Uttara's Marriage

In the palace gardens at Dwarka, ladies of the house were gathered. They were picking flowers and gossiping. Subhadra and Panchali sat in a corner away from these ladies, gossiping, worried. They were awaiting a reply from Hastinapur. They have sent peace offerings, hoping no war would happen. They feared the destruction that the war promised.

Their newly married daughter-in-law came up, and they forced smiles on their faces. She, who was brought into their lives with promises of happiness, should not be touched by their worldly worries.

" How was your trip through Dwarka Uttara?"

"It's a beautiful city, Mata."

" Yes, my brother planned it himself. Didn't he, Jiji?" the proud Subhadra lamented.

" Where is he?" Panchali asked, ignoring her favourite husband's younger wife's childishness. " Where is my son?"

" He is in the fields practising archery, Jesth Mata..."

" He did not escort you to the Andarmahal? Dashi!!!"

" Yes, Samraggi."

" Send for Abhimanyu, say I call him before me at once!"

" Arya is practising Jesth Mata, it's all right, I found my way." The young bride was defending her husband's mistake.

" No, you are new here, you are his responsibility, you should be safely led to the inner palace by him; we have enemies everywhere."

She was sitting on the palace balcony overlooking the ocean when he rushed in. The maids bowed.

" Ekanth!"

" Arya, I thought you were..."

" You told Jesth Mata..."

" No Arya, I..."

" Don't you know how important practising archery is to us now? The war... I gave you all morning..."

" Arya, I didn't..." Her eyes shone. Tears, fear. She had disappointed him.

He was taken aback. " Why do you cry if I scold you? I talk like this with my brothers, they don't even bother!"

Uttara and Abhimanyu

" I feel scared of disappointing you." He couldn't stop his laughter.

" My naive Uttara! You are such a child! You are scared of me? Enemies should be scared."

" Arya, you were so angry, I was scared."

" You cry at these, and what will you do when the war starts?"

His bride looked clueless at him, a teardrop on her cheeks. He wiped it away and drew her close.

" Once the war begins, we fight with death every day, our families die before our eyes, one day I might just lose the battle with Yama..."

" Arya, don't you say that again!"

" Uttara, I am just..."

" Don't! If something happens to you, I am going with you!"

" Princess of Matsya, don't you dare say that again!"

They shared a silent glare. They were ready for the war.

The palace Vaidya was called for in the tents of Kurukshetra. The war was about to begin, and the parties of either side were setting up camp in the fields. The warriors had moved there. The Pandavas were settled in their tents with their family. The Princess of Matsya, wife of a Maharathi, was reportedly ill. Her mothers - in - law was in the tent attending to her as she lay unconscious. The Pandavas and her husband waited outside.

The Vaidya came out with the Queens, and Panchali turned to Abhimanyu.

" You can go in now, her consciousness is back."

Worried, he rushed into his wife's tent, not hearing what the Vaidya told the elders. She was alone, looking frail and half-seated in the makeshift bed.

"Arya!" She hurried to get up, but he stopped her.

" Stay there, Uttara! Don't get up. You are weak, what's wrong?"

" You did not hear the Vaidya? "

" No, I was so scared and worried that I..."

" Arya? Maharathi Abhimanyu is scared? Did I hear it right?" She giggled sarcastically as she took his name unaware for the first time, and his worried face smiled.

"Princess of Matsya! Nobody taught you not to take your husband's name? You are making fun of me?" Her smile disappeared as he couldn't hold his serious face, and they both laughed.

" Tell me what the Vaidya said, will you? Or should I go to the battlefields after a few days, worried that you may faint?"

" Hear it from the elders, Arya!"

" Tell me. Your husband commands you. What is wrong?"

A long pause. She gave a smile and turned pink.

" You are going to be Father Arya!"

" What?!"

" Vaidya ji said I am pregnant."

" Oh, Uttara! You gave me the happiest news of my life!" He hugged his wife in joy.

" Now I will fight more bravely to win this war for our family. You will teach her dancing like Father taught you"

" No, you will teach him archery like you."

The husband and wife spend the night arguing about the baby. Abhimanyu dreamt of playing with his baby, and Uttara smiled, looking at them. Her happy face. Their happy family.

The Pandavas rejoiced in the coming of the future generation. The one who would be born valiant like his father and graceful like his mother. They held a grand feast. Amidst destruction, there was creation. Amidst death, new life.

Krishna sat in a corner at this merry feast. Panchali walked up to him.

" What is wrong, Madhav?"

" What is it to not know a father, Panchali?" It was his strange talk again.

" What? Who are you talking about?"

" You know, Panchali, even God can't stop a few things, like birth, death and time. With good times come bad ones. History remembers the bad ones!"

" I don't understand you sometimes. What do you say and why do you say things?!"

Krishna set his eyes at a distance. Away from the crowd, Arjunputra was talking to his wife. Two teenagers in love, eyes full of hopes and dreams, and Krishna looked away. Sometimes it was a curse knowing things. Today was one such day. He walked back into the crowd with Panchali, the ever-smiling Krishna, hiding the harsh future in his smile.

The original texts of Jaya and references mostly suggest that Abhimanyu did not know his wife was pregnant. However, some later translations put forward the idea that he did know.

Maharana Pratap: The Evolution of an Icon

On the occasion of Maharana Pratap's 486th Birth Anniversary, here is an article I have been meaning to write for a long time. While some of it is personal, other parts are researched. Some parts of this article (art subsection) are reproduced from another article written by me for UPAJ India's magazine Manthan in 2022. Ideally, this was supposed to be two parts, but I did not wish to make it so. Cenotaph at Chawand Veer Shiromoni Hinduja Suraj Maharana Pratap Singh Sisodiya, as he is officially called, the thirteenth Custodian of the royal house of Mewar, a land that now lies in the south-western fringes of the Aravallis of Rajasthan, has been, for the longest time in Indian History, regarded as the first freedom fighter. Resisting invasion into his state, holding his post as king, his life and career had been scrutinised time and again, narratives changed according to popularity rather than evidence. His idea of independence inspired many; his strategy of guerrilla warfare wa...

The Prince of Mewar

Born on 16 March 1559 in the Kumbha Palace of Chittorgarh Fort, Bhanwar Amar Singh was the eldest son of Kunwar Pratap Singh (later Maharana Pratap) and Kunwarani Ajabdeh Punwar. As the first grandson of Udai Singh I, his birth prompted the Maharana's celebratory hunting expedition, during which a sage forewarned of impending danger. Heeding this, Udai Singh established a new palace by Lake Pichola, founding Udaipur as Mewar's capital. Amar Singh exhibited extraordinary valour from a young age, inheriting his father's martial skills and his mother's reputed compassion. His training commenced early; according to James Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, he participated in his first battle alongside Pratap at age eight. By ten, amid Chittorgarh's fall and familial divisions, he assumed responsibility for his siblings. Historical accounts recount his defence of the queens' entourage against enemy soldiers en route to Kumbhalgarh fortress. He shared a clo...

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 Parmars 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...

Neel Kanth

In the vast tapestry of Hindu mythology, Neelkanth Sasti holds a significant place, as it honours Lord Shiva’s act of supreme compassion and courage. According to the Puranas, this day commemorates the pivotal moment during the Samudra Manthan, the cosmic churning of the ocean, when the deadly poison Halahal emerged. Halahal, described as the collective essence of all the universe’s negativity and toxicity, began to spread destruction among both Devas and Asuras. Its effects were so perilous that even the gods could not approach it, symbolising the universal truth that adversity and suffering make no distinction between divine or mortal beings. With the balance of creation at risk and the churning brought to a standstill, Mahadev Lord Shiva, the Destroyer and Transformer within the Hindu Trinity, was invoked for help. In an act of unparalleled self-sacrifice, he consumed the Halahal to protect all existence from annihilation. However, the potency of the poison was such that it threaten...

A Chivalrous Emnity

“Ranisa. Hukum” There was a hint of urgency in the maid in waiting’s voice as she rushed to the clearing where the tents were set up. Rani Pur Bai Solanki, the second queen, frowned at her sudden, alarming voice. “Hush, Rama, the children are...” She checked the children’s tent, alarmed. They slept during the day and stayed awake at night, because the forestland was not safe, neither from animals nor enemies. “Ranisa, forgive me, it's Kunwarsa... He is back... but...” Pur Bai’s face lit up with a smile of hope that didn’t last long. “But?” “What is it? What’s wrong?” The Maharani of Mewar had walked out of her camp, with the other queens in tow. The maid bowed before her. “It’s Kunwarsa.” “He is back?” She frowned. He was not supposed to be back so early until his father reached Dholan. “So is Ranaji.” The maid looked scared. “There is a court called in an emergency. I came to inform you that Ranaji wanted everyone to be present.” “Jija...” Pur Bai could see the tension mounting on...

Chandra's Choice: The Story of Dhruvasvamini

More often than not, the private lives of kings and the existence of their queens remain in the words of bards rather than those of chroniclers. Dhruvasvamini is no different, even after being the queen of the golden age of the Indian Subcontinent. She appears in the Basarh Clay Seal as the mother of Govinda Gupta (attributed as a sibling of Kumara Gupta I) and the queen wife of Chandra Gupta II or Vikramaditya. Except for one mention of Dhruva Devi, as she is popularly known, she remains a mysterious character in the Gupta lineage, with a side mention in the dynasty’s history. Visakhadatta, a famous poet and playwright, who later wrote DeviChandraGuptam as the play capturing the life of Chandra Gupta II, captured Dhruva Devi as one of the protagonists of his story. Although some scholars attribute Visakhadatta to be under the patronage of Chandra Gupta II himself when he wrote this story, many historians debate the literary work as a historical fiction written much after his time. Tru...

The Annals of Rajputana

Col. James Todd’s Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan describes Rajputana through History, Geography, Mythology, Folklore, Veer Gathas, Traditions, Cultures, Heritage, Rules, Valour and its people. However, one must remember that he was commissioned to write the narrative and his resources are not based on historical evidence. However, it is worth a read and very interesting. The following excerpts are from his book. Please take note that Todd's accounts are based on hearsay, stories, and commissioned by royals and hence aren't treated as historically accurate. However, his book is important as it is the first English-language book to have extensive work done on Rajputana. Rajputs are commonly believed to be people from Rajasthan; however, their branches have spread far and wide into Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and even parts of Bengal. The initial origination-based clans/tribes had been subdivided first in the book Prithvirajraso by Chand Bardai; howev...

The Cortege That Shook The Raj: Kanailal Dutta

10th November, 1908 Around late morning, a procession of lacs made their way through the streets of Calcutta (Kolkata), India. Some were chanting “Vande Mataram”, others blew conch shells, and Ululation filled the air. Flowers were being showered from all directions, and garlands made their way through the crowd, being thrown at the procession in the middle. Bhagwat Gita and Ananda Math (Novel by Bamkim Chandra) were offered. No, this was no “ Sobha Jatra ” or celebration. There were no religious festivities either. That dawn, the Alipore Jail, which opened only two years back, witnessed the hanging of Kanailal Dutta, a twenty-year-old member of the “Jugantar Dol”, an anarchist group that was set up primarily by Aurobindo Ghosh (Later Rishi Aurobindo), his brother Barindra and their associates. Kanailal hailed from Chandannagore, and although he was not present in most of their meetings in Kolkata, he was still one of their early members from Chandannagore, then a French province. ...

Chawand: The Maharana's Capital

The road from Udaipur quickly fades into quiet countryside as you head toward Jaisamand Lake and Chavand, a journey that few package tours offer, but one that is forever imprinted on my memory. Just shy of an hour and 59km from the city bustle, you reach Jaisamand (Dhebar Lake), the “Ocean of Victory,” sprawling as Asia’s once-largest man-made lake . Built in 1685 by Maharana Jai Singh, who followed his father’s legendary tradition of dam-building, this vast sheet of water shimmers in the sunlight. I watched local ferries pass, and marble stairs dip into blue shallows, imagining bygone queens slipping into cooling water beneath the massive embankment. Even today, friendly boatmen linger, eager to usher you onto the lake for a breezy ride. They tell you stories of how once a Maharana roamed these dense forests in search of freedom. Do pause here and soak in the peaceful air before venturing further southwest, toward the forgotten echoes of Mewar’s pride. The drive to Chavand, ...

Battle of Haldighati

There have been a lot of talks going on regarding who won the Battle of Haldighati. While some want to change what we read and say that the Maharana won it, many oppose the point with a Mughal victory. Here, I compile every account I found of the Battle and its Aftermath and make my unbiased conclusion on the topic. PS. The dates vary from book to book; I gave the ones I found in most sources. The Background: Relation with Mughals Mewar was one of Rajputana's strongest individual kingdoms, along with the likes of Marwar and Kacchawar (Jaipur). Long before the Mughals under Akbar, Mewar under Rana Sangram Singh had successfully managed to keep the "Turk Invaders" under Babar at bay, fighting 17 wars, big and small. The relationship was further questioned when, during the invasion from Saurashtra, Sanga's widow, Rani Karnavati, had written to Mughal Emperor Humayun for help, sending him a rakhi. Contrary to popular belief, Humayun had rested on his way from Gaur (Beng...

A Journey To Discover Life

Search This Blog