In 12th and 13th centuries, Rawal Ratan Singh was the King of
Chittor. Rani Padmini, the wife of King Rawal Ratan Singh and Queen of
Chittor and often a mythological figure for her womanhood and
sacrifice.
During those days, the Sultanate of
Delhi- the kingdom set up by the invaders was nevertheless growing in
power. That time Allah-ud-din Khilji was the Sultan and who made
repeated attack on Mewar on one reason and the other.
At
the same time Chittor was under the Rule of Rawal Ratan Singh, a brave
and noble warrior King. As well a patron of the arts. In his court were
many talented people one of whom was a musician named Raghav Chetan. But
unknown to everyone, he was also a sorcerer. He used his evil talent
to run down his competitor but unluckily was caught red-handed. On
hearing this King was angry and he punished Raghav Chetan to send away
from his kingdom after blackening his face and making him ride on
donkey.
Due to this, Raghav Chetan became
an uncompromising enemy of the King. Raghav Chetan made his way towards
Delhi with the aim of trying to incite the Sultan of Delhi Allah-ud-din
Khilji to attack chittor.
When Raghav Chetan
come near to Delhi, was settled down in one of the forests nearby Delhi
which the Sultan used frequently for hunting deers. One day he saw the
hunt party entering the forest, he started playing a melodious tone on
his flute. Hunt party get surprised, and they found Raghav Chetan was
playing a flute . Raghav Chetan was then brought before sultan, and the
Sultan asked him to come to his court at Delhi.The cunning Raghav-Chetan
asked the king as to why he wants to have a ordinary musician like
himself when there were many other beautiful objects to be had. The
Sultan wondering what Raghav Chetan meant, Sultan asked him to clarify.
Then he told about Rani Padmini's beauty, Allah-ud-din's lust was
aroused and immediately on returning to his capital he gave orders to
his army to march on Chittor.
But he
get disappointed, due to the fort to be heavily defended. Hopefull to
have a look at the legendary beauty of Padimini, he send word to King
Ratan Singh that he looked upon padmini as his sister and wanted to meet
her. On hearing this, the unsuspecting Ratansen asked Padmini to see
the 'brother'. But Padmini was more wordly-wise and she refused to meet
the lustful Sultan personally.
Rani Padmini
then convinced by her husband, She agreed to allow Allah-ud -din to see
her only in a mirror.On the word being sent to Allah-ud-din that Padmini
would see him, he came to the fort with his selected and best warriors
who secretly made a careful examination of the fort's defences on their
way to the Palace. On seeing Padmini, in a mirror, the lustful Sultan
decided that he should secure Padmini for himself. While returing to his
camp, Sultan was accompanied for some way by King Ratan Singh. Taking
this opportunity, Sultan skillfully kidnapped Ratan Singh and took him
as a prisoner into his camp and demanded that Padmini come and surrender
herself before Sultan, if she wanted her husband king Ratan Singh alive
again.
The Rajput generals decided to
beat the Sultan at his own game and sent back a word that Padmini would
be given to Sultan the next morning. On the following day at the crack
of dawn, one hundred and fifity palaquins (covered cases in which royal
ladies were carried in medieveal times) left the fort and made their way
towards Sultan's camps. The palanquins stopped before the tent where
king Ratan singh was being held prisoner. Seeing that the palanquins had
come from Chittor, and thinking that they had brought along with them
his queen, king Ratan Singh was mortified. But get surprised, because
his queen is not there in the palanquins but her women servant and fully
armed soldiers, who quickly freed Ratan Singh and galloped away towards
Chittor on horses grabbed from Sultan's stables.
On
hearing that, the lustful Sultan was furious and ordered his army to
attack on Chittor. But hard as they tried the Sultans army could not
break into the fort. Sultan decided to lay seige to the fort. The seige
was the prolonged effort to gain the fort. Finally King Ratnasingh gave
orders that the Rajputs would open the gates and fight to finish with
the besieging troops. On hearing of this decision, Padmini decided that
with their men-folk going into the unequal struggle with the Sultan's
army in which they were sure to perish, the women of Chittor had either
to commit suicides or face dishonour at the hands of the victorious
enemy.
The choice was in favour
of suicide through Jauhar. A huge pyre was lit and followed by their
queen, all the women of Chittor jumped into the flames and deceived the
lustful enemy waiting outside. With their womenfolk dead, the men of
Chittor had nothing to live for. Their charged out of the fort and
fought on furiously with the vastly Powerful array of the Sultan, till
all of them perished. After this phyrrhic victory the Sultan's troops
entered the fort only to be confronted with ashes and burnt bones of the
women whose honour they were going to violate to satisfy their lust.
These
women who committed Jauhar had to perish but their memory has been kept
alive till today by bards and songs which glorify their act which was
right in those days and circumstances. Thus a halo of honour is given to
their supreme sacrifice.
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