alternate form 21:45 Nov 21, 2010
Yes, they're closely related: "salaam" is not unfamiliar to Westerners, and is by far the most widespread form in use in Urdu/Hindi (often referred to as Hindustani in connection with the Mughal period) so I don't see a problem with your own suggestion.
<br />Both forms are imported from (or via) Persian, and so are culturally bound to an Islamic or Islamic-dominated context. (Although the term Maharajah alone might be taken as indicating a Hindu cultural context; but I assume that this refers to either the Mughal period or the British period, which inherited culturally from the Mughal period.)
<br />And by the way I assume that it's courtiers doing this ... | 
peer agreement (net): +4