Antahpura

(“inner city”) In classical times, the name
for the women’s quarters of the palace, so
designated because they were the most
stringently protected. Although most
Hindus had only one wife, in earlier times
it was not uncommon for kings to have a
number of wives and concubines, who
would be housed in the antahpura. In
such cases the king’s first wife would generally have higher status, since this marriage would often be used to cement a
political alliance.