Another excerpt from my book Harems - the beauty of vice or the vice of beauty?

Erotic painting ancient india

Harems of the Rajputs.

Harems of Bharat

I have already noted that it is difficult to write about India due to the fact that it is heterogeneous. What was customary in the South of the country could be the strictest taboo in the North, and vice versa. The above is general information about the harem life of Ancient India, but it should be understood that in details it could differ in different eras and in different states of Bharat.

On this, our acquaintance with the harem life of India could have ended, but still I would like to tell you more about the harems of the Maharajas of Rajasthan and the Great Mughals. Rather, India is not ancient, but medieval, but in the first and second cases, these are significant moments in the development of Indian civilization. Not the harems themselves, of course, but the Rajput principalities * and the Mughal empire. But the topic of our book is harems, so after a brief historical review, we will return to it.

*Note: the word "Rajput" is translated as "son of the king."

The people of warriors.

On my first trips to India, I twice ended up in the state of Rajasthan*. I was shocked by the palaces and, especially, the fortresses of the Rajputs. After that, I traveled a lot more in India and other countries of Asia, but I have not seen similar fortresses anywhere else. Why am I? Yes, to the fact that the Rajputs from the moment they appeared on the territory of India (according to various sources, this happened from the 1st to the 5th centuries AD) were a people of warriors, which was also reflected in family life.

*Note: The name of this state translates as "Residence of the Rajas".

Rajput ideas of honor extended not only to men, but also to women. According to them, none of them could be in captivity or slavery. If the fortress was doomed to be taken by superior enemy forces, the Rajput warriors opened the gates and went out to their last battle, and their wives gathered in one of the fortress premises and staged a jauhar - collective self-immolation. In many fortresses of Rajasthan, one can still see soot from these self-immolations on the walls of some rooms (I saw this in the Gwalior fortress).

The leaders of the Rajputs - Maharajas - usually had many wives (up to 30). If the husband died or died, the wives committed sati - self-immolation. At the entrance to the Jojpur Fort, at the gate, there is a memorial plaque with prints of female palms of various sizes * - a reminder that here the wives of the Maharaja performed the sati rite.

*Note: Maharaja's wives were different ages. Including those under the age of majority. Among the Rajputs, as well as in India as a whole, the practice of child marriage was widespread, when a girl was married off before the moment when she began her first menstruation (otherwise her relatives were considered guilty of the death of a possible fetus). At the same time, the spouses began to live a real married life when the girl came of age.

At the entrance to Jojpur Fort

Particular attention was paid to the first marriage, since the first son was the heir to the Maharaja. In the case when the first son was not born by the first wife, then the eldest wife became the one who managed to do this before the others. And her son became the heir.

Maharaja, if desired (I can assume that this arose often), could also have intimacy with maids belonging to lower castes. It was both pleasant for them and useful, since the sons born from such contacts of a close family were members of the clan and, having received elementary education and having mastered military skills replenished the army.

Palaces of Rajasthan.

Each of the wives of the Maharaja understood that her own life depended on him and could be short. Some compensation for such a life on the verge of death was the desire of the heads of the Rajput principalities to provide for themselves and their families (harem) luxurious life. The palaces of the Maharajas of Rajasthan still amaze the imagination, but in those days they were fantastically magnificent.

Lake Palace. Jaipur

Colonel James Tod, the first historian of Rajasthan, described the residence of Prince Jagat Singh * as follows: “The palace is built entirely of marble: columns, baths, waterways and fountains - everything is made of this material, in many places lined with mosaics, some monotony is pleasantly dissipated by the illuminated rays of the sun passing through glass of all colors of the rainbow. The chambers are painted watercolor paintings on the historical themes... The walls - both here and in the main palace are richly decorated with carved stone medallions, which depict the main historical events families - from the most ancient to the pompous wedding of the current ruler. flower beds, orange and lemon groves, interrupting the monotony of buildings, framed by thickets of tamarind and evergreen trees; the feathery fan leaves of the palmyra palm sway over dark cypresses and shady bananas. Special dining rooms with columns and extensive baths for the Rajput rulers are arranged on the very shore. Here they listen to the songs of their bards and sleep off after a half-day dose of opium in the cool breeze from the lake, carrying the delicate scents of hundreds of lotus blossoms that cover the waters of the lake, and when the fumes of the potion have evaporated, they open their eyes and see a landscape that cannot be imagined even in opium dreams. - the expanse of water of Pichola with its indented, forested shores, at the very edge of the horizon, the Bhimpuri temple is visible at the pass in the Aravalli mountains ... "

*Note: Singh is a lion.

Marble, by the way, is mined in our time in Ajmer, a town not far from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. I also noticed during my travels in Rajasthan how widely it was used. Particularly admired were the marble harem windows through which the inhabitants of the harem could see what was happening outside, while they themselves remained invisible.

One of the most famous is related to harems architectural monuments Rajasthan - Palace of the Winds (Hawa Mahal). In fact, this is not a palace, but the harem wing of the palace complex of the Jaipur Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh (1778-1803). The facade of the building has 953 tiny windows, which, again, made it possible to see everything from the outside and remain invisible at the same time. In addition, thanks to them, the palace was filled with cool air on hot days - hence the “palace of winds”.

During one of my visits to Jaipur, I was also impressed by the “Crystal Palace” (Shish Mahal) of the Amber Fort * (there are similar “Crystal (glass) palaces” in other Rajput castles). Its walls are decorated with thousands of small mirrors. According to legend, one lamp is enough to illuminate it - the light, reflected in the mirrors, illuminates the entire room.

*Note: the famous fortress in the suburbs of Jaipur.

What associations do you have when you hear about indian train? Personally, I immediately recalled a class of photographs depicting an Indian train that was crammed with passengers: people look out of the doors, ride sitting on the roof, instead of glass on the windows there are rare iron bars. Indian Railway one of the busiest in the whole world! What was my surprise when I saw the new Indian train, which is called "Indian Maharaja" (The Indian Maharaja) - this is an elite class sightseeing train that runs on the route Mumbai - Delhi! The entire journey on this magnificent express takes 8 days and 7 nights. the route passes through the following stations: Mumbai - Ellora - Ajanta - Udaipur - Sawai Madhopur - Jaipur - Agra - Delhi.

This Indian train is distinguished by its magnificent interior decoration, elite class service and superb comfort. Passengers are provided with double compartments with a bath, full board meals, guided tours and even butler service! The train has its own spa, fitness room, sauna, massage room, two restaurants serving both Indian and Western dishes, a bar, a library and a business center equipped with internet, computers, printer, fax and telephones. The composition of this Indian train consists of 21 cars, each of which has 4 compartments with an area of ​​8.7 m2. This is not a train, but a real five-star hotel on wheels! There is even a presidential suite, which occupies a whole carriage. It has two rooms with huge beds and a separate toilet and bathroom. It took $13 million to build this train!

This indian train created to attract foreign tourists who prefer to travel by air. Its purpose is to develop railway tourism. During the trip, passengers will be able to get acquainted with the sights of India: visit the center of the film industry and television - the famous Bollywood, ancient Buddhist and Hindu monasteries and temples in the Ellora caves, the Ajanta cave complex carved into the rock, the Udaipur palace on the shores of Lake Pichola and the palace-island of Jag Mandir , go on a safari in the Ranthambore National Park, visit the pink city of Jaipur, the Amber Fort, the Mirror Palace, the Palace of the Winds, the Taj Mahal mausoleum, the Agra Fort. I am sure that such a trip on the new Indian train will be unforgettable for each of its passengers!

If you prefer to travel by your own car, then for India you will need to buy more reliable shock absorbers. Indian roads are famous for their pits and potholes, and in some places there are no roads at all.

Maharaja—that word alone conjures up magical palaces full of servants and lovers, jeweled elephants, and treasuries bursting with diamonds and emeralds. Indian princes from ancient times owned fabulous values; the conquest of India by the Mughals in the 16th-17th centuries did not destroy its wealth, unlike the conquest of India by the British in the 18th century. The Islam of the Great Mughals was not fanatical, they did not persecute Hinduism and planted in India an exquisite, refined Persian culture. In addition, they loved to show off their wealth, and from that moment the treasures of India became a great temptation for Europe.

Indian and European tastes for precious stones and jewelry techniques met in the 16th century, when Portuguese merchants settled in Goa first saw huge, engraved emeralds, and local lords became intimately familiar with European weapons.

The heyday of mutual influences happened in the 17th century. It was then that European craftsmen began to cut gems for the Maharajas, because the Indian tradition preferred only to emphasize the natural properties of the stone. Covering, for example, a huge emerald with fine carvings from all sides, the craftsmen sought not so much to hide the defects of the stone as to emphasize its natural qualities.

Portrait of the Maharaja of Mysore.

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

And from the same moment, European artists (and their local followers) began to paint ceremonial portraits of maharajas, decorated with pearl threads, earrings and plumes, with necklaces, bracelets, rings and daggers studded with rubies, emeralds and diamonds..

Box made of yellow jadeite, decorated with rubies, diamonds, emeralds, 1700-1800

From the beginning of the 17th century, European jewelers and goldsmiths appeared at the Mughal court. Shah Ja Khan, according to some reports, invited a certain Austen of Bordeaux to make two peacocks from precious stones for his throne and ordered five panels of gems from Italy for the balcony of his palace in Delhi. European jewelers taught the Indian technique of multi-colored enamels and learned a lot themselves, for example, the method of continuous tape or rail setting of stones sunk across the entire gold surface, covered with a thin engraved pattern of curly leaves and shoots.

The Maharajas of the Mughal family lost much of their luster during the colonial era. Nevertheless, even at the beginning of the 20th century, they amazed Parisian, London and New York jewelers, appearing in their workshops with whole suitcases of precious stones, which eventually migrated to other owners.

Jacques Cartier with Indian gem merchants, 1911 (photo from the Cartier archive). From his first visit to India, in 1911, Jacques Cartier (1884-1942) became acquainted with the extravagant tastes of the Maharajas. Fabulously wealthy and greedy for precious stones, Indian princes would stop at nothing to satisfy their eternal appetite for jewels.

Design for a ceremonial necklace for the Maharaja of Nawanagar, 1931 (photo from the archives of Cartier London). Jacques Cartier presented his dazzling sketch to the Maharaja. Unfortunately, the Maharaja of Navanagara did not wear this stellar cascade of colored diamonds for long. He died in 1933, two years after the necklace was delivered to him.

Perhaps the most famous of all the treasures of the Maharajas is the "Necklace of Patiala", the ceremonial necklace of Maharaja Bhupindar Singh: it was made by the Parisian house of Cartier for the Maharaja of Patiala in 1928. It weighed almost 1000 carats and included the famous De Beers diamond weighing 234.69 carats.

Patiala is the largest Sikh state in India, and its rulers kept their treasures under British rule. Its ruler Maharaja Bhupindar Singh (1891-1938) was the true eastern ruler. He ordered his guns from Westley Richards in Birmingham, Dupont from Paris supplied him with unique precious lighters, and Rolls-Royce made cars to order. Maharaja was fabulously wealthy and he provided jobs not only for Cartier jewelers, but also for Boucheron craftsmen.

The history of the necklace began in 1888, when a 428.5 carat diamond was mined in South Africa - the seventh largest stone in the world.

After cutting, it was exhibited on world exhibition 1889 in Paris, where it was bought by the Maharaja of Patiala and the prince of the Indian province of Punjab, Rajendra Singh.

In 1925, the Maharaja's son Bhupindar brought the diamond to Paris and applied to the Cartier jewelry house with a request to create an extravagant necklace based on it.

For three years, Cartier craftsmen worked on this necklace, in the center of which a De Beers diamond shone. The finished piece was a cascade of 2,930 diamonds totaling 962.25 carats and two rubies set in platinum. When completed, the necklace of the Maharaja of Patiala was unparalleled in the world. Cartier was so proud of his work that he asked permission to exhibit the necklace before it was sent to India. The Maharaja agreed. Later, he was often photographed with this necklace. The necklace was last seen intact on his son, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, in 1941.

In the late 40s - early 50s. hard times have come for the Maharajas of India. Many families had to part with some of their jewelry. The famous necklace of the Maharaja of Patiala did not escape this fate: the largest stones, including the De Beers diamond and rubies, were removed and sold. The last to sell were platinum chains.
And after many years, these chains appeared in London in 1998. Cartier stumbled upon them by chance, found out, bought and decided to restore the necklace, although he believed that it would be almost impossible to find a worthy replacement for the De Beers diamond and rubies.

The work was incredibly difficult, especially since the only evidence of the existence of the necklace was a black and white photograph taken in the first half of the 20th century.

Over the years, the necklace has suffered a lot. In fact, little is left of the original: most of the stones, including the giant diamond and rubies, are gone. It took almost two years to rebuild the necklace. In 2002, the restored necklace was exhibited in Paris. The new necklace looks exactly like the original, at least to the untrained eye. Synthetic stones almost unmistakably convey the splendor of the original, but Cartier does not lose hope of someday replacing them with genuine ones.

The Maharajas of Baroda had one of the most significant collections of jewelry of the 19th century - it contained the "Star of the South", a Brazilian diamond weighing 129 carats, and the "English Dresden", a diamond cut in the form of a teardrop weighing 78.53 carats. But the greatest treasure of the Baroda treasury was a huge seven-row necklace of natural pearls.

In the 20th century, this collection was inherited by Maharaja Pratapsingh Gaekwar, who reigned from 1939-1947, then they went to his young wife named Sita Devi. The young wife lived mainly in Europe and ordered fashion jewelry with hereditary gems from renowned Western jewelers.

Prince Gaekwar Baroda

Among these products are a necklace with emeralds and diamonds and Van Cleef & Arpels earrings, which were sold at Christie's in Geneva on May 15, 2002.

Apparently, Sita Devi also ordered the men's necklace to be remade into seven strands, too bulky for a woman's neck. In 2007, at Christie's auction, what was left of Baroda's necklace - two strands of huge pearls with a Cartier clasp with a pillow-cut diamond, a brooch, a ring and earrings - was sold for $ 7.1 million.

There was something else in the treasury of Baroda. In 2009, at a Sotheby's auction in Doha, a pearl carpet was sold (for $ 5.5 million), woven 150 years ago by order of the richest Maharaja Gaekwara Khandi Pao as a gift to the prophet Mohammed. The carpet is embroidered with two million pearls and decorated with thousands of gems - diamonds , sapphires, emeralds and rubies. Total weight stones is an amazing 30 thousand carats.

Maharaja Dilip Singh of Lahore. 1852 Portrait of George Beachy. Pictured at fifteen. Among many other gems, he wears a diamond aigrette with three diamond feathers and an emerald in the center.

Egret of diamonds, sapphires, rubies, pearls and gold

The largest engraved emeralds in the world seem to come from the collection of Maharaja Darbhanga Bahadur Singh. In October 2009, at Christie's auction, the Taj Mahal emerald was sold for almost $ 800 thousand, so named because the motifs of its engraving - lotus, chrysanthemum and poppies - coincide with the patterns in the Taj Mahal. The hexagonal emerald weighs about 141 carats and dates from about the middle of the 17th century.In the collection of the Maharajas of Darbhang there was another stone - the "Mughal Emerald", it dates from 1695-1696.On one of its sides, five lines of the Shiite prayer are engraved in calligraphy, the other side is decorated floral pattern. It was sold at auction by Christie's in 2001 for $2.3 million to a private individual.

This breathtaking 61.50-carat whiskey-coloured diamond called "The Eye of the Tiger" was installed by Cartier in an aigrette on a turban for the Maharaja of Nawanagar in 1934.

The sword of incredible beauty was presented to King Edward VII by the Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Sir Madho Singh Bahadur, in honor of his coronation in 1902. It is made of steel and gold, covered with blue, green and red enamel and inlaid over 700 white and yellow diamonds weighing 2000 carats, making up a pattern of flowers and lotus leaves. Photo: PA

Chalma Maharaja Singh Bhupendra Patiala. 1911 trimmed with aigrette by Cartier in combination with other turban embellishments. While the front of the aigrette is adorned with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, the sides are masterfully crafted with intricate leaf motifs in red, green and blue enamel. The Maharaja also wears a necklace of fourteen strands of natural pearls.

Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh Bahadur of Alwar was born in 1882. In addition to traditional Indian jewelry, he wears a star - the highest Indian insignia given to him by the king, which was considered part of the royal regalia at that time.

Maharaja Saraiji-Roa, Gaekwar, Baroda. 1902 is decorated with seven rows of his famous diamond necklace and other diamond jewelry. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, virtually every Indian Maharaja had official photo on which he presented the most important jewels as a symbol of power and position.

Intercultural exchange, Painting miniature from National Gallery contemporary art, New Delhi, India. 1902. An unknown Indian artist depicted King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra as the King-Emperor and Queen-Empress of India.

Turban aigret in platinum with diamonds and emeralds. Private collection. 1930 year

Jewels for the ceremonial uniform of the Maharaja, late 19th century .

Ceremonial turban by Cartier for the Maharaja of Kapurthal

Maharaja of Kolhapur

Maharaja Darbhanga

Maharaja Alwara (1882-1937).

The famous sapphire "Star of Asia" weighs 330 carats

Emerald and diamond necklace containing 17 rectangular emeralds, 277 carats. The emerald in the pendant weighed 70 carats and was famous for coming from the collection of the former Sultan of Turkey.

Jacques Cartier made an Art Deco necklace for the Maharaja of Nawanagar.

Maharana of Udaipur

Maharaja Bhupindra Singh of Patiala

Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir

Emerald necklace with pendant that belonged to Maharani Prem Kumari, wife of the Maharaja of Kapurthal, 1910

A scattering of flowers made of precious stones - an agret on a turban of rubies, emeralds and beryl on one side, and with the same stones? but with the addition of diamonds on the other side. The stem and side branches of the jewel are covered with transparent green enamel. Egret once belonged to the Maharaja of Jaipur.

Nowadays, most of the ancient jewels of Indian Maharajas have been remade many times and have changed several owners. But to this day, the provenance "belonged to the Maharaja" significantly increases the price of stones and necklaces at all significant auctions in the world.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1551963

http://www.reenaahluwalia.com/blog/2013/5/18/the-magnificent-maharajas-of-india

Of course, you have heard stories about people endowed with the properties of otherworldly forces. And, if some unique ones preach the path of truth and happiness, then other unique ones try to seriously hinder them in this. So the forces of good and evil are constantly fighting on Earth.

Good in our film represents Maharaja. His opponent Ranvir, a representative of the dark forces, follows him on the heels. And only Shili cannot be identified at first sight - so she wants both good and bad at the same time.

True, the thirst for quick money outweighs all warnings in the girl's heart, and she tries to use the Maharaja's abilities for her own purposes when he appears on television.

Watch Maharaja in Russian

Review of Indian film Maharaja:
"Maharaja" is the symbol of Indian thrash. For a viewer who prefers American blockbusters and is not familiar with Indian cinema, watching this masterpiece will cause uncontrollable fits of laughter and end with an attack on the brain, followed by a victory over it.

Maharaja - chubby cheeks, has super strength. He knows how to control the animal kingdom with the help of hypnosis. Journalist Manishi sleeps and sees a super-Hindu in her reportage, so she is ready for absolutely anything... even to become a caring little wife! Indian cinema is always ready to impress the viewer with an unusual and tearful storyline, so the American original "Crocodile Dundee" with Paul Hogan is nervously smoking on the sidelines. How much is in store in the pockets of Indian screenwriters, it must be seen. And how many songs have been written and how many dances have been danced...

Indian cinema has a special charm, and after an hour you do not notice the primitive jokes about the sister of a male journalist and about children hooked on opium. A super-effect with blind lions, which were injected special remedy, thanks to which hypnosis does not work on them and causes noisy applause at all.

Therefore, for the joy of watching and the charming monkey who knows kung fu, I boldly put

© flickr.com/florian_pusch

Website tochka.net together with Forbeswoman will tell you what you have to sacrifice modern maharajas for the sake of status.

Now the descendants of the Maharajas - the ancient Indian rulers - lead that bright and fabulous lifestyle that we are used to seeing in Bollywood films. But for this they have to pay with personal freedom. In order to become full-fledged heirs to the wealth and status of their family, they need to meet the expected standards of behavior. Let's take a look behind the scenes of such a life.

© flickr.com/jasleen_kaur

• Marriages

Restrictions are imposed primarily on the choice of a life partner. If representatives of most classes, especially in cities, can enter into love unions with almost any candidate they like, even of a different nationality, then there are very strict restrictions for the upper castes.

In India marriage is a pain. And it's forever...

Descendant of the Maharajas and heir to a huge fortune

Wedding ceremonies are usually budgeted from one to five million dollars, since such an event happens only once in a lifetime. AT modern conditions there are some concessions, for example, both in a couple can have a relationship before marriage. Previously, this was considered unacceptable for women. Now only children on the side are excluded. Marriage is a combination of two families and a business calculation. Typically, the costs are divided in half by both families.

© gettyimages

• Professional activity

All important posts in the state are occupied by representatives of noble families. It is they who go to the diplomatic service, build large companies and work as officials of the highest ranks. They have been preparing for this since childhood, and for at least a year the younger generation receives higher education abroad at the best universities in the world. All of them speak excellent English, since it is in it that the main communication in the business environment takes place.

© gettyimages

What's more, many parents deliberately create tough competitive conditions for their children at the start of their careers and cut their sponsorship to instill entrepreneurial passion in them. Until now, it is believed that a woman does not have to work, so men always have the best starting positions and opportunities. Influential relatives often help daughters build creative career such as actresses or singers. Previously, this type of occupation was considered unacceptable for representatives of the noble classes. Now it helps to attract a more profitable groom for marriage.

© gettyimages

• Relations with relatives

The elder in the family is always right, and the word of the parents is the law. Not a single major step is taken without their approval, be it the purchase of real estate, a long trip, or the choice of a bride. As a rule, adult children live separately from other relatives, but very often they come to visit each other. Moreover, wealthy Indian families maintain relationships not only with close ones, but with all distant relatives. Business, often, is also built only on blood ties.

© gettyimages

• Living conditions

Each of the family members has, in addition to the common, their own personal property. Usually this is a large house, which is the main place of residence in one of the major cities, and several villas in favorite places - for relaxing and meeting friends. It is considered profitable and promising to invest in elite foreign real estate.

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Filling the fleet of cars depends on the level of well-being of the family. At least one car for special occasions, several for everyday travel and one or two for servants. Life is provided by a staff of servants.

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• Appearance

The descendants of maharajas also pay great attention to their own appearance. For example, sunscreen with a maximum filter is applied before going out, because a lighter skin tone is a sign of nobility. And, indeed, one can notice that representatives of the poorer strata of the population are darker by a tone, or even by two.

When choosing casual and business clothes, many people prefer local designers. In terms of the quality of work, they do not differ from popular European colleagues, and at the same time they take into account local trends and introduce national elements. The cost of one high-quality men's suit is 2000 - 4000 dollars.

© flickr.com/himanshu_sarpotdar

• Pastime and rest

In a country where the bulk of the population lives below the poverty line, there are oases for a luxurious holiday, where wealthy Indians go.