The household of the rulers was called harem. Harem is a Persian word meaning a holy place. It included the ruler’s wives, concubines, close and distant relatives including mother, step-mothers, foster mothers, sisters, daughters, daughters-in-law, aunts, children, maid servants, and slaves.
The mughal rulers had two types of wives – begums and aghas.
Begums came from royal families. They came with a lot of dowry (mahar) by way of things, ornaments and money. They received preferential treatment in their husband’s household. They were given greater consideration by their husbands. The other wives (aghas) were not from royal families.