A eunuch at the threshold: mediating access and intimacy in the Mughal world

Abstract Across the early modern Islamicate world, phenomenon of eunuch slavery constitutes a significant aspect courtly contexts and royal households. Although Mughal historiography has focused on primarily in relation to harem, this article analyses function such figures regulating elite male space, order explore how these practices shaped both representation life as well dynamics animating court inner palace. As is shown textual visual materials, enslaved, castrated men appear marking mediating perimeters spaces. In process they played an important part spatial formation access, intimacy, hierarchical relations. However, their formative role social interactions at times entangled eunuchs political conflict. The concludes with examination particularly dense archive evidence from reign Aurangzeb dealing princes. This material underlines sometimes-precarious situation moments intrafamilial struggle, fact which suggests complicated reality kinds intimate roles not only princely households but wherever took proximate positions.