Antahpura

The antahpura (Sanskrit: अन्तःपुर, romanized: Antaḥpura), also rendered anthapura, was the women's quarters or the royal harem of an Indian palace.[1] It was the suite of apartments that were generally situated in a secluded portion of the palace, reserved for the women of the royal household.[2][3] It consisted of the king's queens and concubines and was headed by his first queen, who was accorded the highest status.[4]

Several palaces in India contain the antahpura, such as the ones of Hampi and Mysore.[5]

  1. ^ Turner, R. L. (1999). A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. p. 16. ISBN 978-81-208-1665-7.
  2. ^ Feminism and Indian realities by K A Kunjakkan. New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 2002. chapter on "Women during the Vedic age"
  3. ^ Walker, Benjamin (9 April 2019). Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. In Two Volumes. Volume I A-L. Routledge. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-429-62465-0.
  4. ^ The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Hinduism ( 2 Vol Set)(gnv 64). p. 44.
  5. ^ Early Indian secular architecture by K Krishna Murthy. Delhi: Sundeep Prakashan, 1987. p.113 and following.