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In seeking to determine the clothes worn by the wide range of people that
entered india during the mughal period,one has to take into account the
geographical factors that influences their form of dress,the region they come
from ,how they lived,how the terrain,climate and their professional occupation
affected what they wore.
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In 1526, Babur established the mughal empire, which lasted for over 200 years.
They ruled most of the Indian subcontinent by 1600. The mughal emperors
married local royalty ,allied themselves with the local maharajas & attempted to
fuse their turko-persian culture with ancient Indian styles.

The mughal dynasty reached its peak during the reign of Akbar and it went into a
slow decline after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 and was finally defeated
during the war of independence in 1857.

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The position of women in Indian society changed considerably with the coming of
Islam. The Indian women now came to occupy an even lower status. Muslim
inroads made strict enforcement of purdah and seclusion of women. Women͛s
education was not encouraged. The birth of a girl was not regarded as a happy
event. On the contrary the position of the women of the noble and royal families
was little better.

The Mughal age not only witnessed the glorious achievements of its emperors
and princes, but also that of the princesses, queens and other ladies of the royal
Mughal harem

The Mughal ladies spend their entire lives inside the emperor͛s harem. But the
Mughal women were no ordinary women. And therefore, their social life was
different from that of the ordinary women. Some women and eunuchs acted as
spies and they kept the emperor informed about the activities of harem women.
The lives of the harem ladies were governed by strict rules of purdah. These ladies
usually did not have the liberty to move out of the harem as they liked. But inside
the harem they could move around as they pleased. These ladies lived in grand
apartments luxuriously furnished, with lovely gardens fountains, tanks and water
channels attached to them. They wore beautiful and expensive clothes made
from the finest materials and adorned themselves with jewellery from head to
toe. The daily life in the harem was full of gaiety and mirth.

On the whole, the life of a Mughal lady revolved round the emperor. The harems
of the Mughal emperors consisted of a large number of women of different races,
provinces and communities. The harems of Babur and Humayun are modest I size.
But from Akbar͛s times onwards the Mughal harem became an elaborate affair.
Akbar͛s harem had approximately 5000 women.
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Nur Jahan, wife of Jahangir made her presence felt when women were unseen
and rarely heard. She issued orders from behind the curtains of the harem and
never broke purdah.

Jahangir loved jahan beyond all other women. Jahan was his 20th wife. He made
her his principal queen and renamed her nur mahal, or ͞light of the palace.͟

In addition to inviting court intrigue and power struggles,nur Jahan also

contributed to women͛s fashion and cosmetics and carried on her own clothing
business too. Fashion trends were swayed by her tastes and creations. She
developed new patterns in fabric, embroidery and dress styles. It is believed that
she designed the new style of turban and clothing of the emperors. The kind of
fashion she adopted in women͛s clothing was still popular at the end of the 16th
century. She experimented with perfumes, hair ointments, jewellery, food, silks
and porcelain. Sir Thomas Roe, who chanced to obtain a glimpse of the Empress
found the queen so extravagantly dressed in jewels that he observed if there had
been no other light, her pearls and diamonds had sufficed to reveal her.

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Mumtaz mahal, 3rd wife of the mughal emperor shah Jahan was a Persian
princess and the most beloved queen of shah Jahan.

Shah Jahan even built the magnificent and the exotic taj mahal in the memory of
his beloved wife .

Mumtaz mahal gave birth to 14 children͛s of shah Jahan. it was while giving birth
to the 14th child that she left for her holy abode .

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Wife of 2nd mughal emperor Humayun and mother of mughal emperor Akbar .

Her important architectural legacy is the Humayuns tomb, Delhi, which she
commissioned in 1562 c.e. and saw through its construction over the next eight
years .

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The Mughal era was the golden period in the history of Indian art, craft and
culture. The Mughals not only invaded India and ruled it but also brought with
them a rich heritage, which they had acquired from Persia. They introduced new
techniques like inlay work, glass engraving, carpet weaving, brocades, enameling
etc. The Mughal miniature paintings influenced many schools of Rajasthani
paintings and the Kangra Pahari schools of miniatures. The famous Peacock
Throne of the Mughals is one of the finest examples of gem inlay work and metal
craft, having few parallels in world art. They also laid the foundation for the
famous Mughal miniature painting, Petra dura or inlay work, enameled jewellery
and a host of other craft traditions many of which continue today.

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is a particular style of South Asian painting, generally confined to
miniatures, which emerged from Persian miniature painting and developed during
the period of the Mughal Empire (16th - 19th centuries). miniature paintings were
a variety of Islamic paintings done during the reign of the Mughal Emperors. The
Mughal paintings often covered scenes from the court and help our
understanding of how the court functioned. These paintings also provide us with
information on what the emperors looked like.

X The mughal miniature paintings had depicted the costumes and ornaments
which were prevalent in the time of medieval India. Mughal artists had
rendered exquisite detail of the costume of the people of that period.

X the three dancing ladies depict the exotic costumes used during the
medieval period of India. The central 1 is dressed in such manner that we
can say that she belongs to the royal family.
X The mughal Emperors who helped the art of painting to flourish were
Akbar , Jahangir and Shah Jahan .
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Akbar assisted artists in the field of music and painting. And for the augment of
these arts, Emperor Akbar had had employed more than one hundred painters
who were expert in the art of miniature painting.

In the time of Akbar͛s reign, the Mughal Miniature painting was the secular art,
dealing with court life, durbar scenes and portraits of royal men and women. The
miniature paintings had depicted the costumes and the ornaments, which were
prevalent in the time of medieval India.

The Mughal emperor Akbar was a great patron of painting and under whose
sponsorship painters had achieved great refinement. These artists had rendered
exquisite detail of the Indian men and women and the costumes they wear. Here
the three dancing ladies depict the exotic costumes used during the medieval
period in India. One of these ladies is dressed in such a manner that we can say
that she belongs to a royal family.

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The ladies of the Mughal dynasty were as remarkable as their men and in certain
cases even more cultivated. The way these beautiful, educated and extremely
talented mughal women used to dress became a matter of interest for many.
Royal women wore beautiful clothes made from the finest materials and adorned
jewellery from head to toe. They used to spend a lot of money in getting for
themselves fine silks, brocades and muslins from which they got stitch beautiful
garments.

They were mostly covered in white colored veil because of the prevalent purdah
system and they could not go out on the street without the veil otherwise they
were forced to join the profession of prostitution.

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When the Mughal ladies first set their foot in India they were dressed in long
gowns, caps and trousers. And upto the time of akbar,Persian dress was worn by
muslins but during Akbar͛s time rajput dress was adopted.

R An inner garment or ›artiji was invariably worn beneath the gown as a

short bodice reaching to the hips.
R Another jacket or VimteVa was frequently put over the dress somewhat
like a vest (Gulbadan begam, the daughter of Babar while describing mirza
hindal͛s marriage in her memoirs, mentions ͞nine jackets with garnitures of
jeweled balls͟ and four shortered jackets with bal trimmings among the
articles of dowry for the bride Sultana begam.

R The effect of these gorgeous dresses embroidered with gold and pearls
was astonishing. So in a whole the early Mughal costume for women
consisted of wide topped trousers fitting snuggly from calf to ankle, long
kurta, fitted outer jacket, dupatta, high Turkish hats, sometimes with a
small veil attached and some feathers too.
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The glamour of these addresses must have cast its spell unmistakably on the
susceptible Indian women. Opportunities were not lacking for frequent contacts
between Indian and mughal ladies. It is therefore not astononishing that Indian
women associated with the court of Delhi and high ranking ladies living in the
rajput dependencies of northern India should very soon have adopted the
distinctively mughal style of dress which has been immortalized in the old Kangra
school of painting. In addition to close fitting trousers and scarf for the head there
appears a highly characteristic feature.

R the jaguli worn by women- a sort of empire gown fastening at neck an

waist, opening between the fastenings and permitting a glimpse of the
breasts and with long tight wrinkled sleeves and long flowing skirt reaching
as far down as the ankles. This attire was worn by the muslim dancing
women. The skirted robe of these women which was slit in front from the
waist to the bottom and which in their language was known as peshwas
distinctly resemble the jagulis of the Kangra painters. The other female
garments of the period were equally provocative in their flaunting brevity.
The bodice which in its latest form is said to have been brought in fashion
by the daughter of Aurangzeb, was intended by muslim patrons to be an
undergarment. But the Hindu women were hardly influenced by these
provocative garments.

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They consisted of:

Long sleeved choli

Isar (often striped)

Brocade vest

Short and long ghagra (often in sheer material)

Silk or muslin dupatta

Apron (with embroidery) and farji (long sheer vest like garment)

Long sleeved floor length gown with a sari that drapes from the jeweled
embroidered crown.

Ornate turban

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Under the mughal patronage the textile industry blossomed and till the end of the
18th century india could be described as one of the workshops of the world .

Abul Fazal mentions among the golden staffs current in his time, brocaded velvets
from Europe and Yazd, atlas satins and neyar from the Chinese territory, tefailah
from mecca, khara or moiré antique from Yazd and khazz or filoselle silk,
muttabhaq, milak and fauthas from various places. Gujarat supplies different
kinds of brocades such a tus, daraibaf, kurtahwar and muqayyash which was kind
of silk cloth with stripes of silver resembling the hair. Chiras and dupattas from
Gujarat supplied the cloth for the turbans. Plain silk cloth included qatifah-i-purbi,
tajehbef, shirvani, kinkhab, tawar, khuri, tafta, sitapuri, ambary, misry, tasar,
tafailah, etc. Of cotton stuffs the more familiar types were khasa, chautar,
malmal, baftu, salu, chhint or printed muslin, gazina, etc. A form of fine muslin
which was striped or checked was known as doriyah.
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The existing trends in jewellery under the Mughals were a continuation of the amalgamated style of
Islamic and Hindu artistic styles. India was blessed as the only significant source of diamonds before
their discovery in Brazil in the 18th century, and she was also made rich by her spices; but more than
any other resource, it was her art industries (most especially textiles, but also including a whole array of
specialized and sophisticated products) which she traded for the gold and silver that poured in by the
ton.

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Some of the finest goldsmiths` works have been produced under the Mughal patronage. The colours
were exclusive to Jaipur. Its princesses married Mughal royalty and its rulers had taken high positions at
court, both bringing their jewellery and, probably, their craftsmen with them.

Hindus do not wear gold on the feet, as it is a sacred metal, which would thus be defiled. However, in
Rajasthan `the anklet of gold (worn by men) worn on one or both feet is a proof of nobility as well as of
being entitled to a certain position at a Durbar, and to certain honours there.

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Among the Mughal jewellery pieces which have survived. Some of the earliest ones show the gradual
influence of Europeanism. The scrolling leaf designs on the inner surface of a thumb ring are influenced
by Renaissance jewellery. A more significant European intrusion can be seen in turban jewellery where a
completely new form seems to have its source in European hat aigrettes.

 
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Akbar`s own style of jewellery was a hybrid of Iranian and Hindu influences, as would be expected of the
emperor of a dynasty whose cultural roots were in Iran.

X The turban plume (Kalgi or Figha) and golden bands (Sarpich) are exactly those seen in
contemporary Safavid painting.
X His necklaces on the other hand are of the kinds listed in Kautilya`s Arthashastra, consisting of
pearls, pearls and gems, gold on its own, or gold with pearls and gems.

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X A contemporary work, the Ain-i-Akbari, gives a list of ornaments worn by
the women of Hindustan. Some of these may be seen virtually unchanged
and by this time worn equally by Muslim ladies.
X The ornaments include the Karanphul (`earflower`), which is shaped like the
blossom of love-in-the-mist (Nigella sativa), and Nath (nose ring). The Nath
(in the form of a circular gold wire threaded with a ruby between two
pearls, or other gemstones)
X Duarte Barbosa, the Portuguese official explained the ornaments of the
Mughal women as in the side of one of the nostrils they used to make a
small hole, through which they put a fine wire with a pearl, sapphire or
ruby pendant. Other types, such as the Mang (worn on the parting of the
hair to add to its beauty) and Bali, (a circlet with a pearl worn through the
ear) were worn throughout the period.

X The few images of ladies at |
`s court show that the divisions marking
Indian and Iranian jewellery may have been observed more clearly than in
the case of the emperor`s ornaments. The dancers in the illustration from
the Akbarnama of century 1590 are both Muslim and Hindu and wear
clearly differentiated styles of jewellery in accordance with their origins.

By the time Akbar`s son, 
, came to the throne, fashions at court
had undergone a dramatic transformation.
X . Akbar followed the Iranian fashion by having his upright feather plume at
the front of the turban.
X Jahangir introduced his own, softer, style with the plume weighted down
with a large pearl. Later, , his son turned to Europe for an
innovative Jigha, which related to the designs of the Dutch jeweller Arnold
Lulls. Lulls supplied jewels to the English court between 1603 and 1606.
Shah Jahan also wore jewels by James I in the portraits brought to the court
by Sir Thomas Roe.


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Relief carved Mughal jewellery display a very high level of artistic finesse. The
relief work of this period is most prominently seen in emeralds. Most of the other
relief-carved emeralds of the Mughals are more typical of the object-decorating
arts of the period. The carved hardstone vessels, dagger hilts and other objects of
the Mughals period share much with the series of emeralds in the character of
their relief carving.
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The armlet is an enamelled gold set with an emerald, yellow beryl`s (heliodor),
pale emeralds and seed pearls made in Moghul India during the second half of the
18th century. This armlet would have been tied on to the upper arm.

This pendant (taviz) is a white nephrite jade in a pierced gold frame, set with
rubies and emeralds in gold and with a pendent emerald, the back inscribed and
set with a ruby in gold. The detail is painstaking, with the eyes of the birds being
minute emeralds set in gold. The back is inscribed with a Koranic verse. The
amulet, which is bored along the top edge, would have been the central pendant
to a necklace.



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X Shah Jehan was the most prolific Mughal builder, and built some of its
greatest structures, the most famous of which is the Taj Mahal. Akbar was a
great builder, second only to Shah Jehan and built some of the finest work
of the Mughal period. The greatest of Akbar's buildings are located in
Fathepur Sikri, a city which was built near Agra. Over here there are many
beautiful buildings like Jodh Bai's palace, Diwan-I-Am (hall for the general
audience), Diwan-I-Khas(hall for private audience), the marble mosque
known as the Jama Masjid, the Bulund Darwaza a massive archway and the
Panch Mahal.
X Red fort and some mughal gardens were also made.
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We wish to express my sincere gratitude to PROF.Tolika gupta , centre
coordinator fashion design department new Delhi for providing us an opportunity
to do the project work on ͞Mughal Women Costume͟. this assignment
enlightened us with the costume and culture of Mughal era . we extend our
gratitude to toolika ma͛am, anu jain ma͛am for guidance and encouragement in
carrying out this project work.

I also wish to express my gratitude to the staff member of nift liabrary . Last but
not least I wish to avail myself of this opportunity, express a sense of gratitude
and love to my friends and my beloved parents for their manual support,
strength, help and for everything
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Royal mughal ladies and their contribution:soma mukherjee

Costumes of ndia and pakisthat: s n dar

The mughal empire : john f.richards

Indian costumes by sn dar