Life and Conditions of the People of Hindustan (1200–1550 A.D.) c5.s2.t1.43

c5.s2.t1.43

It is difficult to classify the nondescript class of persons who were always to be found in a court. They may be conveniently termed royal favourites. The nature and composition of this class changed with every monarch; they could be low and uncultivated or, on the other hand, noble and refined according to the tastes of the monarch. For the time being their influence was supreme. The royal favourites were usually chosen from among the Muslims in the earlier period of the Sultanate, but as time advanced, Hindus began to rise gradually in the confidence of the monarch, until at last they changed the whole outlook of the Sultans.⁴ 5. Courtiers (Nadim).—By far the most important and interesting members of the staff of a Sultan were his *Nadim* or courtiers. Here we come across a class of refined and cultivated men which has left its mark on the manners and culture of the Indian nobility even to the present day. The term *Nadim*, strictly speaking, applies to the boon companions (*yar-i sharab*) of a monarch but may be rendered ‘courtiers’ for want of a better term. Their principal occupation was the entertainment of the Sultan in his leisure hours by adding to the liveliness of his gaiety and pleasures; some of them also accompanied the monarch almost everywhere as companions and attendants. As a rule, they had no official position in the State, and so far as appears from the records, unless they were asked to give their opinion or were especially attached to the courtiers for consultation, they could not speak to the Sultan on State affairs. Their proximity to the throne and the specially favourable opportunities of studying the humours and the personal weaknesses of the despot, together with their subtlety and craftiness in influencing the will of their royal master, had, however, given them considerable power and influence in the kingdom.¹