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 stepmother 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 was what more could she want after the luxuries of the palace? Her anger was channelled 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 would 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. My wife and I 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 the death's face by her father for his wish for 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

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 doing 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 from 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.

Rakhi Tales

The year was 1535 CE. The Rajmata of Mewar, widow of Rana Sanga, was in a dilemma. On one hand was an attack from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat as a threat to her capital, Chittorgarh, and the throne of her beloved teenage son Vikramaditya. On the other hand, there was the son of her husband's archenemy, Humayun, who could be of some help. Rani Karnavati wrote a letter to Humayun, who was in the east at that time. Along with it, she sent a Rakhi, a thread of brotherhood, asking him, as a sister, for protection against the enemy. But the road was too long and time, of great essence. Humayun arrived at Chittorgarh, in response to her letter, keeping his end of the bargain but a little late. Rani Karnavati had already performed the Jauhar. They never met. Humayun established Rana Vikramaditya on the throne of Mewar, as he had promised as a brother, and returned to his post. Two dynasties, political rivals and sworn enemies, from Sanga-Babur to Pratap-Akbar and even Raj Singh-Aurangzeb, yet ...

A Veranda Vendetta

“Outrage in Calcutta; Terrorist Raid, British Officer Murdered” Read the headlines of The Times on Tuesday, 9 th of December, 1930. 1930: A significant year 1930 was a very significant year in the history of India’s Freedom Struggle against the British Raj. The Indian National Congress went ahead to declare the 26 th of January as India’s Independence Day, celebrating it nationwide; the Civil Disobedience Movement was officially started by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and Subhas Chandra Bose was arrested for participating in the same. On 18 th April, Surya Sen, better known as MasterDa, had done the unthinkable, raiding the British Armoury with his students and fellow teachers at Chittagong. He was still on the loose, yet to be found. In this year of growing protests against the colonisers, an incident emerged that shook the British at their old capital. The Bengal Volunteers Corps was a group of volunteers organised in the 1928 Calcutta sessi...

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 Parmars 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...

A Journey Called PrAja

Love is a relationship based on trust and understanding. It is also a bond that is made up there. People often ask, "Why them?" I end up telling them some folklore. I end up telling them about how she actually was his shadow in the forests, in bad times. Because love passes all its tests in the worst times when you don't give up on each other. So, here's to My Pratap and His Ajabdeh! Ps. This is about the show Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap on Sony by Contilloe Starring Faisal Khan, Roshni Walia, Sharad Malhotra and Rachana Parulkar. This is NOT their real story. The show aired from 2013 to 2015. Ajabdeh, the simple, strong yet gentle samantputri, was starstruck seeing the down-to-earth Kunwar Pratap, the crown prince of Mewar. She was clueless that he held the key to her heart, her lost mala that destiny had chosen him for. Na na na na na Chan Chan Chan Chan na na na na! A comedy of errors followed, as she threw the pail of water on him, fumbled at his presen...

The Hidden One

In the grand fort of Daulatabad, a princess was born in 1638 to Emperor Aurangzeb and his cherished consort, Dilras Banu Begum. She was christened Zeb Un Nisa, her very name meaning “ornament of womankind.” The youngest of her sisters, Zeb Un Nisa, grew up surrounded by the opulence of the Mughal harem at the Red Fort, under the spiritual guidance of her Sufi uncle Dara Shikoh and her wise aunt Jahanara Begum. From her earliest days, she was captivated by poetry, spending hours immersed in literature, her mind dancing among the verses of Persian and Urdu poets. As she blossomed into adulthood, Zeb Un Nisa cultivated her own literary voice and gathered the greatest poets of the Mughal Empire in her private council. Adopting the pen name “Makhfi”, the Concealed One, she wove magic with her words, always returning to one intoxicating theme: Love. Her father, Emperor Aurangzeb, was the most powerful man in India, unyielding in his faith and rule, yet also deeply affectionate towards his ...

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...

Mewar: Parting Words

The journey through Mesmerising Mewar ended the night I boarded my train from Udaipur, my heart weighed down by the memories I was leaving behind. As the city lights shimmered in the darkness, I found myself turning back at every chance, reluctant to bid farewell to Mewar, a place that felt less like a travel destination and more like a forgotten home. Sometimes I wonder if my love for the place comes from another life. My parents certainly think so. With the city’s silhouette fading behind me, it felt only right to share my last thoughts: the flavours of the cities, the hills of Aravallis, the moments that made those 15 days feel like a dream, a dream I had dreamt a long time ago, to see his world, through his eyes. His home. I’ll be forever grateful for. The Food: Soul of Mewar Udaipur is a feast in every sense! I dove headfirst into plates brimming with local aloo sabzi, peas cooked with a gentle sweetness, and the signature Rajasthani Churma that seemed to melt away any tra...

A Chivalrous Emnity

“Ranisa. Hukum” There was a hint of urgency in the maid in waiting’s voice as she rushed to the clearing where the tents were set up. Rani Pur Bai Solanki, the second queen, frowned at her sudden, alarming voice. “Hush, Rama, the children are...” She checked the children’s tent, alarmed. They slept during the day and stayed awake at night, because the forestland was not safe, neither from animals nor the enemies. “Ranisa, forgive me, it's Kunwarsa... He is back... but...” Pur Bai’s face lit up with a smile of hope that didn’t last long. “But?” “What is it? What’s wrong?” The Maharani of Mewar had walked out of her camp, with the other queens in tow. The maid bowed before her. “It’s Kunwarsa.” “He is back?” She frowned. He was not supposed to be back so early until his father reached Dholan. “So is Ranaji.” The maid looked scared. “There is a court called in an emergency. I came to inform you that Ranaji wanted everyone to be present.” “Jija...” Pur Bai could see the tension mountin...

The Buddhist Empress of India

Many historians believe that although Devi was the first wife of Asoka, his Buddhist queen, Asandhimitra, was not the same person. However, some also theorise based on Buddhist and Jain stories that they were in fact the same person, and the reason for that is that they don't seem to appear in the timeline together. Devi disappears when Asandhimitra arrives at the scene rather abruptly to do her charitable work. Hence, I personally believe they were one and the same. This story, however, is a retelling of folklore and not history. Please do not consider this piece of fiction as history. The whole village of Vidisha Nagari was buzzing with activity. Every home was being cleaned, and cooking preparations were on. The youngest prince of Magadha was coming to a halt the night at their village on his way to Ujjain. Great unrest was reported at Ujjain, and the youngest prince, as the general of this region, was being sent by the emperor to solve the issue. The villagers were scared as th...

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