The Rebel Saint

This is a folklore retelling of the life of Meera Bai. Little is known about her historically, except that she was a devotee of Lord Krishna and the granddaughter of Rao Duda of Marwar. Since Rana Sanga was an ally of the king, she was married to the crown prince of Mewar, Bhoj Raj, who unfortunately died in one of the many battles Mewar fought with Babur. After that, her journey from Mewar to Merta to Vrindavan and Dwarka can be traced only with folklore.

The palace at Merta was buzzing with preparations. Duda Rao, the fourth son of Jodha Rao, founder of Jodhpur, was coming back after a war with his sons. His grandson Jaimal was waiting for their sight at the highest balcony of the Palace. There was something at a distance, a procession. Excited, he called out to his cousin's sister. The Princess came running

with her Sakhi in tow.

" Call Maasa, Lolita, tell her I see a procession."

Sakhi Lolita, still a child of six, ran inside and came back with the Queens.

" But Jaimal, that's a wedding procession" The queens laughed.

" Oh, I did not see properly, Kakisa" Jaimal felt embarrassed at his childishness. He was only twelve, yet he wanted to behave like his father.

" Look, Lado, there goes the groom. One day, your groom will come like this."

" Who is my groom?" The curious princess asked cluelessly.

" I don't know that yet, Lado." Her mother and aunt giggled.

" Please tell me, Maasa, who is my groom?" The princess kept nagging her mother, her aunt, and her brother. Confused, she went to her Sakhi.

" Wait a bit, Princess. I am feeding my Gudda."

"Who is that?" The clueless, curious princess looked at the doll in her hand.

" My Groom", Lolita blushed.

The princess rushed to her mother. " I also want a groom like Lolita." Her mother smiled at her childish banter.

The Palace at Merta

Raidas, a Vainavist saint from that time, arrived at the palace with the king. The king, his sons and his daughter - in - laws were busy looking after the spiritual guru. Jaimal and his sister were called by their grandfather to the guest's chambers.

" This is my grandson, Prince Jaimal and my granddaughter, Princess Meera Guruji." Guru Raidas looked at the two children and smiled.

That night, Raidas took his Kanha out and placed him in the ashan. He then went to the palace gardens to look for flowers. Meera sneaked in and saw the idol that looked just like Lolita's Gudda. She took the idol on her lap and started playing with it. When Raidas came back, he was shocked. The princess had no clue who she held and was talking to Kanha like he was her husband. Guru Raidas told her to give the idol back, but she refused. She offered him all her jewellery, toys and everything dear to her in return for the Idol. Seeing the child's eagerness, he gave the Idol to the princess as a gift and told her to take care of him.

The next day, Jaimal and Lolita were busy arranging Meera's wedding to her Gudda Giridhari. No adult paid any heed to this incident, as Meera believed she was getting married. She followed all rituals with the idol of the Lord and took him as her husband. She worshipped him like a wife and talked to him as if he talked back. He was her companion in loneliness. Meera's mother died when she was just nine or ten. After her death, Meera felt even more lonely and drew herself close to Giridhari.

At the age of thirteen, her wedding was arranged with Bhoj Raj, the Prince of Chittor. He was Rana Sanga of Mewar's son and heir to the throne. She did not want this marriage as she believed that she was already married to the Lord. But once she was married, she confided in her husband her belief that she was married to Krishna. He understood and respected her wishes. She did all her duties as the future Queen of Chittorgarh, but her rigidity remained towards her marital relationship, creating all kinds of rumours in the Rani Mahal. Her In-Laws were not happy with her obsession and tried to put her in trouble many times. She refused to worship their family deities, Eklingji, a form of Lord Shiva and Tulaja Bhavani, a manifestation of Parvati, as she was a Vaishnavist. This led to her sister-in-law, Padmavati and brother-in-law, Vikramaditya, creating many hurdles for her. Meera found solace in writing poetry. She wrote down her pain and dilemma in poems that she sang to her Lord. It was at this time that Guru Raidas gave her a Tarang to sing bhajans to the lord. Meera composed many beautiful Bhajans locked in her room at Chittorgarh Fort.

Meera Temple, Chittorgarh

Her husband died in a battle, merely six years after the marriage. Meera lost her biggest ally and friend, yet she refused to dress like a widow and follow the rituals because she claimed she was still married to Krishna. Rana Sanga pitied her condition and allowed her to wear saffron robes instead of white. He even built a separate temple to place her Lord there. Rana Sanga died soon after, leaving Meera helpless. Soon, Vikramaditya was on the throne of Mewar, helped by his mother Karnawati. His eyes fell on Meera, and he made indecent proposals to her. Unable to bear the humiliation, Meera lamented to the Lord. Fearing that upsetting or disrespecting Meera would work against Vikram's popularity, Rani Karvawati asked Meera to leave the premises. With the help of Lalita, she escaped from the palace. Before leaving, she gave her Lord's Idol to her mother-in-law to worship. She travelled to her paternal house at Merta, hoping to be accepted back. Reaching there, she found that her brother and protector, Jaimal, had been killed in a war by the Mughals. After staying a few days there, she set out on a pilgrimage to Mathura, Brindavan, and Dwarka with Lolita. She travelled all over North India dancing in Bhakti trance with villagers and singing beautiful Bhajans. Everywhere she went, one could find a Meera Bai Temple in the places she stayed.

It was when she was in Dwarka that Vikramaditya was killed by Banbir, and after a long gap, his brother Rana Uday Singh ascended the throne of Chittor in 1540. He travelled to Dwarka to bring Meera back to Chittor and restore her respected position as Rajmata. But Meera was beyond worldly luxury. She wanted to stay near her lord.

On the 2nd of March, 1542 (according to the Mewar Royal sources), she was singing at the Dwarka Krishna temple, dancing with joy for her lord alone at midnight, when suddenly she called out, " Oh, you are calling me Lord, calling me to you? I am coming!" She went into the temple sanctum. The next morning, onlookers found just her saree wrapped around the Idol. Shocked, the devotees knew this saint was no ordinary woman. She used to call herself the reincarnation of one of the Lord's Gopis. Lalita, who had been with Meera forever, could not bear the pain of separation and jumped into the Arabian Sea, saying, " Where there is Meera, there is Lalita"

This Rajput Princess was the first and last of her kind. She left her friends at the mere age of six and started worshipping Krishna. She saw the Idol like a human and had no idea of who he was, yet her love and Bhakti were immense. She left the luxuries of the palace and fought with the world for her unorthodox ways of love and worship. She was a pillar of the Bhakti movements. She proved how far a woman can go for love. Radha was Krishna's love; He was Meera's. Her poetry is still of high literary importance and gives small details of her life and hardship. Yet in the Palaces of both her paternal and her husband's places, she is not mentioned. Temples built for her worship, however, are found across Rajasthan. She defied the norms of what society dictated to women and widows, sang and danced in public and preached that calling god required no need to please Brahmins; Bhakti was reformed in her words. She was indeed a woman who changed history.

The Reva Cries

Roopmati had watched the troops leave. She had stood behind the chief queen as she traditionally bid goodbye to her sons. She had waited for the Sultan to come to her. He did. He was confident that the sudden advancement of Akbar’s foster brother Adham Khan could be curbed. It was not war, just precaution. He reassured her. Malwa would never bow to the Timurids. And he would not let anything happen to her. To Her. Roopmati felt suffocated by her husband’s affectionate hug. She felt trapped in the scrutinising eyes of all the people in the palace. Angry, blaming eyes. She tried to pace herself and sing, but her voice cracked in fear. Her melody was drowned in tears. Every evening, a messenger would come to the chief queen with the news of war. Roopmati was kept in the darkness. She was not told about anything. She knew the rumours. She was a witch. A temptress who caused doom to the Sultan of Malwa. She was a spy of the enemy planted in his life to destroy him. She wondered if he came b...

Rani Padmini: The Valiant Queen

This story is a retelling of some parts of Malik Mohammad Jayasi's Padmavat, which was a historical fiction poem written in 1540, an odd 200 years after the siege of Chittorgarh by Allauddin Khilji. Historically, the Rajputs of Mewar didn't keep accounts of their queens, even by name, so the name Padmini or Padmavati was made up by Jayasi to represent the women of Chittor who chose the Jauhar. Historically speaking, Allauddin Khilji wanted the trade route to Surat for himself, which went through Mewar and Rana Ratan Singh, a patron of art, was not known for his military skills. So when Khilji surrounded the fort, the only way out was the Saka and Jauhar. Rani Padmini's Jauhar, as it is now popularly called, is also not the first Jauhar Khilji witnessed. The Jauhars of Ranthambore and Jaisalmer happened before he attacked Chittorgarh. Also, the act of Jauhar happened as early as the Greek invasions of Porus's state, when it is described as the "Mass immolation of Sa...

The Emperor's First Wife

Ruqaiya Sultana Begum was born to Babur's second surviving son, Hindal Mirza, and his wife, Sultanam Begum, in 1542 C.E., merely a few months after Hamida Banu gave birth to the heir Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar. She was well-versed in Persian, Urdu and Arabic and was attracted to poetry and music. Being a proud descendant of the Timurid clan, most of Rukaiya's childhood was spent in Kabul, near the Bagh E Babur, built by Babur himself. From early childhood, she had seen the struggle of her family to regain their lost power in Hind. In 1551 C.E., just after her father died young at a battle for Humayun, leaving her and her mother in the harem of the emperor, it was Hamida Banu who wanted the marriage of Rukaiya to her first cousin, Akbar. Theirs was the first in-house marriage of the Mughals, soon to be followed by many more in the generations to come. At the mere age of nine, she had married the crown prince, and when Humayun won back Lahore, she was fifteen. At the mere age ...

Sisodiya: Kings, Queens and Princes (1538 - 1597)

I am back with another History post, this time it is on the wives and sons of Rana Udai Singh II of Mewar, his son and heir Maharana Pratap and Rana Amar Singh. This is a continuation of the Sisodia Family History I posted some time back. The information has been taken from Annals of Mewar by James Todd, Maharana Pratap by B.N. Rana, and Maharana Pratap by Rima Hooja. Udai Singh II was the son of Ranisa Karnawati and Rana Sangram Singh. He was born on 4th August 1 522, at Chittorgarh and died on 28th February 1 572 at Gogunda . He was the Ruler of the Sisodia Dynasty. He is believed to have 56 sons and 2 5 wives, apart from the many insignificant queens in his Rani Mahal. Here is a list of his main queens and their sons. Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara of Jalore was his chief queen and consort. Her son is Maharana Pratap. He was married to her before he went to war with Banbir, as her father, Akshayraj Rao, was a friend and ally of his father, Rana Sanga. Saj...

Charumati's Love

T his is written based on folklore. This is a representative work of fiction and does not claim any historical happening in the conversations. This is to show the spirit of the women of Rajputana. The year 1657. Shah Jahan had taken ill and was rumoured to be dying in Agra Fort. He was about eighty, and the pressure of having an empire had taken a toll on his body. The seat of power was slowly shifting from Agra to Delhi since the prominence of the Laal Quila had increased, and if the news spread was to be believed, his sons were in a battle for the throne already. It was time each king chose sides once again. Dara Sikhoh was the eldest and the righteous Heir to the throne. He was believed to be a man who held high morals and was hence respected by both enemies and allies as well. Aurangzeb was his sibling and the youngest of the brothers. Short-tempered and cunning, he was always dreaded by the court. As Shah Jahan took ill, Aurangzeb took this as a golden opportunity to wa...

Prithviraj Chauhan: A Saga

Note: This piece is a work of fiction based on folklore and the Prithviraj Raso, an epic saga by Chand Bardai, who happened to be the court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan. The dates corresponding to wars, names of people and places are, however, historically fact-checked from various sources, including the works of Todd (semi-historical), The Amir Khusrau and contemporary sources like R.C.Majumder. The incidents are fictionally woven. Rai Pithora Around the year 1140 A.D., Ajmer was ruled by Anangpal of the Tomara Dynasty. Delhi was the seat of power of the Sultanate, which was a constant power struggle for them. He managed to capture briefly most parts of west Rajputana, and present-day Haryana and Punjab were also part of his kingdom. The old king had a son and two daughters. His concern grew as his son Surya was not talented enough to rule Ajmer. His youngest daughter, Princess Karpuri Devi, was married to Someshwar Chauhan of the famous Chauhan clan. Their son, Rai Pithora, helped...

Nawab E Bengal

Background: Nawab Alivardi Khan was ruling Bengal at the peak of Nawabi rule, expanding his strong empire. He had successfully suppressed the Marathas and had given a strong message to the British East India Company’s rising influence at Calcutta. Highly aware of the British Colonial policies across the globe, Nawab Alivardi Khan was strict with his policies and stronghold over Murshidabad, the then capital of Bengal (including present-day Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, and Bangladesh). He had two daughters and no sons. Amina Begum was the elder one, followed by Ghaseti Begum. Amina had three sons with her husband and courtier, Ahmed Khan. The second son, Mirza Mohammad, fondly called Siraj-Ud-Daulah (light of the country)by his grandfather, was born in 1733C.E. He was his grandfather’s favourite because he was born while he won over the Marathas. Alivardi Khan never let the “fortune child” of the family out of his sight. Siraj grew up accompanying his g...

Teeja Saka Chittor Ra

23rd February 1568. The sun rose on the eastern horizon, not with the hope of a new day. But, with the horror of what was to follow. The first rays of the Sun God were met by the chants of “Jai Bhavani!” that echoed in the air of Chittorgarh. The Mewaris knew it was time. Four months back, when the Mughals camped at the base of the fort, a helpless Chittorgarh had watched. Rana Udai Singh had left with his closest aides to make the new city westwards, his capital. If rumours were to be believed, he had left behind a cavalry of 8000 soldiers, under Rao Jaimal of Merta and Rawat Patta of Kelwa, to look over the fort. He had also left behind some of his lesser queens and infant princes, as an assurance to the people that Chittorgarh was invincible. Their safety and hope had lived in Kunwar Pratap. Truth be said, they had already taken the Crown Prince as their King. Ever since Ranisa had left with him till he became the Senapati, he had time and again proved to be a better lea...

Bijolia: Her Home

Journey to Bijolia: Lost Kingdoms and Timeless Temples of Mewar Bijoliya translates to a stop between two cities. Nestled in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district, Bijolia sits 55km from Bundi and 105km from Chittorgarh on the well-travelled Bundi-Chittorgarh road. Once part of Mewar, this seemingly sleepy town guards a rich and layered past: it was ruled from the 11th to the 13th century by the Punwars (or Parmar Rajputs) before falling under the Chauhan dynasty, who shifted the region’s capital to Bhilwara and constructed the imposing fort there. After a brief Chauhan rule, Bijolia was reclaimed by Rana Kumbha and became an integral part of the Mewar kingdom, with the Parmers serving as local Raos, representatives and stewards of the royal house. Despite its history and the famed Bijolia inscriptions (a treasure for historians), Bijolia has never found a seat on Rajasthan’s primary tourist circuit, especially if you’re venturing out by public transport or private car. While a handful of...

Indus Valley Civilisation: An Understanding

The River Of The Rig Veda: The mythical river Sarasvati is an unsolved mystery. Sarasvati means a river full of ponds or lakes. This indicated its course might have been through many such lakes or swamps. There are many references to this river in the Rig Vedas as the " Seventh River of the Aryavarta" and " The mother of floods", indicating it was an important river in the land, probably large and perennial and caused floods. Many excavated villages and cities along present-day parts of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat indicate the basin of the Sarasvati River. It is described in the Yajur Vedas as the one where the five rivers meet, and in the Brahmanas, there are indications of the disappearance of its lower course and how its large flow decreases. The Mahabharata describes the ultimate drying up of the river before the ushering in of the Kali Yuga . Many Puranas describe the civilisation lying between the Ganga and the Saraswati . ...

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