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 the 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, 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 was more like 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 of ours. Come with him to the palace."
" No, Princess. Thank you for your hospitality, but I have decided to live in huts for the last 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 that she thought she would 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 and 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 is My Lady? Because on seeing you, I am so mesmerised 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 mesmerising, 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. Since 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 is watching Arjun Sleep.

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, Ulupi, to stay in Manipur with him and Chitrangada. He lived there for three years, and Babruvahan was born to Chitrangada. Arjun and Ulupi 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, sent 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 recognising 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 warrior 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 her father, being his son, because he never wanted a daughter.

Arjun and Babruvahana's war

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

Etched In Stone

This historical short story is a fictitious account of Ashoka, the Mauryan Emperor and his first wife Devi, who finds no place in Magadhan History. There is another fiction about her in the blog as well. This story stemmed from a merge of two ideas, one was to mention the cave inscription found in Saru Maru that mentions Asoka spending some days there with his lover (presumed to be Devi), the other idea of how if words did not immortalise a lot of battles and achievements, the names of many great men would be lost in time. The prince stood on the edge of the cliff, looking at the horizon. Dawn arrived as the birds started leaving their nests, wings fluttering, eager to discover the world. He looked up at them, the thought of once again going back to exploring the length and breadth of his state making him feel a little restless as he eyed his healing wounds. He was left to die; his enemies wished so. Yet by some miracle of fate, as if his purposes were yet to be fulfilled, here he was ...

Rakhi Tales

A Rakhi to the Enemy: 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 was of the 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 R...

From Fire Altars to Forgotten Gods: The Chaotic Evolution of Hinduism

The Indian Subcontinent is a diverse mix of cultures, religions and traditions that make up its value system. The moment we discuss the early Indian subcontinent and its religions, long before Buddhism or Jainism came into existence or the Abrahamic religions were introduced on the western coasts by travellers and traders, long before any invasion proved any sign of forced conversion, a layman’s idea of the Indian Subcontinent is that of a single unified culture. Historically speaking, that is far from the truth. The Indian Subcontinent, since the evidence of early civilisation has been found in its river banks, like that in Bhirrana or Mehrgarh, dating back to around 6000 BCE, has never had one unifying belief through its geographic boundaries. The terms Hindu, Hindustan and many others come originally from attributed to primary sources of the Ancient West Asian civilisation. But our history starts much earlier than that. And where there is society and civilisation, there is bound to ...

The Thirteenth Night

This is part of the "Uttara Series" You will find under the Mahabharata. The series is also available on Wattpad. The night of the Bhadra Amavasya saw a funeral pyre in the Pandavas' camp. Wails of the ladies filled the air as the young brave heart was turning into ashes. The ashes lit up a celebration in the Kauravas' camp. Duryodhan, Dushyasan, Shakuni, and Jayadrata all succeeded in their mission. Breaking the Pandavas' backbone, killing their favourite son. Karna joined in the celebrations reluctantly; he had released the boy from the pain. The face kept coming back to him. After all, he was his nephew. He shut his eyes in pain. The air tonight seemed cursed. The pyre burning made the teenage widow run towards it. She had no hope of living without him. Life was already tough; each day, he went to war with a smile on his face. She had already lost her brother. Now she had none to return home to her. "Stop!" His mother pleaded between the wails. "...

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...

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 underway. The youngest prince of Magadha was coming to a halt 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 the wh...

The Emperor's First Wife

Rukaiya Begum 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 Garuda Cannon of Krishna Chandra

Maharaja Krishna Chandra was an influential king in Nadia, Bengal, who formed his capital at Krishnanagar. During the preparation of the Battle of Plassey that sealed the deal for British Colonisation in Bengal in 1757, Krishna Chandra was under the Mughals of Delhi, who did not support Bengal Subah Nawab Siraj Ud Daulah in his attack against the British in Calcutta. As a result, he too was vocal against Siraj and supported the British. Siraj ordered for him to be imprisoned for not paying his due taxes to the Nawab, and he found freedom only after Robert Clive and Mir Jafar ousted Siraj by betraying him. Once Krishna Chandra was back in his state, the Mughal emperor, who was now reduced to a puppet of the British, by suggestion of Robert Clive, gifted the king a token of appreciation for his support, a cannon, which the Raja named the Garuda Cannon. What was so special about the cannon? This is the only cannon found in any museum with an inscription in Bengali scripture. Most cannons ...

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...

The Naga Princess

The Nagas (symbolically snakes) were a tribe who were well acquainted with life in forests and on rivers. They were said to be the ones who ruled the waters. Historically speaking, the Nagas lived in the northeastern parts of Aryavarta, close to Manipur, and extended their villages up to the land of Burma. The Naga tribe staying in the current state of Nagaland are proof of this. Now, this brings us to the story. The Naga Chief was Kauravya, who ruled the waters of the Ganges. His daughter was Ulupi. Some say she was a widow at a tender age, and some say she was unmarried. The Pandava prince Arjun was roaming around Aryavarta in exile, for he had broken a promise and entered his elder brother's intimate room with their Shared wife. The punishment was this. He roamed all the way from Indraprastha to the mystic lands of Manipur and Nagaland. Ulupi, like any other princess of that time, desired the handsome and brave prince of Hastinapur. On hearing of his arrival in their land, she w...

A Journey To Discover Life

Search This Blog