Islamic Harems in India
ISLAM
Sex & Violence
ANWAR SHAIKH
Chapter 4
Islamic Harems in India
To encounter effects of Feminine Charm, Islam has exploited man's
dominance urge, which demands sexual gratification by command
(instead of solicitation or submission), and thus stimulated the
male lek behaviour, leading to harem-building.
Of course, human history is full of predators known as conquerors,
who carried out murder, persecution and abduction of women to
satisfy their lust for power, plunder and prestige. They knew that
their misdeeds were sheer acts of barbarity dictated by personal
ambitions but Jehad, the behest of Allah to destroy non-Muslims,
not only sanctified these atrocities, but also raised them to the
apex of piety, purity and probity. It is an unusual phenomenon, to
say the least.
Since sex is man's greatest delight, Jehad, which provides
unlimited opportunities for quenching carnal thirst, acts as the
foundation-stone for building grand harems embellished with great,
gorgeous and glowing beauties.
A harem was a vast enclosure containing a complex of sumptuous
buildings to house women. Historians have remarked that Akbar, the
Great, had 5,000 women in his harem, and Jehangir, his son, had
6,000. The much-taunted harem of Solomon, the Wise, was
comparatively a pigmy for having only 1,000 females. No doubt,
this huge collection of beauties was meant for the enjoyment of
one man, the King, but all the ladies of the harem did not consist
of queens and Concubines. A large number of these women belonged
to the administrative staff of this jovial establishment, which
was both an amusement park and place of high security where
everybody was yoked by a stringent discipline to display deference
to the "divine" dignity of the ruler, imbued with
lewdness, libido and lechery. Take for example, Sultan
Ghias-Ud-Din of Malwa (1469-1500). His harem consisted of 15,000
females and was organised as if it were a small political
administrative unit. Its guards consisted of two corps of women,
each having 500 slave-girls of African and Turkish origins - to
balance any possible threat of one corp with the retaliatory might
of the other. Though these guardians of the harems looked dainty,
delicate and debonnaire, their appearance was as deceptive as the
mirage experienced by a thirsty wayfarer in a desert.
In fact, these female guards of the harems were Amazons, the
legendary women warriors of Greek mythology. Hercules, the Greek
hero, undertook an expedition to get the girdle of Hippolyte, the
Amazons' queen. In the Greek works of art, Amazons were depicted
as having, bow, spear, axe, and half shield. In later art, they
were likened with Artemis (goddess of wild animals and chastity).
During the 1 6th century, the Spanish explorer Francisco de
Orellana claimed that he had to combat with the fighting women in
South America on the Maranon River, which was renamed after them
as the Amazon or River of the Amazons.
These legendary Amazons have been associated with Athena and
Artemis, the two Greek goddesses considered as the patrons of
chastity, among other virtues. The harem--Amazons were employed to
guard chastity of royal women -both queens and concubines. King's
jealousy knew no bounds on this count; even carrots, radishes and
cucumbers were not allowed in the harems, in case, these women,
who were actually prisoners of royal gaiety, might use them as
dildoes for carnal satisfaction. This danger was real because one
man (king) could not satisfy, say, one hundred women. To check
lesbianism, beauties of the harem were required to practise total
seclusion. Their doors were fastened from outside and they had to
observe purdah even within their allotted quarters. Slightest
indiscretion was punished severely and lesbianism called for
execution
A eunuch was the head of the King's seraglio. It was customary in
Persia, where this evil might have originated, to castrate a few
hundred youths for turning them into eunuchs, who formed part of
the dowry, when a king gave his daughter in marriage to someone
else. These eunuchs, who did not need sexual gratification
themselves, were thought harmless. Having nothing better to do,
they pandered to the lust of their master with an efficiency
excelling religious devotion. They knew the art of erotic display,
and taught the harem-ladies hilarious ways of doodling and
canoodling, romantic postures, fascinating gait, soft speaking and
ravishing manners. As in the Roman harems, they acted as night
stewards in the private royal chambers of India. Thus they
attended to their master's needs when they were fully naked
satisfying their sensuality. The King was usually guided by the
Chief Eunuch in the selection of a bed-mate for the night. It was
he, who had her embellished for the occasion with various dyes
such as henna, and made fragrant with the use of musk. He
possessed an exquisite taste in sartorial elegance and use of
jewellery, and knew how to turn an ordinary woman into a spectacle
of sparkling beauty. Above all, he was the connoisseur of
aphrodisiacs, necessary to enrich carnal delights through perverse
procedures of prolongation.
The eunuch, who could administer effective stimulants to his
master, was admittedly a messenger from heaven. Since he was
devoted to enhancing his master's sexual pleasures' he was
considered the most useful and trusted member of the
establishment. These royal eunuchs of the Muslim harems picked up
tips from the Hindu Antah-Puras (inner apartments of the Royal
Hindu palaces i.e. harems); they included specially cooked dishes
of young pigeons, chickens and sparrows; narcotics also appeared
on the list; opium was the favourite, followed by special wines
and strong liquors. The Persian Majuns and Kushtas were in great
demand owing to their proven effectiveness in the seraglios of
that country. It is claimed that Aurangzeb was supplied with
aphrodisiac fish known as "instinco of Mecca," usually
found in certain streams of Balkh.
With the delightful efficiency of a eunuch, went his absolute
loyalty for his master, who, in any dispute trusted his word and
rejected the evidence of his wife. This is what made the eunuch a
fearsome, formidable and frightening character. A harem was a huge
complex but Zenana, where a king's or noble's ecstatic frivolities
took place, was the nerve-centre. It had to be superb enough to
rival the luxurious milieu of paradise. Every lady of the harem
had been given her own beautiful apartments, which were spacious,
splendid and sumptuous, though rank and income of the concubine
did reflect itself in the elegance of the setting. Almost every
chamber had its reservoir of water and running fountains in
addition to finely laid out gardens, grand alleys, shady retreats,
silvery streams, grottoes and underground structures of
considerable architectural magnificence. Since an average Muslim
harem in India accommodated 2,000 women, one can estimate its pomp
in terms of taste, delicacy and expenditure. Its extravagance is
further heightened by the fact that a harem might contain dainties
of a dozen or more nationalities, each having a particular sense
of pleasure and satisfaction. As these women provided their master
with fun, felicity and frolics, he had the duty to amuse, amaze
and arouse them because a neglected woman cannot offer worthwhile
pleasure to the man devoted to delights or lewdness. This raised
the standard of luxury and expense to mind-boggling altitudes. No
wonder that Shah Jehan's harem cost him more than one crore rupee
per annum. It was a fantastic sum of money at that time.
Each zenana apartment was an example of a fairyland; every lady,
irrespective of her rank, had to be pretty like a picture; besides
the natural charm bestowed on her by proportionality of limbs,
intoxication of eyes, beauty of bust, fascination of gait,
sweetness of speech and enchantment of stature, she had to look a
doll of light, colour and fragrance. Thus, women of the harems
were adept in the use of rose-water, sandalwood, scented oils,
flowers, rouge, powder, henna, kajal and various dyes. The most
expensive jewellery, (snatched from the Indian rulers) crowned the
beauty already made superb by the cosmetic magic. India, the home
of the most splendid diamonds and rubies, looked at its best in
these chambers of dazzling luxury. The goldsmiths of Delhi and
Agra became the privileged exploiters of ladies' desire to adorn
themselves with the sorcery of the yellow metal. Their skills in
making alluring ornaments coupled with selling plausibility,
robbed the royal treasury, but with a tone much humbler than the
plundering slogans of their imperial masters.
Clothing of the harem-ladies was less sensible and more sensual
because these dainties existed for one purpose only - the carnal
gratification of their masters with refreshing, ravishing and
resplendent pleasures irrespective of their perversity. It was not
enough for them to have natural beauty; they must embellish
themselves to look erotic, arousing and attractive. The decorated
and musky bodies of these women radiated an intense sex appeal
when covered with transparent clothes of exquisite texture and
design. Their art of remaining nude despite being dressed, was
perfected by the weavers of Bengal, whose skill of manufacturing
diaphanous muslin was the greatest sartorial luxury both in the
east and west. It is said that when Aurangzeb remonstrated with
his daughter, Zeb-Un-Nisa, for having hardly any clothes on, she
claimed that she was wearing seven layers of muslin!
Is it an exaggeration? Probably not; the garments of these ladies
were essentially gossamery: they weighed about an ounce, and thus,
could easily pass through a ring. Calicos were yet another rage of
the palaces. Their colourful designs and ravishing impressions,
gave their wearer the appearance of a moving rose-bush. While the
richest and powerful ladies of Europe yearned for them, the ladies
of the Indian harems enjoyed them abundantly.
The taste of the harem-dainties for silk was ecstatic, erotic and
extravagant. No matter how hard-hearted a lady might be, she
wanted to look soft for alluring her master into a creamy net of
gratification to keep him away from her competitors. After all,
these women of the harems were used to spending a whole day in
embellishing themselves to appear as a twinkling star in the
darkness of night. The silken garments were embroidered with gold
and silver and their borders stitched with colourful laces having
pearls and rubies. These perfumed dolls though fully dressed in
heavenly costumes, looked naked, and proved the existence of
paradise packed with virgins of ravishing beauty, eager to gratify
their lovers. It was customary for the Muslim rulers to indluge in
debauchery all night and express devotion to high morality by
praying to Allah in the morning!
Silk was manufactured in India, and its various types such as
Satin, Keemkhwab, Katan, etc., were imported from other countries
to cater for the needs and tastes of the "harem-houris."
So precious was silk in those days that Tamburlaine felt tempted
to rob his victims of their silken wear, which were usually
studded with pearls and diamonds This type of clothing had become
a custom of the Muslim harems in India. Not only did costumes of
these ladies glitter with costly pearls and diamonds but their
shoes also sparkled with precious stones. Even more tantalising
were their coiffeurs (head-dresses) having an aigrette with
ostrich feathers and ruby plumes.
A pronounced feature of the harems was fragrance and colourfulness
induced by scents, oils, henna, dyes, flowers, incense and
sandalwood
Wine and music are considered Satanic affairs in Islam, yet these
were the favourite pastimes of the Muslim rulers of India. They
drank expensive wines from the most precious cups. Many a prince,
especially Akbar's two sons, died from excessive consumption of
alcoholic beverages. Serving wines ranked as an art in its own
right and was appreciated by the Muslim rulers. Jehangir,
expressed his "drinking dignity" by giving his empire to
Nur Jehan for a "glass of wine."
Drinking was a part of seduction but, when the royal hearts could
not indulge in this paradisiac hobby owing to excessive
gratification, singing and dancing took over the role of
amusement. Not only did the professional dancing women called
"Kanchanis" entertain the rulers but also their
concubines, who eagerly learnt this art for gaining an easy access
to their master's will, also exhibited their skills of providing
enjoyment. As their fun-loving tendencies reached the apex of
exhilaration, the ruler and royal ladies showered trays of gold
and silver coins on the performers.
These Kanchanis were essentially cultivated prostitutes, who could
sing and dance; they possessed polished manners, which had the
magic of suppressing their vileness, and projecting their
vivacity. Having lost their sense of propriety through excessive
lechery, the royal males succumbed to the variety of pleasures
that these whores supplied. As dealing in hearts was their trade,
they extorted rnaximum price for what they offered. History has
recorded that a strumpet called Lal Kunwar, a favourite of the
court at Delhi during the short reign of Jehandar Shah, was able
to secure high ranks for her brothers, as well as presents of
jewels and elephants for herself.
These large harems had several purposes:
Firstly, the Muslim rulers sincerely held that faith in Islam
meant the guarantee of houris, the most beautiful virgins that one
can imagine. Paradise is the abode of polygamy where men have all
the rights to sexual indulgence and women are loaded with the
obligations to please them. Thus, the Muslim rulers and nobles of
India treated sexuality as a form of worship without having any
moral qualm at all.
Even Aurangzeb, portrayed as the austere monarch, had several
concubines. His excessive attachment to Zainabadi Mahal is
well-known to history. She was a Hindu girl; her real name was
Hira Bai, a concubine of Saif Khan, the governor of Burhan Pur.
Saif Khan, a blood-thirsty man, was married to Aurangzeb's
maternal aunt. When he (Aurangzeb) was appointed the Governor of
the Deccan, he broke journey at Burhanpur to pay respect to his
aunt. As he saw the stunning beauty of Hira Bai, he felt enchanted
and remained in this state for several hours. Eventually, when he
recovered, he confidentially told his aunt about his emotional
upset, and the nagging desire for the girl. Knowing the ferocious
nature of her husband, she felt a tremor of consternation piercing
through her body, but agreed to talk to him about bestowing Hira
Bai on him (Aurangzeb).
Realising that Aurangzeb was a rising star in Indian politics, he
thought it fit to oblige the prince but conditionally. He was
willing to part with Hira Bai provided he could have Chattar Bai,
the Hindu concubine of Aurangzeb!
We ought to realise that Aurangzeb, the Emperor, is considered a
mighty but austere saint of Islam. One can see his moral conduct
when it comes to concubinage. Yet we should not place an undue
emphasis on his character with reference to this event. After all,
this is an established Islamic practice.
Secondly, the Muslim rulers of India were determined to impress
the Hindus with their power, pomp and prestige. They wanted to
appear as extraordinary kings, whose might, magnificence and
martial excellence must be acknowledged by their Hindu subjects.
After all, running harems of several thousand women bubbling with
beauty and zest, is not a child's play. Of course, the Hindu
Rajahs also had their seraglios but they ranked as sinful brothels
because the Vedas do not stamp lust, lechery and lewdness with
piety, purity and probity. However, in Islam, the situation is
totally different; it is morally and legally right to murder
non-Muslims for abducting their women with a view to turning them
into concubines; having sexual intercourse with them is no sin;
even flogging and selling them at will is permissible.
Thirdly, building large harems by the Muslim rulers had a sinister
political purpose:
Islam does allow sexual intercourse with a non-Muslim woman but
forbids marriage with her. Thus, the marriages of Akbar and his
sons and grandsons with the Hindu princesses cannot be taken
seriously, and must be treated as a mystifying political ruse to
appease and please the subject Hindu rulers. In fact, the Hindu
princesses were very useful hostages of the foreign rulers. The
subjugated royal fathers and brothers of these girls felt attached
to the Muslim monarchs as a matter of pride. Despite being
children of the Hindu princesses from their Muslim husbands, they
thought of themselves as Turks and Mughals; the part--Hindu blood
in their veins and Indian birth made no difference to them. Even
the subject Hindu rulers looked upon these children as part of
their dynastic honour and supported them with their wealth and
blood to perpetuate their own national slavery!
There was yet another aspect of these "marriages" which
was even more atrocious: the Hindu custom has laid it down that
the bride's father must give maximum dowry to his daughter. The
Hindu brides brought, not only huge numbers of female servants
with them (as a part of dowry) to swell the size of the royal
harems but magnificent treasures also accompanied them in the form
of jewellery, gold, diamonds, money, elephants, horses and land
estates. For example, when Rajah Bhagwan Das arranged the marriage
of his daughter, Man Bai with Prince Salim, he bestowed on her a
cash dowry of two Crore Tankahs, an absolutely fabulous sum during
that time; in addition, he gave her one hundred elephants, several
hundred horses of high pedigree, golden vessels encrusted with
diamonds and family jewellery accumulated over a period of
centuries. Nobody has been able to compute the value of this
merchandise.
Rajah Alit Singh gave two crore (20 million) rupees as a dowry
settlement of his daughter to Farrukh Siyar, in addition to the
most expensive paraphernalia of the type already mentioned. It
happened during the time when Charles I of England could not raise
one million pounds to fight his parliamentary rebels!
Obviously, harem-building of the Muslim rulers was a form of
political piracy to keep the Hindus under subjugation through
marital ligatures.
There are many instances to show that most of the Muslim rulers of
India wanted a fresh virgin every night. Mirza Ghazi Beg, the
governor of Sindh, during Akbar's reign, is a frequently cited
case. However, lechery of the Muslim rulers and nobles in India is
not confined to women; it also extends to homosexuality; after
all, young boys are a part of the Islamic paradise .There were
plenty of nobles. who hankered after the boys.
Islam maximises the sexual scope not only in this world but also
declares carnal enjoyment as the goal of life--after-death, which
can be achieved by gaining entry into paradise through the agency
of the Prophet Muhammad only. This philosophy has devastated the
Muslim mind all over the world: it is opium which keeps believers
in a state of insensibility; they forget all about realities of
life and moral obligation to enjoy the delightful vagaries of
make-believe saturated with sexual sweetness. Therefore, it is
interesting to know:
1. What, paradise is, and
2. What kind of sexual pleasures it offers.
In a nutshell, paradise is the most luxurious place for
Sex-after-Death. As such a great issue cannot be tackled briefly,
especially, when sex is considered to be of several types, I may
devote the next chapter to explain it.
If you enjoyed this article, please visit: http://www.hinduunity.org
|
