Uttara's Love

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

The Princess of Matsya was now the bride of the Prince of Indraprastha. They were leaving her Paternal home at Viratnagar and going to Dwarka, where the Prince grew up in his maternal home. Her actual Sasural was Hastinapur, where his mother had been, but the upcoming war between her husband's clan forced them to go to Dwarka. It was a day-long journey. From Bairat in Rajasthan to Dwarka in Gujarat. They stopped midway in the forests to give the charioteers and horses rest. When she started the journey, she was sharing a chariot with her mothers-in-law, Panchali and Subhadra. Her husband was upfront with his father. The chariots were in line, the new bride's one in the middle of the long procession. She was in conversation with the ladies.

" So, did Abhimanyu talk to you or was he this shy?" Asked Panchali, noticing the young bride trying to catch a glimpse of the groom up front. Uttara blushed. Subhadra added, " He is very shy with ladies; he has had no younger sisters, maybe that's the reason. Tell us, did he talk?" She smiled. Last night she had the sweetest of conversations. They had confessed love, and a week earlier, their secret meeting was indeed special.
" Arya told me about the battles and how he fights..."
"That's the only conversation he can make, my son!" The ladies giggled. Hearing their laughter, both father and son turned back. Their eyes met for a short moment. Arjun told his son, " That giggle my son is when they talk of us, always remember." The father-son duo shared a light moment.

The chariots pulled up in a clearing. The servants made preparations for a meal, the men rested, and the women supervised the cooking. She was made to sit in the tent. Her companion was his father's first wife, Panchali. They were talking about their memories from Viratnagar. Abhimanyu came in, startled at the sight of Panchali. His elder mother smiled. Young love, she remembered her first trip with Arjun as his wife. She stood up. " I should go find Subhadra; she needs to rest, too. Abhimanyu, you too, rest a little in the sheds of the tent." Like an obedient child, Abhimanyu sat down in the ashan's neat doorway, steps away from his bride. As Panchali walked out, he let out a sigh, looked at his young bride and gushed, " I didn't know Jesth Maata was here... I thought you were..."

Wedding Scenes in Star Plus: Twitter Fan Page

" When will we be arriving at Dwarka, Arya?"
" Soon, by nightfall. We will rest for a few more hours here as the horses are tired."
" Tell me about Dwarka Arya."
Happy at his wife's question, Abhimanyu walked up to her. " Oh, you will love it there, Uttara. Nobody is the king, yet there is immense respect for everyone; there are rules and laws, the city is magnificent, and so much peace in the palace. Raani Rukmini maata is very caring and .... " He was rushing with so much information that she laughed. It was not the right behaviour for a wife to laugh at her husband; no wife dared to. But these teenagers were too young for that kind of formality with each other alone. Abhimanyu was not pleased.

Why are you laughing, Uttara? I am telling you about Dwarka, and you think it is funny? You don't need to know anymore." " No, Arya, the way you said... I am sorry." She was scared. What had she done? Angered him? Seeing her face about to cry out of fear, he also laughed. " You are so naive, Uttara! Do you get scared by this? The daughter of the brave Virat Raaja cries at these mere things?"
" But you were... weren't you angry, Arya?"
" No, Uttara. I was scaring you. Maha Veer Abhimanyu's wife is so naive and scared?"
His sarcastic smile made her angry. The guard came in to inform them that they were called for. Food was served. For the rest of the journey, Panchali suggested to her eldest husband, " Arya, I want to travel with you, let Subhadra go with Arjun and let the new Bride and Groom travel together."
A happy couple shared a smile. As they travelled through the forests, he said, " The Princess of Matsya seems to be very quiet now."
"I am not the princess of Matsya, Arya."
" Who are you then?"
" Abhimanyu patni Kuru Samragni Uttara."

Uttara stopping Abhimanyu

Abhimanyu looked at his childish wife, looking away from him. This was the girl he did not want to marry because of the impending wars. Such was her childish innocence and naive ways that it scared him. He was in love with his bride, yet he knew her for only a week and three meetings. There was a battle coming, and he wanted to prove his worth. He wanted to show his father his skills with the arrow. There was danger and uncertainty. Was she strong enough to take the worst?

Looking away, she was lost in her thoughts. He was indeed a brave warrior. She had heard stories of his excellent archery. But for her, he was the polite groom who looked into her eyes with love and smiled shyly. The rules of marriage were still not prevalent between them, and they were just in love. She knew his thoughts. His eyes and expressions said what he thought. He thought of her existence rather than his life. He feared her survival rather than his own.

The silent journey ended in Dwarka with a grand welcome to the new bride. People flocked to the streets to catch a glimpse of them as Abhimanyu comfortably waved to the crowd. The homecoming rituals were performed by Subhadra and Draupadi, and Rukmini greeted the new bride and took her to her husband's chambers.

That night, after a grand feast and merry-making, the elders sat down to decide that Vasudeva should go to Hastinapur with peace offerings in an attempt to stop the wars. Abhimanyu went to his new bride, who was waiting for him. " What is wrong, Arya?"
" Tatshri is sending a peace offering to Hastinapura, hoping for the war to stop."
" That is good news, Arya, I am so..."
" No, Uttara, I am not happy."
" But why Arya?"
" Those people need to be punished for what they did to Jesht Maata."
" I know Arya, but wars, lives lost, families..."
" I am ready to die for the cause."
" Arya!!"
His bride was in tears with the thought. " Never talk of death again, Yama hears us."
" Does he? There is nothing more honourable for a warrior than death in a war, Uttara."

Conversation Scene: Mahabharat Star Plus

" What about a husband? A son?"
" Country and justice are above all."
Uttara became worried quite. Abhimanyu held her close.
" A warrior's wife always encourages him to fight. She does not fear death. Be the wife of a warrior"
" I can die for you, Arya, but..."
" Shh.... enough talking about deaths for a day! Let's enjoy the time we have together before the war, shall we?"
" Tomorrow I want to see Dwarka. "
" Yes, I will seek Mother's permission and take you out, I will show you what I can do with the arrow... Now enough worries..."

That night, the teenage kids became man and wife. A sixteen-year-old boy and his fifteen-year-old bride, who had a life ahead filled with dreams and aspirations, matured just a week into their marriage. Their thoughts and fears, bravery and ideology made them great at a young age. Myths made them immortal. History witnessed their sacrifices. Abhimanyu and Uttara become immortal through sacrifices and bravery on the battlefield and off it, in the biggest family feud in history.

This is a story of fiction with no resemblance to the scenes in the pictures or the real portions of the epic. It is a story written in an attempt to prove the greatness of this teenage couple in the epic.

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 sh...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

A Journey To Discover Life

Search This Blog