The Royal Women
According to long-standing Indian tradition, a royal court's female members had to be continuously segregated from the palace's public areas. Royal women stayed in restricted, well guarded quarters commonly known as 'zenanas'. Rajput zenanas usually consisted of four apartments with solid external walls that looked upon an open, spacious courtyard. These quarters were located at the extremities of royal complexes and contained various pavilions, rooftop walkways and terraces. Each individual suite was made up of a pair of chambers connected by a small courtyard and was within easy reach of the presiding maharaja.
The King's Private Quarters
Like the royal women who resided in the zenanas, Maharaja himself at times required seclusion from public activities. His apartments would be kept under the strictest guard and only those summoned by him could enter. In other parts of the palace designed for his entertainment, Maharaja and his male guests would spend hours smoking hookahs, reciting poetry and listening to musical performances.
The Prince's Suite
From childhood, princes were raised to lead an army and protect their people from evil and aggression. Princes were not only schooled in the art of war, but also taught about legal matters and the virtues of charity . To cosmically enhance a prince's formal education, his room was decorated with various battle scenes and handmade weapons.
Royal Guests
Special private quarters for visiting nobility were located on the lower floor of the palace or in annexes around the main building. This way, they could be easily connected to the Diwan E Khaas, where the private Durbar was held, or the Daftar Khana, where the official Durbar was held. Best designs and ornamentations were used to impress the guest with the high taste and wealth.
Pleasure Pavilion
Royal architects provided Maharajas with suitable, intimate settings within the palace in which they could spend time with their queens and concubines. Miniature paintings created at the Mughal and Rajput courts give a good idea of the eroticism involved with court life. An often repeated scene shows a king at night accompanied by one or more female companion sitting in an upper pavilion of the palace, or laying on a terrace beneath an awning. Cushions are spread out and there are cups for wine and other intoxicating drinks, as well as trays filled with fruits and sweetmeats. Female attendants, discreetly posed to one side, were even present at the most private of moments.
