Unsung daughter of Sirmaur

Ajay Bahadur Singh traces the story of princess Kundin Devi, daughter of king of Sirmaur,
Suraj Prakash. She died fighting valiantly the army of Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah
in the battle of Santoorgarh. The temple of Matra Devi was built in her memory
where an annual fair is held on the ekadashi before Divali 

AZAD BADRI or Aadi Badri (The Primal Badri) is located near Ranjit Pur in Bilaspur tehsil, Yamunanagar. This was earlier a part of Sirmaur state of Himachal Pradesh.

Besides Aadi Badri temple and Matra Devi temple on top of a steep mountain, the legendary Saraswati river also originates from here. Though it is now only a small stream, local villagers still hold it sacred.

Seeing is tourism potential, recently the Haryana Government beautified the area by constructing a large tank, a herbal garden and a museum. A Buddhist monastery, along with valuable articles, was also excavated here a few years back by the Archaeological Survey of India.

On nearby hill in Sandu forest, there are the remains of an old fort. According to museum attendant Barkha Ram, "These are the remains of Raja Virat’s fort. These remains belong to the time of the battle of Mahabharata."

Unfortunately, like in this case, many historical remains in India are wrongly attributed to the times of Pandvas and Mahabharata, because of a lack of historical knowledge. Inder Malhotra in his article "Indifference to History", has rightly claimed, "How on earth can a country learn anything from history if it considers a study of this overwhelming important subject a waste of time?"

According to Tabakt-e-Nasiri, Page 706 and 839, in 1257 A.D. Qutlag Khan, Governor of Avadh, rebelled against Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah (youngest son of Altamash) who ruled from 1246 to 1266. Following the footsteps of his predecessor Nizam-ul-Mulk Mohammad Khan, who had rebelled against Razia Sultan and taken asylum in Sirmaur hills, Qutlag Khan, too, found asylum in Sirmaur at Santoor Garh (Sandur Garh) in Sandu forest.

At that time Sirmaur was ruled by Raja Suraj Prakash. According to Ibbetson, Glossary of Tribes and Casts of Punjab and North-West Frontier Province, Page 336, Volume I, Raja Suraj Prakash had become blind by that time and was living at Neri Jagila, near Rajgarh in Sirmaur. In his absence his capital at Kalsi (now in Uttaranchal) and the state’s affairs were being managed by his gallant daughter, Kundin Devi.

When Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud learnt that the state of Sirmaur had given asylum to Qutlag Khan, he sent an army to punish Sirmaur for its rebellious act. Mahmud’s army was led by general Ulug Khan, who later ruled some parts of India and was known as Balban.

Kundin Devi herself led the Sirmaur army into the battlefield. Both the armies clashed near Santoor Garh. After a fierce battle the Sirmaur army was finally defeated and Kundin Devi, too, fell in the battle.

According to a custom, Balban’s men tried to carry away the body of Princess Kundin Devi as a war trophy. But the brave warriors of Sirmaur foiled every attempt and many died in the process.

Ultimately, the remaining warriors of Sirmaur managed to retrieve the Princess’s severed head and retreated to the higher hills of Sirmaur.

Balban and his army ransacked and destroyed Santoor Garh and the other localities in "Koh-e-Sirmaur" (Mountains of Sirmaur) before going back.

Princess Kundin Devi was cremated with honour and a temple was built in her memory on the hill of Dudham Matyana (Rajgarh). A fair is held at the temple every year, on the ekadashi before Diwali.

However, with the passage of time even the locals have forgotten to which devi this temple is dedicated.

The legend of this brave daughter of Sirmaur has been buried in the pages of history unknown, unsung.

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