The Mughal aristocracy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries lived in havelis. There were at least a hundred havelis in North India. A haveli housed many families. A beautiful gateway led to an open courtyard, surrounded by public rooms meant for visitors and business, used exclusively by males.

The inner courtyard with its pavilions and rooms were meant for the women of the household. Rooms in the havelis had multiple uses and there was very little furniture. Some havelis had quarters for the cart drivers, tent pitchers, torchbearers, accountants, clerks and household servants.