Which of the following is not true about the customs practised in the Mughal court?

A- In court, status was determined by spatial proximity to the king.
B- Once the emperor sat on the throne, the courtiers were allowed to leave the court on their own.
C- In the Mughal court the slightest infringement of etiquette was noticed and punished on the spot.
D- The forms of salutation to the ruler indicated the person’s status in the hierarchy: deeper prostration represented lower status.

Choose the correct answer from the given options:

B and D

The correct answer is Option 4 - B and D

The correct statements are:

A- In court, status was determined by spatial proximity to the king. (CORRECT)

C- In the Mughal court the slightest infringement of etiquette was noticed and punished on the spot. (CORRECT)

Correction in the incorrect statement:

B- Once the emperor sat on the throne, no one was permitted to move from his position or to leave without permission.

D-  The forms of salutation to the ruler indicated the person’s status in the hierarchy: deeper prostration represented HIGHER status. 

Chronicles lay down with great precision the rules defining status amongst the Mughal elites. In court, status was determined by spatial proximity to the king. The place accorded to a courtier by the ruler was a sign of his importance in the eyes of the emperor. Once the emperor sat on the throne, no one was permitted to move from his position or to leave without permission.  Social control in court society was exercised through carefully defining in full detail the forms of address, courtesies and speech which were acceptable in court. The slightest infringement of etiquette was noticed and punished on the spot. The forms of salutation to the ruler indicated the person’s status in the hierarchy: deeper prostration represented higher status. The highest form of submission was sijda or complete prostration. Under Shah Jahan, these rituals were replaced with Chahar taslim and zaminbos (kissing the ground). The protocols governing diplomatic envoys at the Mughal court were equally explicit. An ambassador presented to the Mughal emperor was expected to offer an acceptable form of greeting – either by bowing deeply or kissing the ground, or else to follow the Persian custom of clasping one’s hands in front of the chest.