Begum Samru's Household

In the picture: Begum Samru's court at the state of Sardhana. Notice the presence of Europeans in addition to the local people. It is said that she held her court adorning a turban and usually with a hookah in her hand. Such a brazen act gains more importance as this was during a time when women were veiled and confined to their households. Given her husband's history of butchering Englishmen, it is indeed a testimony to her crafty ways that she managed to not only survive but thrive. There had been many instances of her rumored alliances with various European men.