Skip to main content

Uttara's Hope

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

She was clad in white attire. Her churamani and jewellery were all taken away. She sat numbly in front of his dead body for a whole day, pregnant with his heir, looking at his face as though he was asleep. He had told her more than once that this day could come and that she had to protect their heir. He feared her future without him. That one day turned the fifteen-year-old Princess of Matsya into an aged lady. She became quiet and aloof. Her only concern now was her baby. Her baby wiggled in her womb. She remembered him saying,

  " I will always be with you."
All she wanted now was a son like his father. But she knew all Hastinapur wanted was an heir to the throne. The war had ended five days after his death, and they were back in the palace of Hastinapur victorious. She, for the first time, entered her real in-laws' home, but without him. All she could remember was his dream, " I will see Tatshri sit at the throne, I will see the palaces where Father grew up."

She was led to one of the large chambers of the Andarmahal. She sank into the comfort of her bed, numb. The people of the palace were busy either mourning or making preparations for the new king. She looked away from both. Her mother-in-law came in with Raajmata Kunti and Queen Gandhari. They were here to bless her and her child. She felt weak and could not get up.
" Uttara, now you are giving us the only reason to live, Putri. Fill the palace with the cry of a baby that surpasses the wails of the widow." Kunti blessed her. Gandhari was in tears. " Your baby is the only future we have, Uttara."

That night, as she walked around the ghostly palace like a body without a soul, she saw a shadow move.
" Maata? Raajmaata?"
No replies. The brave Uttara moved slowly up the corridor. Holding her baby in her belly had made walking quite tiresome. Suddenly, the shadow sprang in front of her. The moonlight revealed the face. The eyes were shining like those of a wolf that has hunted its prey.
" Guru Putra Aswathama?" Light filled the room, and Uttara shrieked. Her vision blurred. She could feel her body crashing to the ground.

When she woke up, all of Kuru Vansh was in front of her. At least all of the little that was left. The vaidyas ran around the room making medicines. Her mother-in-law was beside her.

" What happened to me? My baby?"

" Everything is fine, Uttara. Aswathama had attacked to seek revenge. Govind saved you two." Panchali forced a smile. The concerned Uttara touched her child. She thanked Madhav with all her heart in her quiet way.

The vaidyas were concerned. It was time, yet no sign of labour. They gave her all kinds of medicines to induce pain. The next morning, she woke in pain. The chamber was made comfortable for childbirth, and all the ladies were with her waiting for Abhimanyu's heir to be born. To her, this pain was nothing compared to the loss of her family. Her father, her brothers and her husband. At last, the baby was born. But it did not cry. Everyone was in horror. After all this, it can't be a dead child. Uttara crushed back to her bed. Silent tears fell. Krishna got up. He took the child, and a miracle happened. The walls of the newborn filled the air; the heir was here, and the future was secure. Uttara took her newborn in her arms.

" Call him Parikshit because he was born fighting difficulties," Krishna spoke.
Uttara kissed her baby boy. She saw he had the nose of his father. How happy would he have been if he could have taken his child in his arms? Play with him? Teach him archery? A tear fell from Uttara's eyes to the baby's hand, and he was startled. Hugging her baby, Uttara silently made a promise. I will teach you to fight in this world like your father did. I will make you what he wanted you to be. 


The palace celebrated for days, and astrologers were called in. They predicted a bright future in this reign and the next. They predicted the newborn would help usher in a new era. Everyone was happy. Soon her baby could crawl and learnt new things each day. The toddler ran around the palace with everyone chasing him. Laughs and giggles filled the air. She was now the respected Queen of Hastinapur, mother to the Prince, something her mother had always dreamt of. But she alone knew the price she paid for it.

He started learning the Vedas, and his grandmother started his archery and horse riding lessons. Kripacharya was appointed as his Guru. Uttara saw his first bruises, and that scared her. She remembered years ago when she used to nurse his father's training bruises. That day still haunted her life. He read out the Vedas to her. He told her what he had learnt. Parikshit's mother was impressed. He was as intelligent as him. He often asked her, " Maata, how was the father?" And she put him to sleep with stories of his valiant father's short life.

He was crowned future king. He called pandits from all parts of Aryavarth in an attempt to rediscover and rewrite the Vedic texts that were lost in words. Thus began the journey of the first written Vedic texts of the civilisation. He was praised by all pandits. Rajkumar Parikshit Mata Uttara couldn't be prouder. He was praised for his warrior skills. His looks reminded him of his father. He was true to all her hopes alive in flesh and blood, ready to rule the empire and usher in a bright future. With a smile, Uttara looked down from the balcony as her son waved to her from horseback before going on yet another hunting expedition. Thirty-year-old Uttara felt old enough to marry her son and finally rest from her most tragic married life. She wondered when he would come back triumphant so that she could discuss this issue with her in-laws.




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...

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...

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...

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...

Prithviraj Chauhan: A Saga

Note: This piece is a work of fiction based on folklore and the Prithviraj Raso, an epic saga by Chand Bardai, who happened to be the court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan. The dates corresponding to wars, names of people and places are, however, historically fact-checked from various sources, including the works of Todd (semi-historical), The  Amir Khusrau and contemporary sources like R.C.Majumder. The incidents are fictionally woven. Rai Pithora Around the year 1140 A.D., Ajmer was ruled by Anangpal of the Tomara Dynasty. Delhi was the seat of power of the Sultanate, which was a constant power struggle for them. He managed to capture briefly most parts of west Rajputana, and present-day Haryana and Punjab were also part of his kingdom. The old king had a son and two daughters. His concern grew as his son Surya was not talented enough to rule Ajmer. His youngest daughter, Princess Karpuri Devi, was married to Someshwar Chauhan of the famous Chauhan clan. Their son, Rai Pithora, helped...

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...

Indus Valley Civilisation: An Understanding

The River Of The Rig Veda: The mythical river Sarasvati is an unsolved mystery. Sarasvati means a river full of ponds or lakes. This indicated its course might have been through many such lakes or swamps. There are many references to this river in the Rig Vedas as the " Seventh River of the Aryavarta" and " The mother of floods", indicating it was an important river in the land, probably large and perennial and caused floods. Many excavated villages and cities along present-day parts of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat indicate the basin of the Sarasvati River. It is described in the Yajur Vedas as the one where the five rivers meet, and in the Brahmanas, there are indications of the disappearance of its lower course and how its large flow decreases.  The  Mahabharata  describes the ultimate drying up of the river before the ushering in of the  Kali Yuga . Many Puranas describe the civilisation lying between  the Ganga  and the  Saraswati . ...