>Monkbot at 03:37, 8 January 2021

2021-01-08T03:37:10Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

'''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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The Mughal Harem|last=Lal|first=K.S.|publisher=Aditya Prakashan|year=1988|isbn=8185179034|location=New Delhi|pages=52–54}}</ref> [[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".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Storia do Mogor|last=Manucci|first=Niccolao|publisher=J. Murray|others=W. Irvine, tr.|year=1907–1908|volume=II|location=London|pages=331|oclc=1420924}}</ref>

==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.<ref name=":1" /> She was also given the task of reading out daily reports from the public and secret news court writers to the emperor.{{cn|date=October 2020}}

== The emperor's spy ==
Often, princes in the royal entourage would avoid the mahaldar, or have ongoing conflicts with her, fearing her reports.<ref name=":1">{{cite book|last1=Misra|first1=Rekha|title=Women in Mughal India|date=1967|publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal|location=Delhi|oclc=473530|page=78}}</ref> One example of this is Hamida Banu, mahaldar in the mahal of [[Bahadur Shah I|Mohammad Muazzam]], who complained to the Emperor, [[Aurangzeb]] that his son was undermining her authority by confiscating her pen-case and memorandum-book, when he retired to his room with his women. Court custom dictated that she and her deputy could not follow him into the room to retrieve her items during this business. This kept her from documenting whatever he was doing, and prevented her from reporting to the Emperor. Aurangzeb ordered her to keep her pen-case away from the reach of the prince at all times.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ahkam-i-Alamgiri: Anecdotes of Aurangzib (translated into English with notes) and historical essays|last=Hamiduddin Bahadur|publisher=M. C. Sarkar|others=Jadunath Sarker, tr.|year=1912|location=Calcutta|pages=65, 71–72|oclc=459363059}}</ref>

In another instance, Nur-un-Nisa, mahaldar to the prince Muhammad Azam, was prohibited from joining the prince on his visits to the garden at [[Ahmedabad]]. In response, she sent a letter to his [[Eunuch|Nazir]], forbidding the prince from leaving. Muhammad Azam retaliated by banishing her from his presence. The chief eunuch then alerted the emperor to the situation, and Aurangzeb supported the mahaldar and nazir. His son was forced to beg for forgiveness, and paid a fine of 50,000 [[Rupee]]s.<ref name=":0" />

==Notable Mahaldars==
During [[Jahangir]]'s reign this post was held by a certain lady named Dilaram, who had nursed Empress [[Nur Jahan]] in her childhood. Previously this post was held by Haji Koka. In [[Shah Jahan]]'s reign, this post was held by [[Sati-un-Nissa|Sati-un-Nisa Khanum]].{{cn|date=October 2020}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Mughal Empire}}

[[Category:Mughal Harem]]
[[Category:Positions of subnational authority]]
[[Category:Historical management occupations]]

{{Mughal-stub}}

Mahaldar - Revision history

>Monkbot at 03:37, 8 January 2021