|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rani Padmini: The Heroine of Chittor ONE of the problems with India’s history has been the lack of authentic, written contemporary records, especially for the time span covering the events from the ancient to vast chunks of medieval times. Whatever records are available have been written by foreign writers—be they visitors, pilgrims or companions of alien invaders. Naturally, these do not help provide a balanced perspective. Our oral traditions have been kept alive by folk singers, bards and court poets who tended to mythicise various historical events and personalities witnessed by them. Consequently, much of what actually happened in the past remains shrouded in the clouds of conjectures and palls of prejudices.
In fact, Padmini’s name crops up a couple of centuries later in the works of such poets and writers as Malik Mohammad Jayasi (Padmavat), Labdhodaya (Padmini Charitra Choupai), etc. Karkra’s assertion that these works articulated what was part of the mass consciousness remains still unsubstantiated with direct evidence, though the author has presented plethora of circumstantial evidence to support his conclusions. Not all literary characters or actions can be attributed to real persons/events. Be that as it may, the generally accepted version is: Rawal Rattan Sen, Chittor’s ruler, patronised various arts and artists. One of them was Raghav Chetan who secretly practiced sorcery. When Rattan Sen came to know of this he banished Raghav from his kingdom. Raghav was good at getting into the good books of kings. Soon he gained Delhi Sultan Allauddin Khilji’s confidence. He portrayed such a picture of Rattan Sen’s wife Padmini’s beauty that the Sultan decided to win her for his harem. When the Sultan’s wishes were refused by Rattan Sen, it resulted in Chittor’s siege. Finally, the Rawal was captured but Padmini committed jauhar in the best Rajput traditions of the times. Again, there are several versions of this event. The legend of Gora and Badal furthers the aura of Rajput bravery. But some Jain texts portray Rattan Sen as a coward who had meekly surrendered to Khilji and was later taken from one town to another like a chained monkey. Another version states, "When Rattan Singh refused Allauddin Khilji’s demand for Padmini for his harem, war ensued and the king was taken prisoner. Meanwhile the king of neighbouring Kambhalner made an indecent proposal to Padmini. Rattan Singh escaped and killed the king of Kambhalner, but was himself fatally wounded. His two queens, Padmini and Nagmati, performed jauhar, and Allauddin’s army arrived when their ashes were still warm. Chittor fell to the invaders". Thus, we see that there have been quite conflicting accounts of the same event(s) and persons. Karkra analyses various accounts and their sources in detail. You may or may not agree with his conclusions but this volume certainly makes for an interesting read, as it serves to clear lot of the cobwebs hanging over the history of the period.
|
||
|
|
||
Maharani
Padmini of Chittor is one of the victims of this lack of authentic
chronicles. This has given rise to several speculations, viz., was she
a princess from Sri Lanka or from one of the minor kingdoms in
Rajasthan? Was her husband’s name Bhim Singh/Sen (as recorded by
James Todd) or the generally accepted Rawal Rattan Sen/Singh? Was she
a real person or a poet’s metaphor for the most desirable woman? (In
Kamasutra, the term Padmini is used for a woman with most
alluring physical and behavioral traits). Did she commit jauhar
or sati? This speculation owes its existence to the fact that
Amir Khusro, who had accompanied Allauddin Khilji on his campaign
against Chittor’s Rawal Rattan Sen, does not mention Padmini at all
(the author’s interpretation of Khusro’s reference to the
Solomon-Queen of Sheba legend as an oblique account of
Padmini-Allauddin affair is not a very clinching piece of evidence in
itself). On the other hand, there is a contemporary account of one
Duval Devi who had committed jauhar. This event did not catch
popular imagination for some unexplained reasons.