alcohol and opium. Her reign (1611-1627) marked the highpoint of the Mughal empire, in the course of which she made great contributions to the arts, religion, and the nascent trade with Europe. An intriguing, elegantly written account of Nur Jahan's life and times, this book not only revises the legends that portray her as a power-hungry and malicious woman, but also investigates the paths to power available to women in Islam and Hinduism providing a fascinating picture of life inside the mahal (harem).

A reminiscence back to the Mughal era which savored the nuances of being one of the most enigmatic ruling periods under Shah Jahan and his clan; eventually burning down to shreds with the inevitable shuffling for the sovereignty of Padshah Begum. Narrated by Firdouz, a mere lady in waiting to the first lady of Hindustan Begum Jahan Ara, this book shall take you on a majestic tour of mystifying incidents and surplus royalty. Notwithstanding the double-faced parallel sister sovereign of Begum Jahan Ara and Roshan Ara who go leaps and bounds to fulfil their uncourteous desires and outrageous lust for supremacy. Ruling far in the Deccan, Shah Jahan’s youngest son Aurangzeb returns with his entire Army not to his own home but on the pretext of arresting his elder brother, Prince Dara marked as the future king of Hindustan and thus, seizing the throne. The palace reigns rightfully fall into the hands of the mighty prince of the Deccan, further house arresting Shah Jahan and his daughter, Jahan Ara till eternity. An anecdote that will braze you over a historic tour from the rising of the mighty empire of the Mughals to betrayal for the prevailing throne, the ominous essence of a lady’s charisma on a ruler’s reign…

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE 'Remarkable ... this brilliant book stands as an important monument to an almost forgotten world' William Dalrymple, Spectator A sweeping, magisterial new history of India from the middle ages to the arrival of the British The Indian subcontinent might seem a self-contained world. Protected by vast mountains and seas, it has created its own religions, philosophies and social systems. And yet this ancient land experienced prolonged and intense interaction with the peoples and cultures of East and Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa and, especially, Central Asia and the Iranian plateau between the eleventh and eighteenth centuries. Richard M. Eaton's wonderful new book tells this extraordinary story with relish and originality. His major theme is the rise of 'Persianate' culture - a many-faceted transregional world informed by a canon of texts that circulated through ever-widening networks across much of Asia. Introduced to India in the eleventh century by dynasties based in eastern Afghanistan, this culture would become thoroughly indigenized by the time of the great Mughals in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. This long-term process of cultural interaction and assimilation is reflected in India's language, literature, cuisine, attire, religion, styles of rulership and warfare, science, art, music, architecture, and more. The book brilliantly elaborates the complex encounter between India's Sanskrit culture - which continued to flourish and grow throughout this period - and Persian culture, which helped shape the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughal Empire and a host of regional states, and made India what it is today.

This book deals with miseries and problems of Indian women with respect to their social class structure. India is known for its caste system and its economic and political history is based upon these classes. Feminist history is also interwoven with the social classes. Women were treated as private property in medieval India. In this book, women of elite classes in the middle ages such as Razyia and Noor Jahan are discussed. Razyia was scandalized with Yaqut solely due to her gender. Noor Jahan belonged to the vast harem of Emperor Jahangir. She had to survive in a harem, as well as strengthen her political position in the court of the great Mughals. The issues of the spinster princess like Jahanara and Zeb-un-nisa are also highlighted. The purdah had also set a standard for social morals for women in the middle ages. The political and cultural activities of Mughal women were the channels of their catharsis. They were able to accomplish things because they had money and the resources. The women of the middle and lower classes bore the burden of the class, family and society. This book also describes other aspects of that age such as clothing and jewelry.