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    Samode Palace near Jaipur

    Samode Palace near Jaipur

    Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

    Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

    Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

    Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

    Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

    Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

    The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

    The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

    Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

    Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikh ana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Gajantak incarnation of Lord Shiva on the Outer Walls of Kalinjar Fort

    Amravati Ashram in Chitrakoot

    Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

    Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

    Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

    Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

    Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

    Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

    Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

    Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

    Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

    Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

    Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

    Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

    The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

    The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

    Rozabal in Srinagar, Kashmir

    Rozabal in Srinagar, Kashmir

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      Samode Palace near Jaipur

      Samode Palace near Jaipur

      Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

      Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

      Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

      Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

      Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

      Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

      The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

      The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

      Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

      Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikh ana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Gajantak incarnation of Lord Shiva on the Outer Walls of Kalinjar Fort

      Amravati Ashram in Chitrakoot

      Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

      Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

      Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

      Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

      Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

      Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

      Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

      Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

      Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

      Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

      Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

      Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

      The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

      The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

      Rozabal in Srinagar, Kashmir

      Rozabal in Srinagar, Kashmir

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      A courtesan with her maid on a terrace, ca 1830 Delhi

      inOur Cultural Heritage
      0

      First a bit about courtesans/ tawaif.

      The word tawaif comes from “taifa”, which means Nocturnal rounds or patrols’; a people, tribe, troop, company, body, band, gang; a company of dancing girls and musicians; — a caravan; — suit, equipage.

      It was a term of respect back then not derision.
      There were three major categories of tawaif: kanchani/ kanjari , and derawali .
      Kanjari / kanchani are mentioned in Ain e Akbari were singers.
      The name “kanchani” or gilded was given to the the accomplished singers and dancers.

      A derawali tawaif would be someone who identified with an establishment, that is, had a pedigree, while a kanchani was a standalone.

      Interestingly, derawali tawaifs did not need to employ pimps as it was their singing and dancing skills which brought them rich, noble and knowledgable clients and not the riff-raff that could be solicited off the streets..

      They were very rich and powerful and actively participated in the Uprising of 1857. Courtesans like Azizan Bai who sided with Nana Sahib in 1857, allowed their salons known as balakhana or kothas (because they were on the first floor with ground floor being shops) to be used as meeting places for the “rebel sepoys” and helped pass on messages. They spied on their British clients, encouraging them to talk and relayed information to the sepoys.

      When the British were punishing the perpetrators of the uprising, the might of their wrath also fell on the courtesans. It was then that they discovered that the courtesans were in the highest income brackets, owning huge properties and enjoying an elevated status in society.

      An interesting point to remember about the courtesans of that era is that they were not just repositories of art and culture, but independent women. Men were dependent on them and not the other way round. They employed male musicians, music and dance teachers, had male clients and even pimps who were employed by them to bring business.


      Clothes & jewellery

      Clothes:
      She’s wearing kalidar pyjamas ( today’s palazzos) and a angiya ( bodice) with a sheer dupatta.
      She would wear a heavier dupatta if in company
      And a peshwaz ( dress) over this in public.
      The pyjamas have gota/ kinari border.
      Ecen today we wear the same style called palazzos.

      The angiya has given way to other inner wear such as bras.

      Jewellery :
      She us wearing a chand Tara locket worn lose over her stomach. If you look carefully the beads indicate it should have been worn tightly around the neck and below the choker.

      She’s wearing a jhoomar in the middle of her forehead without a tee ka.
      Normally jhoomar and reeks are worn together.
      As per my aunts a tawaif wore a jhoomar on the right side while family women wore it on their left side.
      She’s wearing bazubands on her forearms and bangles and kadas.
      Have not been able to see clearly what’s on her ears but it should be a Karan Phool.
      Upturned kaf e paa on her feet.
      She is a smoking a huqqah and a peekdan / ugaldan or spittoon is kept by. Spittoon used by pan users.


      Now let’s talk of the attendant
      She’s very similarly dressed to her mistress but her bosom is covered by a cotton dupatta.
      She’s wearing beautiful chand balis in her ears.
      And has probably come to freshen the coals in the chillum of the huqqah.

      Her jootiyan are swag!

      #traditionalwear #traditionaljewellery #indianjewellery

      #courtesans #tawaif #singers #dancers

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      Rana Safvi

      Come, explore and fall in love the Beauties of Delhi (Dilli ki Ranaiya’n) and the World with me, Rana Safvi

      I have a masters in medieval history from the prestigious Centre for Advanced Studies, Dept. of History, AMU. A firm believer in our Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb, I am passionate about gaining and sharing knowledge and these days I am doing it via the social media platform.

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      © 2018 Rana Safvi - A blog Exploring Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb of India, website handcrafted by Abu Sufiyan.