The Princess who Ruled

The mystic lands of the far East Aryavarta were a mystery to many. The warrior prince was exiled from his own kingdom and was forced to live in a hermitage due to a condition he agreed upon with his brothers and broke. He decided to visit the lands to the east and see a natural beauty himself. Wherever he travelled his name was famous and people welcomed him with open arms. After all, he was the son of the great Emperor and the greatest archer of the land. While travelling through the forest dressed as a hermit, Gandhiva in hand, he stopped to rest. An arrow shot across, inches from his ears. He held up his Gandhiva.

From the clearing emerged a Prince who wore the traditional local dress. Holding up the Bow at the Warrior Prince was ready for combat.
" Who are you? A stranger with the bow? Do you threaten Manipur or seek peace?"
The voice was that of a woman. The Prince was surprised. Initially, he thought the way this person dressed and shot an arrow it was a Prince than a Princess.
" I am a Hermit, Princess Of Manipur. And I seek Peace."
" If you are a Hermit why do you need a bow? Are you disguised as a Hermit, Warrior?"
She was determined to know the truth. She was the heir to the throne and the protector of Manipur. She didn't lower her bow even though the man did.
" I am Arjun, Prince of Hastinapur, Son of Pandava and Brother to Samrat Yudhisthir of Indraprastha."
She knew who he was, his name was enough. He was the warrior every warrior wanted to be. The tall dark and handsome man in front of her was Arjun!
" Pranipat! I am glad you came to our country. I will inform my father immediately. You are a guest to us. Come with him to the palace."
" No Princess. Thank you for your hospitality but I have decided to live in huts these twelve years. So, I can not be your guest at the palace."
The princess rode back with her soldiers.

She sat in the garden thinking of the encounter. He was a great warrior. He was handsome as well. The princess developed a feeling she thought she will never feel suppressed by her duties and responsibilities. She was the Prince of the Kingdom. The son her father never had. The unwanted daughter. She for all her life tried to become his son, wearing a man's clothes, taking up the Bow. Being ready to give her father the son he always wished for. But her feelings made her want to be the woman she was, dress pretty and impress the man who saw her as a warrior.

" What are you thinking Chitrangada? Your father received your message and has gone to greet Prince Arjun."
" Sakhi, I think I am in love with Arjun."
" What? Love? The Future King is in love?" Her Sakhi was shocked. Like Chitrangada, she also thought Love was the last thing possible for her!
"What will I do?" Her face was grim. Her father won't be pleased.
" Go meet him."
" What?"
"Tell him what you feel, and let him decide."
" Are you sure?"
"Yes."

She decided to go meet him. She called on her maids and ordered them to dress her up as a princess. They made her wear a sari, wear jewellery and tied her long hair into a braid and bun. They decorated her feet n hands with red Alta. She wore Bangles and anklets for the first time in her life. She went into the forests looking for him.

Arjun was busy gathering fruits for his meal when the sounds of anklets caught his attention. It was followed by a sweet smell of flowers and perfume. He turned his eyes towards the sound of the anklets and found a beautiful woman standing in the clearing. She made her way toward him with a shy smile.
" Who are you? Some beautiful Apsara in this forest or some magical illusion?" Arjun praised the beautiful woman before him.
" I am Chitrangada and we have met before ." Her eyes caught his.
" Where My Lady? Because on seeing you I am so mesmerized that I want to marry you."
" Really? Marry me? Am I that pretty?"
" Tell me who your father is and where we have met so that I can seek your hand in marriage. I am..."
" I am The Princess Of Manipur, Maharathi Arjun."
" You, the one who struck an arrow yesterday?"
" Yes my lord, I came here to tell you how I felt..."
" You are mesmerizing Chitrangada, The perfect woman. Brave and beautiful, you are a mystery. The one yesterday or you, here, now, who is the real self, My Lady?"
" Who you saw yesterday, was the Princess of Manipur. Today you meet Chitrangada, my Lord." Her head bowed before him. He took her hand and looked her in the eyes.
" Then I Love both, Princess Chitrangada who is beautiful and brave. Equal to me in the skills of warfare."

Her eyes shone with happiness.
" But my father will not agree to this union."
" Why?"
" He wants me to Rule after him, and my son to rule after me. No man will accept a wife who will stay at her father's palace forever." She was sad.

" You know my chief wife, Panchali Draupadi?"
" Yes my lord, her beauty and intelligence are known all over Aryavarta."
" When we five married her, she made us a promise. that none of us can bring their other wives back into the household, we can only go meet them from time to time. My Naga wife Ullupi agreed to this when we got married."
" That means..."
" Yes, I will marry you and you can stay back and rule Manipur."

Ulupi

The wedding was a grand celebration in Manipur. Their Princess was getting married to none other than Maharathi Arjun. Arjun has called on his Naga wife Ullupi to stay in Manipur with him and Chitrangada. He lived there for three years and Babruvahan was born to Chitrangada. Arjun and Ullupi had Iravan. He left his two wives in Manipur under the King's care with their infant sons and left to complete his journey to the west of the country at Somnath near Dwarka. Chitangada ruled Manipur until Babruvahan grew up to become king. She continued dressing like kings do and taking an active part in wars. However, when the Kurukshetra war broke out she refused to send her son to his father's aid because he had never once visited them in eighteen years. Ulupi who helped Chitrangada in Manipur send Iravan to his father and he died sacrificing himself to the Goddess Kali. Babruvan ruled Manipur during Yudhisthir's Aswamedha after the war when he stopped the horse to fight his father Arjun and meet him for the first time. But not recognizing Arjun in the troop he killed his father. Ulupi saved her husband with magical powers and heard of Iravan's death from him. Chitrangada was no more and Ullupi refused to accompany Arjun back to Hastinapur because he had made Iravan sacrifice himself without war. Babruvahan merged Manipur with the vast Hastinapur empire and accompanied his father to the Palace at Hastinapur.

The Princess Of Manipur lived her life for her country and waited for her husband to return once in her lifetime, However, he being busy with his own duties could not do so. She made her son a valiant warriors like herself and his father and told him about Arjun, She died waiting for him to return, ruling Manipur, the place she loved more than her own happiness. She lived for the father, being his son because he never wanted a daughter.

Arjun and Babruvahan war

This story is my own representation of how Chitrangada and Arjun meet. This is in no connection to the epic and is only used for the representation of the greatness of the two characters.

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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