Whispers in the Harem: A French Account of Mughal Princesses' Secret Courtships
What I am writing is matter of history, and my object is to present a faithful account of the manners of this people. Love adventures are not attended with the same danger in Europe as in Asia. In France they excite only merriment ; they create a laugh, and are forgotten : but in this part of the world, few are the instances in which they are not followed by some dreadful and tragical catastrophe.
- François Bernier
François Bernier, who was a French traveller and doctor, visited the Mughal Empire during its heyday. By then, the Mughal harem's administration and protocols were firmly established, borrowing influences from the local dynasties, especially the Mughal-Rajput matrimonial alliances played a significant role in shaping the harem's environment. The royal Rajputs practiced hypergamy which was an essential part of their culture. Marrying their daughters to men whose social standing was either higher than their own or equal to theirs was a matter of honour to them. Accordingly, when a Rajput ruler or a chieftain married the daughter of his political adversary, it signified the latter's acceptance of his status as the former's vassal. The notion was not prevalent in the Mughal harem until Akbar started to seek Rajput political allies by establishing matrimonial connections with them. Since Akbar's time, the chastity of Mughal royal princesses became the matter of honour and the emperors exercised the custom of hypergamy. They believed that since there was no one in Hindustan (India) who was equal to them in terms of social status, therefore, they did not find it fitting to marry their daughters to their subordinates. While marrying their daughters to princes of some powerful empires would only endanger their political authority. Already, they had to deal with their rebellious princes. It was too much of a political risk. So, the royal Mughal princesses would end up being spinsters for life.
Bernier in Travels in the Mogul Empire AD 1656-1668 recounts tragic tales of royal princesses in Mughal seraglio. It is challenging to ascertain how authentic these stories are. It was difficult for a man if he was a non-mahram to enter the haram which was vigilantly guarded by eunuchs. Many historians regard them as simply bazaar gossips. However, Bernier at times disclosed the identity of the person from whom he had gathered the tales about royal princesses and their clandestine amorous relationships with men. He heard it directly from an elderly woman who had worked as a slave in the seraglio for many years. She was a mestiço, which is Portuguese for a person of mixed ancestry. Now how reliable is his source is difficult to establish. Nevertheless, the narratives are absorbing.
Bernier details the two daughters of Shah Jahan - Jahanara Begum and Raushanara Begum - and their private lives. Jahanara was an influential and wealthy Mughal royal woman. He writes that despite being confined to the haram and under constant watch, she was visited by a man of no high social status. But someone from the haram apprised Shah Jahan of his daughter's romantic entanglement. He decided to meet his daughter at an unexpected hour in the seraglio to catch the man red-handed. Hence, when he entered the haram, he was informed about the hiding place of the man. He patiently sat with her daughter, and they conversed on a variety of everyday subjects. Eventually, when he was ready to depart, he observed her daughter's skin condition and advised her to take care of her daily routine, which included taking a bath. He gave the eunuchs instructions to bring water to a boil in a large cauldron—her secret lover's hiding place. The father kept talking to his daughter until he received word that the man was dead.
Following this tragic incident, Jahanara fell in love again. This time it was Nazer Khan, the Khan-i-Saman (the head of the imperial household). He was a Persian and enjoyed great popularity in Mughal court society for his remarkable accomplishments and aspirations. Shaista Khan, the brother of Mumtaz Mahal, the late chief queen of Shah Jahan even suggested him for Jahanara to Shah Jahan. The proposition seemed highly unfitting to the monarch. He already suspected that his daughter was having an affair with the amir (Mughal noble). Once more, he made the decision to put an end to it. One day, when Nazer Khan was in his darbar (royal court), the grin-wearing king handed him a paan, a token of honour. The man started munching the paan joyfully, thrilled with the imperial favor bestowed upon him. And that was his final experience of paan! On the way home, he passed away.
Roshanara was a younger sister of Jahanara. Bernier recounts Roshanara's liaisons too. Luckily for her, they did not have the same terrible conclusion as Jahanara's. With the help of her female staff, Roshanara concealed a man in her apartment for several days. However, her brother Aurangzeb, who was the emperor now, learned of this man. He was apprehended and taken to him. After extensively interrogating the man, he came to the conclusion that he was not guilty. His only transgression was climbing the harem's walls. Thus, he ordered that he depart from the haram in the same way. The eunuchs tossed him from the top of the wall to the bottom while he was doing so. Another lover of Roshanara was caught too and brought before Aurangzeb. This time too, the ruler came to the same conclusion: the man was innocent. He let him exit the haram though the same gate he entered it. However, he inflicted a dreadful and exemplary punishment upon the eunuchs for not being on guard.
I now leave it to my readers to research the subject further and determine whether the narratives were merely bazaar gossip or contained any real information.
Comments
Post a Comment