The Princess of Ayodhya

She sat in her mother's chambers inside the Inner Palaces looking at the maids busy with their daily cooking and cleaning. Hurrying throughout the palace they were making preparations to show some hospitality to the king of Anga Desh who was arriving at the court tomorrow. He had something important to discuss with the king. Something of benefit to Ayodhya.
She was his only heiress. Yet she has lived a neglected life. She pined for his love and he showed none to her. Her mother and stepmothers loved her, brought her up, dressed her, braided her hair and taught her the lessons of life. She was entitled to all the luxuries of a princess yet her father's unwanted child. Her anger grew by the day as her father became more and more eager for a son. There was a constant line of Rishis and Munis coming to the court to help and advise the king. As was the rumour among the servants, the King of Anga Desh was coming for the same purpose.
The princess sighed. Nobody in the palace understood her pain. All they thought were what more could she want after the luxuries of the palace. Her anger was channelized by her stepmother into learning skills of self-defence and warfare. She was indeed a brave princess.
The palace was abuzz at the Anga king's arrival. The court session began. The queens sat in the Inner Palace with their daughters discussing what way the king will provide them with a son, an heir to the throne. Their attitude brought tears to her eyes. She fought them back bravely. Suddenly Manthara came into the room.
"Princess Shanta, you have been summoned to the court by your father immediately. "
Everyone looked surprised. She was never even talked to by members of the court including her father. Why summon her? Has he realised her value?
A happy Shanta rushed into her father's court with a smile. The tiny bells on her Ghagra Choli attracted the attention of the court as everyone stared at her wide-eyed. They had never seen the princess smile. With a hesitant pause, the King looked at his counterpart from Anga who nodded willfully.
" Princess, this is the King of Anga. She is the Princess I told you about."
"Your Daughter. . ."
" umm... Kaushalya's daughter... "
Her smile vanished.
" Princess, the king has come here with a proposal for you."
Her heart skipped a beat. Was this old king trying to marry her?
" Their land has been cursed with drought for several years.... only Rishyasringa Muni can save them by summoning the gods of the rain. He needs your help."
The princess was puzzled. How could she help? She has never heard of this person before.
The king of Anga spoke now.
" Rishyasringa has been confined to his ashram by his father's chakra line which he cannot cross. Hence we cannot bring him to Anga. His father did this to protect his son from lust and pleasure. The only way to break this is if he readily accepts the company of a lady. However the line cannot be crossed easily, the mantras are powerful. Many who tried have been refused to ashes."
" So, what makes you feel I am any different?"
" You are brave and strong-minded. If you can lure him to you and bring him to Anga I promise to pray to the gods to help them give your father and mothers what their hearts desire, a son! I desire a daughter and me and my wife are going to adopt you as our own."
She saw her father's eyes light up with hope. She understood that she meant nothing to him. She was being pushed to death's face by her father for his wish of a son! Angry yet composed she replied " I am ready Rajan. Please give me a day to get ready for the trip and say goodbye to my mothers."
She could see smiles on all the faces of the court and she was weeping inside.
She quietly made her way into the dark courtyard as her mother rushed out concerned. She looked distraught.
" What is it, Shanta? Why did your father summon you?"
" He wants me to leave this palace and go with the Rajan of Anga. To attract and lure a sage in exchange for sons for you."
Her words were as cold as stone. Her mother grew numb.
The whole Inner Palace was crying as the mothers helped their daughter pack her things. Every girl needed to go someday or the other but not like this. Her life ahead was dark, difficult and uncertain. She was still their teenage child and they wanted to shield her from the world.

Idols of the Sage Sringi and his wife Shanta in their ashram at Sringaverpur
Pic Courtesy: Unknown Source

She was taken to a tent near the sage's ashram to carry out her task. She bathed and dressed in a fine sari and her best jewellery. She waited for Rishyasringha's father to leave him alone and go to collect fruits. She came out of hiding and started singing in a beautiful voice.
Rishasringha came out curious about the beautiful voice and asked " What are you with such a wonderful voice?"
" I am a lady ."
" Why are you so different from me? Your body so different from mine?"
" Because I think differently than you."
Enchanted by her voice he wanted to know her more but was scared of his father. " Go away before you hurt yourself"
" No, step out of your circle and come to me"
He denied her request. Every day they met but he did not cross his circle. They became friends through music. Day by day he saw this brave girl live through the hurdles of jungle life and fall in love. He finally stepped out much to his father's dismay. She married him and took him to the land of Anga as promised.
With his yogic power, he brought life back to Anga by summoning the Rain Gods. Later he made his way to Ayodhya to perform the yagna that led to the birth of the four Princes as promised. The Princess however came back to the place that rejected her for being a girl for the last time for this yagna. She decided to stay with her newfound family looking after them and her husband's ashram. Their descendants are the Rishyasringha Rajputs.
Such was the work of Karma that the King got his sons for his daughter's sacrifices and lost his life in the love of his sons as a result of ignoring the Laxmi (lady luck) of the house.

Jauhar: All You Need to Know

“We have no Knowledge of the beginning and end of the world, the first and last of this ancient book has fallen out” Abu Talib Karim Rightly said by the poet laureate of Emperor Shah Jahan above, we do not actually know the beginning and end of anything in the universe, be it the traditions, culture or human race, or the world. What we know are fragments of the past we extract out of evidence. It is in vain to try and determine the first and last of something. For the past few months owing to some media hype on Jauhar, many of you had asked me questions. I tried to answer most of them. However, a lot remained unsaid and unwritten. Mostly because some things are impossible to put into words. But here I try my best. Today is a very significant day in history. On the 23 rd of February 1568, the world saw the last “Jauhar” of Chittorgarh, recorded in the medieval history of India. Akbar had invaded Mewar and the siege of four months ended in the Saka. There was no better day for...

The Queen of Mewar

There have been many versions, folktales and local stories in Rajputana on their Kings and Queens. None of these versions is, however, historical as history only mentions her as wife to Maharana Pratap, his consort and Queen Mother to Amar Singh. She was busy making a garland when Ratnawati rushed inside, hardly able to breathe. Concerned, the elder sister stopped her work and looked at her panting young sibling. " What is it? What's wrong?" "Jija maa sa is not letting me go to the haat mela alone. Please come with me, I need to buy some bangles." The spoiled younger one pleaded. " Wait, let me do my aarti first, then we can go." The reluctant Ratnawati sat down impatiently. In another room, their mother was helping their father get ready for the day. He was the Samant of Bijolia, the representative of the Rana of Mewar. Throughout the day he had to deal with administrative problems in Bijolia and give people justice, but today he had something...

The Queen Mother of Mewar

Let me start by saying, this is a representation of history and folklore in my own words, trying to show how great a soul this lady was. And let me start with a line here. “Naari Ki Balidaano Ko Sadev Bhulta Aya hai Itihas.” Yes, most women lay forgotten in the pages of history, only alive through the folklore and local tales that fail to reach the pages of books due to a lack of historical evidence. Their names don’t remain, but their haunting hand prints on the fort walls before Jauhar, their names on inscriptions as daughter, wife and mother, often make us wonder, who were they, how were they and how were their lives! Historically, the only thing we know about Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara, princess of Jallore and queen of Mewar is that she was the first queen of Rana Udai Singh II, the mother of most probably her only son Maharana Pratap and daughter of ally of Rana Sanga, Akshay Raj of Jallore. Apart from that her entire life has no historical existence and is spun on ...

The Princess of Marwar

Historically we know nothing about Phool Bai Rathore except that she was the daughter of Ram Singh Rathore, granddaughter of Raja Maldeo Rathore and fifth wife of Maharana Pratap. There is no historical evidence of Akbar's alliance with her in particular however Maldeo did give his granddaughters in a marriage alliance with Mughals and other major dynasties. Phool Kanwar's cousin Maanwati Bai (Better known as Jodha Bai or Jagat Gossain) married Salim, Akbar's son and later emperor Jahangir. The Princess was in her chambers. The Mehrgarh Fort was in a quiet dark state and everyone feared what lay ahead. The men of the Rathore clan had gone to ally with the Mughal emperor Akbar. Rao Maldeo had decided that it was the only way to save Marwar's future. His second son Udai and youngest one Chandrasen supported his decision to save the country. But his heir and firstborn Ram Singh Rathore was a rebel. He was not going to bow down before the Mughals and lose his dignity. A...

Maharana Pratap: The Sun of Mewar

Many of you have read my fan fiction as well as historical representations of the life and times of Maharana Pratap Singh of Mewar. I provided small details of his life in many articles. But never have I ever made a separate historical post on him. It is very difficult to put together his life without the help of folklore because historical evidence is scarce. This one was requested and hence here it goes. Needless to say, this one is very special. This is a blend of history and folklore. Leave your love. ❤️ Background and Birth: The year was 1540. Mewar was under a cloud of uncertainty. Banbir, their ruler for four years now, was a very incompetent ruler who always spent his time in luxury, drinking and dancing with girls. The crown prince Udai Singh was rumoured to be killed by him. Chittorgarh was in darkness. Around March 1540, Mewar once again saw hope as some trusted generals along Mewar with Kunwar Udai Singh attacked Chittorgarh taking Banbir by surprise. He was soon to re...

The Warrior Bride

Kelwa/Kailwa is a small village situated around two hours away from Chittorgarh and an hour from Lake Pichola. It was mainly inhabited by the Rathores and ruled by the Chundawat clan, who were once the rulers of Mewar. One chief of Kelwa, was Rawat Sihaji Singh Chundawat. He was a very close ally of Rana Sanga. His son Jaga Singhji too died fighting for Rana Udai Singhji in one war with the Afghans in 1555 AD. Kelwa’s heir was the minor child of Jaga Singhji and his widow Sajjan Bai Songara Chauhan. Being from the clan of the Chauhan Rajputs, she was a warrior at heart. From the early age of about four, her only son was brought up under his uncle Naga Singhji, to fight for his motherland and serve it like all other Mewaris. Fatta (Patta), as fondly called by everyone was a deft warrior even before he reached his teens. His name and bravery spread across the land, to Rana Udai Singh’s ears in Chittorgarh. He was also the nephew to Ranaji’s close aide Rawat Chundawatji. Upon the order of...

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 lead...

The Navroz Incident

This popular folklore has been recreated from Col, James Todd's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. Names I have added, from my own historical research. This one is especially for Garima to thank her for the books and love! Yet another Veer Gatha from the dessert! Ps. This is folklore with no evidence of history, please remember that Bikaner, lying in the western part of the Thar, was a small yet independent state ruled by a clan of Marwari Rathores until Raja Kalyanmal surrendered to Akbar's Rajput Policies in 1571. His fourth son Prithviraj Rathore, being a great warrior and poet was respected as one of the "Nine Gems" in Emperor Akbar's court. Prithviraj, was the son of Kalyanmal's first wife and queen Rani Songaribai Rainawati, a cousin of Maharani Jaiwanta Bai of Mewar. Hence he was cousin to the valiant Pratap Singh of Mewar. He was also married to one of Rana Udai Singh of Mewar's daughters from his other wives, sister to Kunwar Pratap, Baisa Ja...

Charumati's Love

T his is written based on folklore. This is a representative work of fiction and not claiming 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 the enemies and alliances 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 wage ...

Symphony of Love

A week was enough for the master to be pleased enough with the new student to tell the Sultan that she was ready for her first performance. The Sultan was extremely pleased and rewarded him with a gold chain. As the master bowed to leave, the guards announced the arrival of the chief queen. Sultan Baz Bahadur sat upright. She was his first bride, a childhood alliance his father had forced upon him when he did not even know what marriages implied. Now he only saw her face when she had complaints about the inner palace and its inhabitants. Honestly, he expected her there since Roopmati arrived. His queen did not like changes especially if those changes were threatening to her position. The Chief Queen arrived with her maids, dismissed them at the threshold and came up to her husband to bow and greet him. “What brings you here?” Baz Bahadur asked, with a lingering smile on his lips. The queen could hear the hint of taunt in his voice. She forced a smile. Her marriage to this reckles...

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