7. The inmates of a Palace (in ancient India)

In the following pages the various inmates of the inner apartments of a palace have been described. Queens : Used The king need to have a fairly large number of wives. The examples of Samba Vasudeva, Pajjunna and Kanha from the Vasudevahindi are quite illustrative in this context. 4 The chief queen has been referred to as aggamahisi or 1 Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 307. 21. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.57b-58a. Y. 3. ibid., II.185b. 4. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 92; Vasudatta, wife a trader, who was kidnapped by a leader of thieves (corasenavai) was made his chief wife (aggamahisi); Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 60.

52 1 Pattamahadevi in the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa Every queen not only had different quarters but a separate staff and privy purse which was given by relations from both sides, the husband's side and from the father's². Such an independance and freedom some-times helped them in their having extra-marital relationships. Queen Lalita of Vasantapura had an illicit relationship with a trader whom she had managed to bring in the 3 palace ³, and queen Imdasana had amoral relations with an ascetic who frequently visited the palace 4. A Vidyadhari by name Kanagamala made amorous advances towards her adopted son Pajjunna". 1. Cillana, mother of prince Konika was pattamahadevi of king Seniya; Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 2. A custom of wearing a fillet (patta) made of gold and having three crests (trisikha) on the part of Mahadevi or Mahisi has been referred to by Varahamihira; Brhatsamhita, chap. XXIV, 2, 4, 5. 2. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 78-80. 3. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 9. 4. Ibid., 348. 5. Ibid., 92.

53 The ascetics 1 and nuns 2 had how open access to the inner apartments of the palace and to even queens. But the normal purpose behind it was to give them an opportunity to make spiritual advance. The Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa also refers to the Mahadevi, who was anointed 3 on the throne alike the king. The queens Princess enjoyed a fair independence in money matters. Muttavali was given twenty-five villages by king a Bhanucamda, who was to her like the father-in-law, for the maintenance of her private purse+. The queens were i also provided with a separate entourage, vehicles, garments and ornaments 5. With such an independence a pions queen could perform meritorious deeds like providing food for the poor and travellers in a building, just outside the defences of the palace (pagara), meant for such a purpose (anadhapimdasala)b. The Princesses : Reference to the independent quarters of the princesses has already been made. The independence of her 1. Ibid. 348. 2. Ibid. 282. 3. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.176; see also Natyasastra, XXIV, 33. 4. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.231. 6. Ibid., II.65a. 5. Ibid., II.228a.

54 quarters made it possible for Vimalasena a princess of Magahapura to run away to Campa with a trader's sonPiyamgusundari managed to take Vasudeva to her quarters in the palace in the guise of a woman' who had free access to the residence of the princess. 2 , The Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa indicates that the princesses had to appear in the presence of the king and the queen at a fixed hour to pay respect to them (Vinayavela) ³. Other personnel working in the inner apartments consisted of the door-keeper, the staff working in the royal kitchen and the maid-servants working in various capacities in the palace. Generally the word anteura has been used to signify both the queens and this personnel Bharata in his Natyasastra 4 gives a list of the inmates of antahpura, who, according to him, are eighteen in number including the queens of various grades. Excluding, therefore, the queens, the female servants working in the inner apartments are as follows: (i) Silpakarini, (ii) Natakiya, (iii) Nartaki, (iv) Anucarika, (v) Paricarika, (vi) Sancarika, (vii) Presanakarika, (viii) Mahattari, (ix) Pratihari, 1. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 54. 2. Ibid., 307. 3. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.195a. 4. Chap. XXIV, 29-32.

55 (x) Kumari, (xi) Sthavira, and (xii) Ayuktika. All these female servants had specific duties to discharge in the smooth running of the administration of the palace which have been described by Bharata in his treatise 1. Some of the above terms given by Bharata do appear in the Vasudevahindi , viz., nadaijja (natakiya), paricariga (paricarika), mahattariya (mahattari), padihari (pratihari); while at many places they are simply referred to as dasis or cedis. In such cases, from their work they have been included in their respective type. From the Jaina tradition as represented in both the books of the Vasudevahindi², it appears that many female servants at the service of the king's palace were courtezans. Whether they were paid servants like other servants in the royal service, e.g., cook³, is not known. The courtezans 1. Natyasastra, XXIV, 44-64. 2. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 103; Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.194b; see for a similar view Sternbach, L., "Legal position of prostitutes according to Kautilya's Arthasastra", JAOS, Vol. 71(1951), pp. 25-60; also Arthasastra, (Ed. Kangle) II.27.4. 3. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 211. According to Kautilya they were paid, See Arthasastra (Ed. Kangle), II.27. See Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.177a.

56 did not reside in the palace but had to appear turn by turn (raulavara) 1 to work along with the parasol-holders and fan-bearers (chattacamaradhari) 2, during the day time. According to the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa they were not to cross the limits of the hall of audience (bahirovatthana) ³. Their duties in the palace, according to the Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, were of maidservants who worked as bearers of camaras, fans (Vyajana), and sprinklers, also as grinders of fragrant pastes, and that of giving performance of dance recitals on the stage. At night they were allowed to run their business. They got their fees in the form of money, presents of clothes and ornaments 4. Silpakarika: title In the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa or the Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa none of the female servants are referred to with this name. In the Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa there is a long description of the palace of king Haricamda of Pedhalapura. Some of the cedis working there are described to be proficient in story-telling and poesy; in arranging beds, seats and ornaments; learned in the interpretation of the marks on human body; skilled in various arts (sikkha), and expert in the evaluation of precious 1. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.182a. 2. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 103. 3. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 103. 4. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.182ab.

57 objects like jewels and pearls. These and some other servants working in the seventh courtyard (kacchantara)1 can be classified as silpakarikas as referred to by Bharata 2. Natakiya : These have been referred to as nadaijjas in the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa Some dasacedis from the palace of king Eniyaputta visit the house of Vasudeva. These are introduced to Vasudeva by his wife Bamdhumati as nadaijjas in the service of princess Piyamgusundari ³. Afterwards they entertained Vasudeva with vocal and instrumental music (giyavaiya), dance (nacciya), and acting (abhinata) 4. • The dasacedis in the court of Aparajia and Anamtaviriya, who presented nadaya and were proficient in natta, giya and gamdhavva can also be said to belong to this group. 5 The maid-servants (paricariya) who entertained Vasudeva and who is described as nadagappaugakusalau, i.e. -6 1. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.56-57. 2.Cf.Natyasastra, XXIV, 44-45. 3. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 281. 4. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 82; Cf. Natyasastra, XXIV, 46-47. 5. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 325. 6. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.182a.

• 58 skilled in the art of acting, can be equated with the nadaijjas. Vasudeva was entertained by skilled nadaijjas 1. Paricarika : The kammapadigarigas helping in putting on dress 2, the maid-servant who looked after the bed > sejjapali)³, and padikammacaris in charge of cosmetics and garments 4, of the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, can be included in this category of Bharata 5 . -6 The Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa refers to the pariyariya's who held palm-leaf fans (taliyamta) in their hand to fan princess Rayanapadi, and also to abbhamtarapariyariyas who worked in the apartments of a princess 7. The attendant in charge of the sleeping chamber (vasagharapali) and the bed (sejjapali) 8, referred to in the Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa belong to this category. Mahattari: Mahattariyas,i.e. old female servants, were sent dress 9. The a Vasudeva help him to put on his marriage dress 9. 1. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.148a. 3. Ibid., 219-20. 5. Natyasastra, XXIV, 53-55. 7. VH(M), II. 104a. 9. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 205, 224. 2. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 180. 4. Ibid., 105. 6. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.176a. 8. Vasudevahindi(F), II. 97a, 208b.

5g nurse of princess Vimalasena who helped in her elopement with Dhammilla has been described as a mahattariya¹. Pratihari : The Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa does not make any reference to them. More information about padihari, than other servants, can be had in the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa A padihari has been described as holding a staff worked on with gold (Kamcanabaddhadamda), wearing precious ornaments, clothes, and sandals 2. The duty of a padihari was to ward off the spectators from the king whenever he moved out ³. out³. A tour 4 padihari accompanied the king even when he was on tour and was entrusted sometimes with the work of a messenger in private matters 5. Sometimes she even worked as a 'receptionist' in case some dignitories were to be received. When Vasudeva visited the city of Pukkhalavati he was first received by the padiharis who were accompanied by other servants. The servants bathed him and then Vasudeva was presented to the audience of the king 6. 1. Ibid., 54. According to Bharata, their duty in the palace was to protect the harem and to greet the king see Natyasastra, XXIV, 58-59. 2. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 222. 4. Ibid., 185. 6. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 351. 3. Ibid., 5. Ibid., 224.

68 Two types of padiharis, outer (bahiriya) and inner (abhamtara), have been referred to in the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa They were employed for a similar purpose i.e. for receiving the guests -. The differenciation, as outer and inner, was made probably they served the king in outer and inner audience hall (bahira- and abbhimtavauvatthana). The Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa refers to an incident in which the padihari of princess Samali spoke on her behalf to Vasudeva, as the princess was angry with him². Vrddha or Sthavira : The livikari maid-servants accompanying the princess in Sayamvara-pandal furnished her with the details about lineage, character, beauty and learning of the kings present ³. These can be said to be the same as the Vrddha type described by Bharata. 1. Ibid., 123. 2. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, 1.7a; Bharata states that the Pratiharis were entrusted with the work of reporting to the king any work connected with sandhi and vigraha. Natyasastra, XXIV, 59-60. 3. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 314; cf. purvarajanucaritah as described by Bharata, Natyasastra, XXIV, 61-62.

J In the Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, a vuddha cedi is said to be entrusted with the work of brooming the courtyard of the palace (rayagharamganasociya). Her knowledge about the wooden tooth-cleaner and a guess about a probable love-affair in the palace reveal her acquaintance with the customs in the palace. Ayuktika : The hunch-backed woman (khujja) entrusted with the preparation and distribution of unguents (gamdhadhikara niyutta) in the palace of king Samuddavijaya² can be grouped in this category. Servants entrusted with the work of grinding the unguents (gamdhavannapisiyau) in the quarters of princess Rayanapadi³, and the guard-women of stores (bhamdagaranam rakkhapaliu) in the seventh courtyard of the palace at Pedhalapura 4 were of the ayuktika type. The female servants (dasi, cedi) as seen from the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, also did other duties : bringing sweetmeats 5 distributing food to other servants of the palace, and 1. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.193b. 2. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 119; cf. Natyasastra, XXIV, 62-64. 3. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.194b. 5. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 226. 4. Ibid., II.57b. 6. Ibid., 290.

62 working as a go-between in love affairs-. It seems from the Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa that the maid-servants were employed in fetching water to the palace from a well outside the city 2. servants As can be seen from the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, any of the female could ren e.g. say a padihari-, served as a nurse to the 4 princes and princesses. She was also called ammadhati and evoked extreme confidence in the minds of her wards 5. 6 She always accompanied the princess and helped her with advice and assistance?. The nurse was faithful enough to accompany a queen even in the forest, when the latter was pregnant and initiated as a tapasi 8. Kamcuki, Mahataraga and the Door-keeper : Men who were employed in the harem of the king were the kamcuki, mahatarga and door-keepers. The persons employed for the posts of kamcuki and mahataraga were old in 1. Ibid., 9. 2. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.64b. 3. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 222. 4. Ibid., 171. 5. Ibid., 171, 222. 6. Ibid., 55, 351. 7. Ibid., 171, 222. 8. Ibid., 17, 298.

63 age. But all these were employed because of their good character and the confidence they evoked in the mind of the king¹. From the information of the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, it seems that Kamcukis and mahataragas were entrusted with the duty of reporting any misbehaviour on the part of the inmates of the harem, whether a prince or a queen, to the king 2. They were also given the honour of receiving the distinguished guests ³, or attending upon the son-in-law 3 of the king with small personal work like bringing clothes and garlands of flower+, or arranging his bed 5. They were also entrusted with the work of a match-maker 6. They also escorted the ladies in the royal family on their journey? or even on a visit to the temple' 8 Kamcuki and eunuchs (varisavara) escorting the royal family in the picnic in the park (ujjanajatta)9 have been referred to in the Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa Mayaharaga, door-keeper 1. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 290; Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.185b. 2. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 9, 92. 3. Ibid., 281, 351. 4. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 224, 351. 5. Ibid., 351. 6. Ibid., 108. 8. Ibid., 81. 7. Ibid., 317. 9. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, 1.10a.

64 and the Kamcuga accompanied the princess to the Sayamvara-pandal¹. Only trustworthy persons were appointed to the post of a door-keeper (dovariya, mahadovariya) according to the information from both the parts of the Vasudevahindi². At one place the door-keeper of king Kanagaraha has been referred to as 'dear person' (vallabhapurisa)³. In the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa a door-keeper has been described as wielding a knife (churiya), a sword and a cane stick (vettalaya) 4, while the Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa presents him as wearing ochre-coloured dress (kasayavatthaim) and wielding a sword (khaggapani) and a cane stick (vettalata) 5. Other Servants : The cook (suya), persons in charge of kitchen (mahanasahigaya) who reported to the king that food was ready, door-keepers standing at the entrance of a hall where sometimes the king fed the people, all these have been referred to in the Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa 6. 1. Ibid., II.37a. 2. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 291; Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, II.185b. 3. Ibid., II.10b. 5. Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa, 189a. 4. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 290. 6. Vasudevahindi by Sanghadasa, 183-84, 197.

65 In the Vasudevahindi by Dharmadasa along with the cook (suvakara), servants attending to the bathroom (nhanaghara-jalakammamtiya) 2 massagists (maddaya), those who arranged betel leaves (tambolaya) and helped in bathing (nhavaya)³ are also referred to. King Ayala appointed as many as eight hundred servants to serve Vasudeva when the latter was with him.