Antahpura, Amtahpura, Antaḥpura, Antar-pura: 20 definitions
Introduction:
Antahpura means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, Marathi, Hindi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Hinduism
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
1) Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर) refers to the “(knowledge regarding the) treatment of women”, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 2), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “A true Astrologer is also one who has thoroughly mastered the Science of Saṃhitā. [...] It also treats of the treatment of women [i.e., antaḥpura-cintā]; of moles in the body; of injuries to shoes and clothes; of hairy fans; of walking sticks: of beds and seats; of lamplight; of tooth brush and the like”.
2) Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर) refers to “household inmates”, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 5).—Accordingly, “If the sun and moon should begin to be eclipsed when only half risen, deceitful men will suffer as well as sacrificial rites. [...] If when in mid-heaven, the central provinces will suffer, but there will be happiness over the land and the price of food grains will fall. If when in the fifth section, herbivorous animals, ministers and household inmates [i.e., antaḥpura] will suffer as also the Vaiśyas”.
Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर) refers to the “harem”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.46 (“The arrival of the bridegroom”).—Accordingly, as Brahmā narrated to Nārada: “[...] In the meantime the servant-maids in the harem (antaḥpura-cārikā) of the mountain took Pārvatī out in order to worship the tutelar family deity. There the gods saw joyously with winkless eyes the bride of dark complexion like the collyrium, and fully bedecked in ornaments in every limb. With a side glance she was respectfully looking at the three-eyed lord avoiding the eyes of others. [...]”.
Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर) refers to the “gynaeceum”, as mentioned in the Rāmāyaṇa verse 2.65.18-20.—Accordingly: “[...] The queen Kausalya, immediately close to the king and with Sumitra on her side, was not shining as before with her face ruffled by tears of grief. The persons in the gynaeceum [i.e., antaḥpura], having seen those distinguished queens in slumber and also the king in that manner, thought that the king had lost his life while just sleeping. Then, those beautiful women miserably cried loudly with their voice, like female elephants crying when their group leader an elephant was removed from their place in the forest. [...]”.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर) refers to an “harem”, according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter 1.—Accordingly: “After this oath, he grew up. He decided to leave his parents and left home in order to cultivate the unsurpassed path. In the middle of the night, he woke up and considered the ladies of honor and the courtesans of his harem (antaḥpura): their bodies appeared like rotting corpses He ordered Tch’ö ni (Chaṇḍaka) to saddle his white horse. At midnight he passed through the ramparts, traveled twelve miles and came to the hermitage where the Ṛṣi Po k’ie p’o (Bhārgava) lived. [...]”
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
India history and geography
Antaḥpura.—cf. karaṇa (LP); the royal harem. (ML), the household; same as avarodhana in Aśoka's edicts. Note: antaḥpura is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.
The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
antaḥpura (अंतःपुर).—n (S) The inner or female apartments; the gynæceum or seraglio.
antaḥpura (अंतःपुर).—n The seraglio. The inner or female apartments.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर).—[antaḥ abhyantaraṃ puraṃ gṛham, or purasyāntaḥsthitam]
1) inner apartment of a palace (set apart for women); female or women's apartments, seraglio, harem (so called from their being situated in the heart of the town, for purposes of safety); व्यायम्याप्लुत्य मध्याह्ने भोक्तुमन्तःपुरं विशेत् (vyāyamyāplutya madhyāhne bhoktumantaḥpuraṃ viśet) Manusmṛti 7.216,221,224; कन्यान्तःपुरे कश्चित्प्रविशति (kanyāntaḥpure kaścitpraviśati) Pañcatantra (Bombay) 1.
2) inmates of the female apartments, a queen or queens, the ladies taken collectively; अन्तःपुराणि सर्वाणि रुदमानानि सत्वरम् (antaḥpurāṇi sarvāṇi rudamānāni satvaram) Rām.6.111.111. °विरहपर्युत्सुकस्य राजर्षेः (virahaparyutsukasya rājarṣeḥ) Ś.3; K.58; ततो राजा सान्तःपुरः स्वगृह- मानीयाभ्यर्चितः (tato rājā sāntaḥpuraḥ svagṛha- mānīyābhyarcitaḥ) Pañcatantra (Bombay) 1; कस्यचिद्राज्ञोऽन्तःपुरं जलक्रीडां कुरुते (kasyacidrājño'ntaḥpuraṃ jalakrīḍāṃ kurute) ibid. °प्रचारः (pracāraḥ) gossip of the harem Manusmṛti 7.153; °समागतः (samāgataḥ) Ś.4; also in pl.; कदाचिदस्मत्प्रार्थनामन्तःपुरेभ्यः कथयेत् (kadācidasmatprārthanāmantaḥpurebhyaḥ kathayet) Ś.2.; न ददाति वाचमुचितामन्तःपुरेभ्यो यदा (na dadāti vācamucitāmantaḥpurebhyo yadā) Ś.6.5. °जन (jana) women of the palace; inmates of the female apartments; °चर (cara),
Derivable forms: antaḥpuram (अन्तःपुरम्).
Antaḥpura is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms antar and pura (पुर).
Āntaḥpura (आन्तःपुर).—f. °rī, adj. or subst. (compare Sanskrit āntaḥpurikā), (women) of the harem: Lalitavistara 211.7 (verse) vijahya-m-āntaḥpuri (acc. pl.; most mss. °raṃ, unmetrical(ly)), abandoning the women of the harem.
Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर).—n.
(-raṃ) 1. The female apartment. 2. A queen. 3. A palace. E. antar inner, and pura a house.
Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर).—i. e. antar-pura, n. 1. The palace of a king, [Rāmāyaṇa] 2, 14, 28. 2. The female apartments, the gyneceum, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 7, 221. 3. The wives of a king. Sing. [Nala] 17, 31, and plur. [Śākuntala, (ed. Böhtlingk.)] 30, 12.
Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर).—[neuter] the king’s palace (lit. inner town); stronghold, [especially] the inner apartment of it, i.e. the gynaeceum, harem. Sgl., [plural] & jana [masculine] the females of the harem.
1) Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर):—[=antaḥ-pura] [from antaḥ] n. the king’s palace, the female apartments, gynaeceum
2) [v.s. ...] those who live in the female apartments
3) [v.s. ...] a queen.
Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर):—[tatpurusha compound] n.
(-ram) 1) The inner or female apart-ments, the gynæceum, espec. of a king. (Comp. antarā pur s. v. antara.)
2) The palace of a king.
3) The wives of a king, (collectively).
4) The principal wife of a king, a queen (accord. to a comm.). E. antar and pura.
Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर):—[antaḥ-pura] (raṃ) 1. n. The queen’s apartments, the seraglio.
[Sanskrit to German]
Antaḥpura (अन्तःपुर) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Aṃteura.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Hindi dictionary
Aṃtaḥpura (अंतःपुर) [Also spelled anthpur]:—(nm) the women’s apartment in a royal household, harem; a thalamus.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Aṃtaḥpura (ಅಂತಃಪುರ):—
1) [noun] the inner quarters of a house (esp. in a palace) for ladies; gynaecium.
2) [noun] a royal house; a palace.
3) [noun] women who live in the gynaecium.
4) [noun] a wife of a king; a queen.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Antah, Pura, Antar.
Starts with: Antahpura-mahamatra, Antahpuracara, Antahpuracarika, Antahpuradhipatya, Antahpuradhyaksha, Antahpurajana, Antahpurani, Antahpurapracara, Antahpurapreshya, Antahpurarakshaka, Antahpurasahaya, Antahpuravacara, Antahpuravartin, Antahpuravarttin, Antahpuravriddha.
Full-text (+34): Antahpuracara, Antahpuradhyaksha, Antahpurajana, Antahpuravriddha, Antahpurasahaya, Antahpuracarika, Antahpurarakshaka, Antahpurapracara, Antahpuravartin, Antahpuravarttin, Antahpurika, Antarvamsha, Antarnagara, Kanyantahpura, Antahpura-mahamatra, Shailantahpura, Asupta, Caritva, Avabhasya, Anthpur.
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Search found 33 books and stories containing Antahpura, Amtahpura, Aṃtaḥpura, Antah-pura, Antaḥ-pura, Antaḥpura, Āntaḥpura, Antar-pura; (plurals include: Antahpuras, Amtahpuras, Aṃtaḥpuras, puras, Antaḥpuras, Āntaḥpuras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 726 < [Hindi-Gujarati-English Volume 1]
Page 29 < [Kannada-English-Malayalam (1 volume)]
Page 17 < [Hindi-Gujarati-English Volume 1]
Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study) (by A. Yamuna Devi)
Flora (1): Habitat < [Chapter 5 - Aspects of Nature]
Town Planning (1): City < [Chapter 3 - Social Aspects]
Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary) (by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja)
Verse 1.5.96 < [Chapter 5 - Priya (the beloved devotees)]
Mayamata and Building Construction (study) (by Ripan Ghosh)
Part 2.3 - Vāstu (architecture) in the Arthaśāstra < [Chapter 2 - Vāstuvidyā in Sanskrit Literature: a Survey]
Part 2.5 - Vāstu (architecture) in the Kāmasūtra of Vātsyāyana < [Chapter 2 - Vāstuvidyā in Sanskrit Literature: a Survey]
Skanda Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 17 - The Glory of Agastyakuṇḍa: The Marriage of Kakṣīvān < [Section 1 - Setu-māhātmya]
Chapter 37 - Śiveśvara (śiva-īśvara-liṅga) < [Section 2 - Caturaśīti-liṅga-māhātmya]
Chapter 50 - The Story of Puṇyanidhi < [Section 1 - Setu-māhātmya]
Paumacariya (critical study) (by K. R. Chandra)
8.5. Freedom of movement and the system of Purdah < [Chapter 7 - Social Conditions]
4.2. Royal Palaces in ancient India < [Chapter 8 - Education, Literature, Sciences, Arts and Architecture]