Storia do Mogor 203.2
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 203.2
- Language
- English
203.2.1
All these princesses own six to eight sets of jewels, in addition to some other sets of which I do not speak, worn according to their own fancy. Their dresses are superb and costly, perfumed with essence of roses. Every day they change their clothes several times; this is due to the vicissitudes in the weather, which occur continually in the Mogul country. When these ladies want to dispose of their jewels, it is almost impossible for them to do so. For Prince Akbar, when he was in the territory of Shiva Ji, finding himself without money, sent five rubies to Goa to be sold. They were equal to those I spoke of above. Yet no one wanted to buy, owing to the high prices he asked, also because they were pierced.
203.2.2
All women in India are in the habit of scenting their hands and feet with a certain earth, which they call mendy (mehndi), which colours the hands and feet red, in such a way that they look as if they had on gloves. They do this because they can wear neither gloves nor stockings on account of the great heats which prevail in India. They are also obliged thereby to put on such exceedingly thin raiment that their skin shows through. They call these clothes siricas (?sari) and others malmal (i.e., muslin). Ordinarily they wear two or even three garments, each weighing not more than one ounce, and worth from forty to fifty rupees each. This is without counting the [gold] lace that they are in the habit of adding. They sleep in these clothes, and renew them every twenty-four hours, and never put them on again, but give them away to their servants. Their hair is always very well dressed, plaited, and perfumed with scented oil. They cover their heads with a sheet of cloth of gold, and these are of different makes and colours. During the cold weather — that is to say, the less hot season; as for winter, they do not know in India what that means — in that season, I say, they wear the same clothes, covering themselves on the top of the other things, however, with a woollen cabaye (qaba, a long open gown), of fine Kashmir make. Above their other clothes they put on fine shawls, so thin that they can be passed through a small finger-ring.
203.2.3
Their amusement at night is generally to have large torches lighted, on which they will spend more than one hundred and fifty thousand rupees. The torches are made with wax or oil. Some of these princesses wear turbans by the king's permission. On the turban is a valuable aigrette, surrounded by pearls and precious stones. This is extremely becoming, and makes them look very graceful. During entertainments, such as balls and such-like, there are dancing-women who have the same privilege. These queens and princesses have pay or pensions according to their birth or the rank they hold. In addition, they often receive from the king special presents in cash, under the pretext that it is to buy betel, or perfumes, or shoes. They live in this way, with no cares or anxieties, occupying themselves with nothing beyond displaying great show and magnificence, an imposing and majestuous bearing, or making themselves attractive, getting talked about in the world, and pleasing the king. For, in spite of there being among them many jealousies, they conceal this as a matter of policy.
203.2.4
In the midst of so much idleness, enjoyment, and grandeur, they cannot fail to get their minds loaded with the impurity of many vices. For they never reflect on death, and through all the palaces such a thing is never mentioned, nor anything to bring it before the eyes or mind. When these ladies chance to fall ill, they are carried away to a very pretty set of rooms in the palace, which they style the bimār-khānah, or house for the sick. There they are nursed and tended with all possible exactitude, and they only come forth either well or dead. When the latter is the case, the king seizes all the wealth of the defunct. If the patient is one esteemed by the monarch, he goes to see her at the beginning of her illness, and if she does not recover promptly, he does not go back to her again, but he sends from time to time a slave to ask after the state of her health.
203.2.5
Although the women in the mahal treat themselves so sumptuously and display all the dignity that I have reported, Aurangzeb sees no harm. For all Mahomedans are very fond of women, who are their principal relaxation and almost their only pleasure. Further, it is an ancient custom of the Mogul kings to act in this way. As for the present king, he hardly conducts himself so pompously as his father, Shahjahan. His clothes are very plain, and he wears few ornaments — nothing but a small plume or aigrette in the middle of his turban and a large precious stone in front ; on his stomach another. He wears no strings of pearls, as all his descendants do, down to the fourth generation. His coats are always made of a very moderately-priced material, for each qabā (gown) does not exceed ten rupees in cost. All the stones he wears have special names, almost always taken from some planet, such as the sun, the moon, or that of a star, or other similar names, such as he judges appropriate. He finds it strange to call for them by their own name, which would be to ask for stones ; therefore when he wants to wear one he orders them to bring him the 'sun,' the 'moon,' et cetera.
203.2.6
Of these precious stones the Mogul has a quantity inherited from Taimur-i-lang and the other kings, his predecessors, also those obtained in the conquests of the Bijapur and Gulkandah kingdoms. In addition there are those he is daily buying. This takes no account of the fact that in these days he has become master of the diamond mines, and there is no stint of stones, the largest and best. For, although King Humayun was dethroned and expelled from his kingdom by Sher Shah, he did not thereby lose his jewels, for he took them away and brought them back with him. When a princess is born in the mahal the women rejoice, and go to great expense as a mark of their joy. If a prince is born, then all the court takes part in the rejoicings, which last several days, as the king may ordain. Instruments are played and music resounds; the nobles appear to offer their congratulations to the king, bringing presents, either in jewels, money, elephants, or horses. The same day he imposes on the infant [a name] and fixes his allowance, which is always more than that given to the highest general in the army. He furthermore nominates officials to look after the lands which have been assigned to the child. At the year's end any surplus left from the income of any such prince is kept apart in the treasury. When he is married and has a palace of his own this money is made over to him.
203.2.7
The allowance of no prince exceeds the rank of fifty hazari (fifty thousand), that ordinarily granted to the eldest son. At the present time this is Shah 'Alam, who has an income of twenty millions of rupees. This prince has in his mahal two thousand women, and maintains a court as superb as that of the king, his father. When these princes once leave the paternal house, they work and scheme to make themselves friends. They write secretly to the Hindu princes and the Mahomedan generals, promising them that when they become king they will raise their allowances. The others close with the bargain, and if any of these princes mounts the throne, he fancies that they have been faithful to him. When a son is born to any of the princes it is the grandfather who fixes the child's name. He also grants an allowance, different, however, from that of his own children, giving the child two or three hundred rupees a day. The child's father also gives something, and supports an establishment for the child according to the income assigned him. This continues until he is of marriageable age, and then he is given a grander retinue. The king's sons are called Pacha-zadah (Badshah-zadah) — that is, 'Born of the King' — and the sons of princes are called sazadah (shah-zadah) — that is, 'Born of a Prince' — and they bear the title of Sultan.
203.2.8
Any presents made to the king are accepted in his capacity of sovereign — that is to say, he believes or makes out that these gifts are his by right, as homage rendered to his supreme majesty. Even those of ambassadors are so considered; he receives them with demonstrations which prove his belief that in accepting he is conferring a signal favour. For he estimates himself to be the greatest monarch in the world. For this reason, when he writes to any king he designates him by the titles of consul, syndic, or president.