The predominant depiction of a Mughal domestic household encompasses a large number of women crowdinga harem. State’s power and grandeur was determined by the presence of women in Emperor’s harem. Polygamy, among other factors, ensured the expansionist policy. The only adult male who had unrestricted access to the harem was the king, although his mother's dominance there was widely acknowledged and revered. Earlier, the concept of Harem was present in a rudimentary form, however, it developed as a sacred abode under the reign of Akbar. The major factor being the Mughal - Rajput matrimonial alliances which gave birth to a vibrant and diverse Mughal Seraglio which had both Persian and Hindu element into it. Hence, the Mughal State cannot be seen purely as a political entity but as an active participator in cultural processes in which the authority of the male would be enforced by the state and state language is articulated by the household and the family. Depending on the kind of patronage they desired and the degree of influence and authority they wielded, women in the Mughal Empire were both invisible and visible. These women's lives were undoubtedly regulated by the Emperor, but that did not stop them from making their mark go unnoticed in the Mughal Empire's glorious history.

Women, Harem, Zenana, Mughal, Rajput, Polygamy, State, Household, Matrimonial alliance