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 how 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 reduced 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 mother."

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.

Chandra's Choice: The Story of Dhruvasvamini

More often than not, the private lives of kings and the existence of their queens remain in the words of bards rather than those of chroniclers. Dhruvasvamini is no different, even after being the queen of the golden age of the Indian Subcontinent. She appears in the Basarh Clay Seal as the mother of Govinda Gupta (attributed as a sibling of Kumara Gupta I) and the queen wife of Chandra Gupta II or Vikramaditya. Except for one mention of Dhruva Devi, as she is popularly known, she remains a mysterious character in the Gupta lineage, with a side mention in the dynasty’s history. Visakhadatta, a famous poet and playwright, who later wrote DeviChandraGuptam as the play capturing the life of Chandra Gupta II, captured Dhruva Devi as one of the protagonists of his story. Although some scholars attribute Visakhadatta to be under the patronage of Chandra Gupta II himself when he wrote this story, many historians debate the literary work as a historical fiction written much after his time. Tru...

Battle of Haldighati

There have been a lot of talks going on regarding who won the Battle of Haldighati. While some want to change what we read and say that the Maharana won it, many oppose the point with a Mughal victory. Here, I compile every account I found of the Battle and its Aftermath and make my unbiased conclusion on the topic. PS. The dates vary from book to book; I gave the ones I found in most sources. The Background: Relation with Mughals Mewar was one of Rajputana's strongest individual kingdoms, along with the likes of Marwar and Kacchawar (Jaipur). Long before the Mughals under Akbar, Mewar under Rana Sangram Singh had successfully managed to keep the "Turk Invaders" under Babar at bay, fighting 17 wars, big and small. The relationship was further questioned when, during the invasion from Saurashtra, Sanga's widow, Rani Karnavati, had written to Mughal Emperor Humayun for help, sending him a rakhi. Contrary to popular belief, Humayun had rested on his way from Gaur (Beng...

The Timurid Empress

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. Miniature of Rukaiya Begum as Empress 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...

Etched In Stone

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Brothers and Sisters of Mahabharata

The Mahabharata, one of the greatest epics of Hindu mythology, not only recounts tales of valour, destiny, and dharma but also reveals intricate relationships between siblings whose lives shaped the moral and political fabric of the narrative. The bonds between brothers and sisters in the epic are diverse: marked by affection, rivalry, loyalty, and sacrifice. These relationships, though complex, embody the human emotions that transcend divine lineage and royal blood. Satyavati and Her Lineage Satyavati and her brother Matsya were born from a miraculous union between a Cursed Nymph in the form of a fish, Adrika and the King Uparichara Vasu, whose semen the fish had consumed when it fell in the river. They were discovered by their adoptive father, King Dusharaj, the ruler of the fishermen, and thus came to be known as Matsya Santan , meaning “children of the fish.” When the king found out about the twins, he claimed the male child as his heir and gave the girl, Satyavati, to the fis...

Kumbhalgarh Gogunda: Witness to Turmoil

Okay, so picture this: you’re winding your way up into the Aravallis, just 6km from Kelwara, and suddenly, perched on a cliff, there is a long, invincible wall in sight, that of Kumbhalgarh. I don’t just mean “oh, that’s an old fort, I mean, this is huge. Built by Rana Kumbha (that’s short for Kumbhakarna Singh of Mewar), you can actually see why it’s the second most important fort in all of Mewar. It’s got drama, secrets, heartbreak… basically, if these ancient stones could talk, they’d have more stories than your grandma. Let’s start from the beginning. After his father, Mokal, was killed, young Kumbha and his mother hid out on this very hill, plotting their comeback. But every time they tried to build here, the walls just wouldn’t stand. The king was stressed, "Do I need a new architect?!" he wondered. Cue the local priests, who sent him off to a saint in Ranakpur. The advice? Not what Kumbha wanted to hear. “You need a human sacrifice to build your fort. I’ll do it. But ...

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 have been killed by him. Chittorgarh was in darkness. Around March 1540, Mewar once again saw hope as some trusted generals, along with Kunwar Udai Singh, attacked Chittorgarh, taking Banbir by surprise. He was soon t...

Rani Padmini: The Valiant Queen

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Haldighati: The Battlefield

The year was 1576 CE. Four years had passed since Maharana Pratap’s coronation as the ruler of Mewar in 1572 CE. In those years, the land simmered not just with heat but with tension. The Timurid emperor Akbar, determined to fulfil his imperial vision, had sent not one, but three peace emissaries with Man Singh and Bhagwan Das leading them, between 1573 and 1575 CE, offering reconciliation in carefully worded treaties. But the wounds of Chittorgarh’s fall in 1568 CE were fresh for Pratap. With the blood and tears of Jauhar and Saka still alive, with the thousands mercilessly killed, there would be no peace without freedom. Pratap was no ordinary king, to be driven just by his zeal. He was a strategist, steeped as much in statecraft as in pride. When Man Singh came in 1575 CE with yet another offer, he was quick to realise that Akbar was reluctant to an out-and-out battle with Mewar. Pratap chose not to appear himself, sending his heir, Amar Singh, instead, stating that kings met kings...

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Hastinapur was the most powerful empire in the north of the Vindyas, in the subcontinent once ruled by King Bharata. When its long-reigning and prosperous king Shantanu passed away in old age, he left behind his ambitious wife Satyabati, her two sons, Chitrangad and Bichitravirjaya and his first surviving son from his first wife Ganga, Devabrata, who took the lifelong oath of not being king nor marrying or having any progeny and hence earned the name Bhishma. When Chitrangad was about to ascend the throne, he died in an unfortunate accident, leaving the minor Bichitravirjaya as the only contender on the throne. Bhishma almost outspokenly took over the role of guardian to the throne of Hastinapur upon this event. However, the rules suggested that the young prince must marry before he could be crowned. Upon hearing of this, Bhishma sent his spies around the subcontinent to find eligible princesses who would not only marry the heir apparent but also be the future queen and queen mother of...

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