Is Anarkali a courtesan?

Originally posted by: srilotus

Courtesan I guess.I actually don't know whether Anarkali koi thi bhi ki nahi.

Originally posted by: myviewprem

she was a rakassa

rakassa means in modern times tawaif like that

some european travellers have written about anarkali

William Finch was a Londoner who secured a job with the East India Company. He landed at Surat along with the famous Captain William Hawkins on 24th August 1608. He spent four years in India and wrote extensively about his observations. Finch joined Hawkins in Agra, travelling from Surat, on 14th April 1610. From Agra he went to Biyana to buy indigo for the East India Company. From there he proceeded to Lahore arriving there in February 1611 and it is at Lahore that he heard of the accounts of Anarkali which went into his journal.

William Finch reached Lahore in February 1611 (only eleven years after the supposed death of Anarkali), to sell the indigo he had purchased at Bayana on behalf of the East India Company. His account, written in early seventeenth century English, gives the following information:

In the suburbs of the town, a fair monument for Prince Daniyal and his mother, one of the Akbar's wives, with whom it is said Prince Salim had a liaison. Upon the notice of the affair, King Akbar caused the lady to be enclosed within a wall of his palace, where she died. The King Jahangir, in token of his love, ordered a magnificent tomb of stone to be built in the midst of a walled four-square garden provided with a gate. The body of the tomb, the emperor willed to be wrought in work of gold...

However, it appears that Prince Daniyal's mother died in 1596 as per historical records and not in 1599. So, was Finch correct about the lady's identity? But could Finch have written anything other that what he was told then by others?

Now, let us turn our attention to the other British traveler Edward Terry.

Edward Terry did his M.A. in 1614 and became a Church priest. He came to India to work as chaplain to Sir Thomas Roe. He travelled in India and wrote "Voyage to East India, 1616-19.

Let me quote here excepts from Internet browsing as to alleged observations of Rev. Edward Terry:

QUOTE No.1

Edward Terry who visited a few years after William Finch writes that Akbar had threatened to disinherit Jahangir, for his liaison with Anarkali, the emperor's most beloved wife. But on his death-bed, Akbar repealed it.

Another ambassdor to court says Salim was 19 years old when salim had affair with anarkali

Even rajasthani books say salim was in exile in bala fort for a year almost in his eraly 20s that was also may be because of his affair akbar had sent him away on exile from mughal court

So anarkali existed but mughal documents did not write about it for obious reasonzs

Originally posted by: Agrata23

amazing dear..thanks for the update..you did so much research i think😊

Originally posted by: Bollywoodlaver

did any book say that she was with salim? because I think that part is most definitely fictional!

Originally posted by: srilotus

There is no pakka proof of Anarkali's existence.So I still believe that Anarkali is fictional as nobody has ever written about her and Salim .