Skip to main content

Uttara's Dreams

 This is part of the "Uttara Series" You will find under the Mahabharata. The series is also available on Wattpad.

The beginning:

The kingdom was buzzing with the news of an anticipated war. The Pandavas rejected their lands and Indraprastha by Yuvraj Duryodhan. Everyone knew a big battle was to be fought, yet everyone feared speaking of it. The news reached the lands of Aryavarta like wildfire, and every king was in a talk with his ministers over which side to choose, whose win could benefit them.

Meanwhile...

Away from this tense atmosphere in the Andarmahal of the Palace sat a princess. Her wedding was being planned, and her maids and friends were all busy planning the decorations. They giggled in excitement, talking about how she is the luckiest girl in the world to marry the bravest of warriors in the land, the son of Arjun
She seemed absent-minded as she stood on the Palace balcony overlooking the city. She was a teenager with dreams of love... and here she was about to get married, but had never seen her husband. The Gods seemed to hear her. She turned to look at why her Sakhis had stopped their giggling, and her mother stood there. Everyone was up on their feet waiting for a command from the Queen.
"Ekanth!" (solitude)

As everyone walked out, she stared at her mother, waiting for her to speak.
" A message has arrived at the King's Court from Dwarka."
She waited patiently...
"Rajkumar Abhimanyu is coming to our palace a week before the wedding with his mother and Vasudeva Krishna. They want to meet you before the wedding."

She looked up at her mother's beaming eyes as they shone in the lights of the lamps. The Queen smiled with hope as she put her hand on her daughter's head. 
" And Vasudeva sent a separate message to me. That only we two will know. It's a future prediction for you!"
"What is it, Mother?"
"Your son will be the Emperor of the entire Aryavarta!"

The next week, the Palace was being decorated for the arrival of the future son-in-law of the King. The Princess was made to bathe in milk and sandal and dressed in her finest saree and jewellery. Her earrings sparkled like stars in the night sky, and her Payal made the music of the birds. Her Sakhis could not take their eyes off her beauty.

The sound of chariots in the courtyard was followed by a Nagara announcement ...
Mahan yodha Arjun aur unke patni Dwarka ki Rajkumari Subhadra k suputra veer yodha Abhimanyu padhar rahe hai!
(Son of the Greatest warrior Arjuna and his Wife Subhadra, Princess of Dwarka, the Great warrior Abhimanyu has arrived)
Her heart skipped a beat...

Almost an hour later, there was a sound of footsteps at her door. The Sakhis rose to their feet. The Princess looked at the doorway. It was the Queen, followed by a beautiful-looking woman. Her yellow saree shone like the sun, and her aura was that of no ordinary lady. 
"This is Arjun Ardhangini Subhadra, your new mother."
The lady in question hugged her tight at her pranipath. 
"Let's take her to meet my son!"

The court buzzed with people from around the kingdom who had come to witness this meeting as the guards announced
"Princess of Biratnagar, Daughter of King Birat, Princess Uttara is on her way!" 

Everyone waited to catch a glimpse of her as she made her way inside, measuring her steps just like the grooming teachers taught her. Her heart seemed to beat louder than the Palace Drums. She was helped by the Queen on one of the thrones, and her seat was just across the room from the groom. Her head down, she couldn't afford to shamelessly catch a glimpse of the groom in front of all these people.
The evening entertainment and dinner ended way past midnight, and she could not stare at him even once. She felt his eyes watching her at dinner, but a joke from her twin brother caught his attention more, it seemed. 


After releasing her maids for the night, she silently stepped into the Palace gardens just below her Balcony. Losing all the heavy jewellery and unbraiding her hair, she felt free. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air. Suddenly, there were footsteps behind her.
"You are Uttara? Did my father actually teach you to dance?"
She turned in shock. It was Abhimanyu.
"Yes, I learned dancing from Brihannala ji. I did not know it was the great warrior Arjuna in disguise," She replied shyly.
Yes, I know the story." There was a short chuckle in his voice. And their eyes met. 
You look more beautiful without those gaudy jewels", he blurted out in a hurry. She blushed with a smile.
"Before coming here, I did not want to get married, you know." She looked up as he searched her face for a reaction as he continued. "The wars will begin any day now, and I have to be on the battlefield. I did not want a Princess to suffer for me." She thought to herself, he talks wiser than his age...
" I know about the war, my father has told me"
" And still you want this wedding?"
" Do you?"
" Seeing you today at the Court, I do want to take the chance at happiness"  He indeed was brave...
"So do I"

They heard the guards as she pulled him by the hand to her balcony. They can't see us together before marriage. The night washed away in the first lights of the sun as they stood by each other in silence, witnessing the beauty of nature. He looked at her face shining in the morning light. 
I think I should take your leave now." She nodded and smiled at him.
" I will see you at the wedding," he blurted before rushing off to his guest quarters.

A few months later...


Princess Uttara 
was in the chambers of Queen Draupadi, being attended to by a line of Vaidyas. She was in the advanced stages of her pregnancy, and the complexities were more than one. Her husband was out in the fields battling the odds for the safe future of their family. He has taken her to leave and promised to come back to see their son. She prayed for him every day. Each day seemed to bring news of the death of a relative from the battlefield. Her father and brother have joined the war. 

A message has arrived, and she wanted to know what it was. Silent sobs were coming from the other room. She made her way through the dark chambers, and her baby boy seemed restless inside her body. She reached the doorway and could walk no more. She heard what they said. Queen Draupadi and Subhadra rushed to her side as she sat on the ground. Her world crashed around her. He was killed today in the battles by the Kauravas.

Her weeping filled the night sky as she went into labour. There was darkness surrounding her as she lay semi-conscious. She saw shadows running around her. Fear gripped her. Their baby!

" I will come back and cuddle my boy. When he grows up, I will teach him archery. My father could not teach me, but I will train my boy." His words seemed to play in her head as the shadows blurred.

Uttara woke with a heavy head. The maids had dressed her in a widow's white attire as she lay unconscious for the day. As she sat up and whispered, "My boy", Queen Draupadi placed a bundle on her lap. In the bundle was the sweetest baby she had ever seen. His boy. His Blood.  Uttara held her baby boy tight as she wept.
Madhav has named him Parikhit, dear", Queen Draupadi announced. 

The words did not reach her ears as she felt her little boy's heartbeat and wondered in her tears what the war had caused. Was it actually of any good, or did it just cause the destruction of mankind? Was it worth the material pleasure, or were the lives lost worth more than the throne or the kingdom? She sighed.


Uttara stopping Abhimanyu


Popular posts from this blog

The Reva Cries

Roopmati had watched the troops leave. She had stood behind the chief queen as she traditionally bid goodbye to her sons. She had waited for the Sultan to come to her. He did. He was confident that the sudden advancement of Akbar’s foster brother Adham Khan could be curbed. It was not war, just precaution. He reassured her. Malwa would never bow to the Timurids. And he would not let anything happen to her. To Her. Roopmati felt suffocated by her husband’s affectionate hug. She felt trapped in the scrutinising eyes of all the people in the palace. Angry, blaming eyes. She tried to pace herself and sing, but her voice cracked in fear. Her melody was drowned in tears. Every evening, a messenger would come to the chief queen with the news of war. Roopmati was kept in the darkness. She was not told about anything. She knew the rumours. She was a witch. A temptress who caused doom to the Sultan of Malwa. She was a spy of the enemy planted in his life to destroy him. She wondered if he came b...

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 ...

Charumati's Love

T his is written based on folklore. This is a representative work of fiction and does not claim 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 both enemies and allies 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 wa...

Chittorgarh: His Home

After a smooth 30-minute drive from Baasi down wide highways, a sharp turn led us through dense foliage, a narrow path seemingly swallowed by the trees. Our driver, playfully exasperated with my relentless questions, finally cheered, “ Madam Ji, aa Gaya Apka Chittorgarh .” For about five minutes, the fort itself was hidden from view, the thick foliage offering no clue to the legendary citadel’s whereabouts. Then, as the jungle slowly receded, I finally glimpsed a hill ahead. At first glance, it looked ordinary, but my driver leaned in and explained, “ Woh Raha Chittor Durg upar, aise Patthar se bana hai ke dikhta nahi jhat se .” I was surprised; for all my reading, no book prepared me for how well Chittorgarh blends into its rugged surroundings. Only by looking carefully could I spot the ruins and rooftops: a city on a plateau, veiled until the last moment. Goosebumps. I was, at last, so close to Pratap's Home. The Mystique of Chitrakut Locals believe the hill, Chitrakut , is the...

Nawab E Bengal

  Background: Nawab Alivardi Khan was ruling Bengal at the peak of Nawabi rule, expanding his strong empire. He had successfully suppressed the Marathas and had given a strong message to the British East India Company’s rising influence at Calcutta. Highly aware of the British Colonial policies across the globe, Nawab Alivardi Khan was strict with his policies and stronghold over Murshidabad, the then capital of Bengal (including present-day Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, and Bangladesh).  He had two daughters and no sons. Amina Begum was the elder one, followed by Ghaseti Begum. Amina had three sons with her husband and courtier, Ahmed Khan. The second son, Mirza Mohammad, fondly called Siraj-Ud-Daulah (light of the country)by his grandfather, was born in 1733C.E. He was his grandfather’s  favourite  because he was born while he won over the Marathas. Alivardi Khan never let the “fortune child” of the family out of his sight. Siraj grew up accompanying his g...

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 lea...

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 Parmers 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...

Rani Padmini: The Valiant Queen

This story is a retelling of some parts of Malik Mohammad Jayasi's Padmavat, which was a historical fiction poem written in 1540, an odd 200 years after the siege of Chittorgarh by Allauddin Khilji. Historically, the Rajputs of Mewar didn't keep accounts of their queens, even by name, so the name Padmini or Padmavati was made up by Jayasi to represent the women of Chittor who chose the Jauhar. Historically speaking, Allauddin Khilji wanted the trade route to Surat for himself, which went through Mewar and Rana Ratan Singh, a patron of art, was not known for his military skills. So when Khilji surrounded the fort, the only way out was the Saka and Jauhar. Rani Padmini's Jauhar, as it is now popularly called, is also not the first Jauhar Khilji witnessed. The Jauhars of Ranthambore and Jaisalmer happened before he attacked Chittorgarh. Also, the act of Jauhar happened as early as the Greek invasions of Porus's state, when it is described as the "Mass immolation of Sa...

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 marriage implied. Now he only saw her face when she had complaints about the inner palace and its inhabitants. Honestly, he expected her to be 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 r...

The Kaali Effect

 !!BOOM!!  The shopping mall echoed with a noise. The buzz grew silent. Fear crept in. Until somebody shouted, " It's just a Balloon!" The buzz grew again, the shopping continued, the romantic couples continued their walks, and the food court filled up with the aroma of the orders... A few decades back, people used to laugh carefree at a balloon bursting or a tyre booming in the streets or in various crowded areas. Now, in the back of everyone's head, a loud noise always brings the same thoughts... Another year, another city, another crowded place, Several innocent lives. They don't spare religious places either. For the sake of mankind? Religion? Politics? Power? They only know. Who are they? Nobody knows. It is said that the demon Kaali, who ushered in KaliYug, decided to reside in a few things. Addiction, Wealth, Desire, and Anger are some such things he resides in. This is KaliYug, where an innocent child's balloon makes adults fear the extremes. What is d...