Time check: Medieval India: Court etiquette

The Mughal court was an institution for the rich and noble. It was a medium of maintaining good relationship between the king and his courtiers. It was a tradition that the court was held every day whether the king was present in the capital or not, the court was held wherever he went. All officials and nobles had to attend the court as their prime duty. In the court, all important political decisions were discussed and taken, and other matters were also settled here. For instance, the ruler looked into matters related to civil administration, new appointments were made, officers were promoted to higher ranks or awarded titles and robes in appreciation of their good services, etc. In addition, ambassadors from other countries were received in presence of courtiers and gifts were exchanged in the court. Cities like Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Delhi and Lahore had buildings that contained public audience halls (diwan-i-amm) and private audience halls (diwan-i-khass). The nobles and government officials holding high positions were accorded places in the hall according to their status. On the arrival and departure of the king, special musical tunes were played from the music chamber (naubat khana) adjacent to the hall. The court was especially decorated on the special occasions such as, the festival of Nauoiz, the birthday of the emperor, other religious and cultural festivals, and on the arrival of important ambassadors, etc. Court etiquettes were strictly observed by all those present in the court. For instance, the body movements of all present there had to be very formal, they had to be genteel — laughter, coughing or speaking loudly were regarded violation of etiquettes. Silence had to be observed. Court manners can be said to have civilised the courtiers and these courtly manners also asserted the superiority of the emperor and loyalty, and faithfulness of his courtiers. In the court, there were two important modes of paying homage to the emperor, koenish and tasleem, in which the courtiers had to bow before the king to express their devotion. Besides these, qadam bosi (kissing the foot) and sajda (prostration) were also practiced. Furthermore, nobles who attended the court had to present some nazerana or gift to the king, and this was particularly observed by those who came from different provinces. They brought souvenirs of their city or province. The king, on the other hand, sometimes awarded gifts to the officials in the court or gave them cash in appreciation of their service. Thus, the Mughal court was not only an administrative centre but also a hub of cultural activities. It kept the nobility and king closer to each other.