महाराणा सांगा: द हिन्दूपत (हरविलास सारदा - मेवाड़ साम्राज्य एवं खानवा महायुद्ध इतिहास)

Maharana Sāngā.
up and demanded Sāngā to be surrendered,
threatening death to Bida in case of
refusal. The chivalrous Bida, like a true
Rajput, refused to give up Sāngā. He
sent him away to Marwar with an escort
of his own followers, himself preparing
to die in defence of his guest, and in the
performance of his duty as a true Kshatriya.
Like the celebrated Raja Hammīr of
Ranthambhore, who braved the wrath
of Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi, and
gave up his life and his kingdom rather
than give up Mir Muhammad Shah, the
Moghul general of the Sultan, who had
taken refuge with him, the high-souled Bida
and his two sons gave up their own lives
to save that of Sāngā, leaving to the
world an example¹ of chivalrous devotion to
duty and of self-sacrifice which will continue
to shed lustre on his line, now represented
by the Thakur of Kelwa in Mewar.
Sāngā passed a few days with a
goatherd in Marwar and was dismissed
¹ The 3 sati pillars in the Rupnarain temple com-
memorate the event.
17

Maharana Sāngā.
as too stupid to tend his cattle and
“precisely like our Alfred the Great, having
in charge some cakes of flour, was reproached
with being more desirous of eating than
tending them.” Leaving Marwar, he went
towards Ajmer, and purchasing a horse
and arms, took service with Rao Karam
Chand, the Parmār chief of Srinagar, the
ancient capital of the Parmārs of this part
of the country, situated at a distance of
about ten miles from Ajmer. Karam
Chand had a following of two or three
thousand Rajputs, with which he used to
“run the country.”
Returning one day from one of these
raids, Sāngā alighted under a banian tree
and spreading his saddle cloth on the
ground and placing his sword under his
head reposed, his steed grazing by his side.
A ray of the sun penetrating the foliage
fell on Sāngā’s face and discovered a snake
rearing its crest over the head of the exile,
and a bird of omen perching itself on the
crested serpent was chattering aloud.
Two Rajputs, Jai Singh Bālecha and
18

Maharana Sāngā.
Janna Sindhal, passing by, saw the spectacle
and reported it to their leader, Karam
Chand. A goatherd "versed in the
language of the birds" informed Karam
Chand that he was served by royalty.
The Parmar questioned the attendant of
Sāngā and coming to know that the heir-
presumptive of Chitor was serving him,
treated him with due respect and considera-
tion, and kept him and his secret in his
protection till the tragic death of Prithviraj
cleared his way to the throne.
19

CHAPTER IV.
KANWAR PRITHVIRAJ.
WHEN the Maharana heard of the
catastrophe, he forbade Prithviraj his
presence, telling him to live on his bravery.
With but five horse, Jessa Sindhal, Sangam,
Abho, Janna and a Bhadail Rāthor,
Prithviraj quitted Mewar and made for
Godwar.
The dissensions in the royal family of
Mewar and the weak regime during the four
years of Uda's reign had paralysed the
administration, and in consequence, the wild
tribes of the west and the mountaineers of the
Aravalli so little respected the Maharana's
garrison of Nadole, the seat of the Godwar
Government, that they carried their depreda-
tions to the plains. Prithviraj determined to
subjugate the insurgents and restore order in
Godwar, and show his father that he was pos-
sessed of resources independent of his birth.
20

Maharana Sāngā.
The country was infested with Meenas,
who issuing from their fastnesses had set up
petty principalities. One of these chiefs,
held his court at Nadolayi. Casting about for
means to attain his object, and finding that
his funds were running low, Prithviraj
asked an Oswal merchant of the Ojha family
for a loan, pledging his diamond ring with
him. The Ojha at once recognized the ring
as the one he had sold at Chitor to Prince
Prithviraj, and coming to know of the enter-
prise on which Prithviraj was engaged,
began actively to assist him. With his
help, Prithviraj enlisted himself and his
followers as adherents of the Meena Chief.
On the approach of the hunter's festival,
(Ahairea) the Meena's vassals, according to
custom, obtained leave to celebrate the festival
in their homes. Prithviraj, who had also
obtained leave, rapidly retraced his steps and
despatched his followers to attack the Meena
in his stronghold, himself awaiting the result
in ambush outside the gate of the town. In
a short time the Meena Chief came galloping
in full flight to the mountains for security.
Prithviraj pursued, overtook and transfixed
21

Maharana Sāngā.
him with a lance to a kesola tree, and setting
fire to the village, slew the Meenas as they
sought to escape. He then attacked and
reduced to submission, one after another, all
the various Bālecha and Madrecha Chauhāns
of Godwar, with the exception of the
Madrecha stronghold of Desuri.
About this time (A.D. 1473—1483)
Rao Lakha of Sirohi, with the assistance of
Rao Bhan of Idar, attacked and killed Bhoj,
the Solanki Chief of Lanch. Bhoj was
a descendant of the Solanki kings of
Anhalwara Patan. When driven from
Patan his ancestors had moved further
north and settled at Lanch, where Bhoj
now ruled as an independent chief. Maha-
rao Lakha of Sirohi, who had ascended
the gadi of that State in A. D. 1451
(S. 1508) was an ambitious ruler, and he
determined to take Lanch from the
Solankis. He made five or six attempts
to deprive Bhoj of his territory, but was
defeated every time. Lakha then asked
Rao Bhan of Idar to help him, and with
his assistance attacked and killed Bhoj.
22

Maharana Sāngā.

This battle is said to have taken place at
the hill of Mālmagra.¹
Bhoj’s son, Rai Mal, and grandsons,
Shankar Singh, Samant Singh, Sakhra and
Bhan, left Lanch and went to Kumbhalgarh.
Kanwar Prithviraj offered them the fief of
Desuri, asking them to wrest it from its
Madrecha Chauhān chief. Rai Mal’s wife
being a daughter of that chieftain, Rai Mal
showed unwillingness to undertake the
expedition. Finding, however, that Prithviraj
was unwilling to help him on any other
terms, Rai Mal accepted the offer. He with
his sons went to his father-in-law’s house and
treacherously murdered Sanda and the other
Madrecha Rajputs and obtained from
Prithviraj a patta for Desuri with its 140
villages.² The Thakurs of Jilwada and
¹ Mehta Nainsi in his Chronicles says that Bhoj
Dipawat had taken up his residence in the town of Las
Munawad of Sirohi.
² The grant included Agaya, Bandrot, Dhamyagaon,
Sewantri, Desuri, Dholana, each with twelve villages
attached to it, as well as Ana, Karanawas, Bansda,
Moonpura, Keshuli, Ganthi, Godla and Chauvadia.
Mehta Nainsi gives further details of these
villages.
28

Maharana Sāngā:
Rūpnagar, descended from Rai Mal's
sons, Shankar Singh and Samant Singh
respectively, are amongst the 32 sardars
(second-class nobles) of Mewar. Having
restored order in Godwar, Prithviraj
appointed the Ojha and one Solanki Rai
Mal, to the civil and military governments
of the province.
During the absence of Sāngā and the
banishment of Prithviraj, Jai Mal was
looked upon as the heir to the throne.
The fame of the beauty of Tara Bai,
daughter of Rao Surtan of Badnor, having
reached Jai Mal's ears, he became desirous
of obtaining her hand. Rao Surtan was
of the Solanki tribe, the lineal descendant
of the famed Balhara kings of Anhalwara.
Thence expelled by the arms of Alauddin
Khilji in the thirteenth century, they
migrated to Central India, and obtained
possession of Tonk-Toda and its lands on
the Banās, which from remote times had
been occupied (perhaps founded) by the
Taks, and hence bore the name of Tak-
sillanagar, familiarly Takitpur and Toda.
24

[Header] Maharana Sāngā

Surtan's brother, Sham Singh, on being
deprived of Toda by the Afghan Lallakhan,
had come to the Maharana, who conferred
the fief of Badnor on him. Surtan
succeeded him and was now Chief of Badnor
at the foot of the Aravalli, within the bounds
of Mewar. This fair "Star" (Tara) was
a type of the highest Rajput womanhood.
Stimulated by the reverses of her family,
and by the incentives of its ancient glory,
Tara Bai, scorning the habiliments and
occupations of her sex, learned to guide
the war-horse, and to throw with unerring
aim the arrow from its back, even while
at full speed. Armed with the bow and
quiver, and mounted on a fiery Kathiawar,
she joined the cavalcade in their unsuccessful
attempts to wrest Toda from the Afghan.
Jai Mal in person made proposals for her
hand. "Redeem Toda," said the star of
Badnor, "and my hand is thine." He
assented to the terms; but having attempted
to get a glimpse of the fair face before
he had won her, he was slain in an
encounter with her indignant father near
Sādgaon, sixteen miles from Badnor, by
25

Maharana Sāngā.
the spear of Sānsla Ratan Singh. The
Rana, when incited to revenge, replied
“that he who had thus dared to insult the
honour of a father and that father in
distress, richly merited his fate.”
Prithviraj, the brother of the deceased,
was then an exile in Marwar; he had
just signalized his valour and ensured
his father’s forgiveness, by the redemption
of Godwar. The catastrophe at Badnor
determined him to accept the gage thrown
down to Jai Mal. Fame and the bard had
carried the renown of Prithviraj far beyond
the bounds of Mewar; the name alone
was attractive to the fair, and when thereto
he who bore it added all the chivalrous
ardour of his Chauhān namesake and pro-
totype, Tara Bai, with the sanction of
her father, consented to be his, on his
simple asseveration that “he would restore
to them Toda or he was no true Rajput.”
The anniversary of the martyrdom of
the sons of Ali was the season chosen for
the exploit. Prithviraj formed a select
26

Maharana Sāngā.
band of five hundred cavaliers, and,
accompanied by his bride, the fair Tara,
who insisted on partaking of his glory
and his danger, he reached Toda at the
moment the tazzia or bier containing the
martyr-brothers was placed in the centre
of the "chauk" or square. The prince,
Tara Bai, and the faithful Senger Chief,
the inseparable companion of Prithviraj,
left their cavalcade and joined the procession
as it passed under the balcony of the place
in which the Afghan was putting on his
dress preparatory to descending. Just as
he had asked who the strange horsemen
were that had joined the throng, the lance
of Prithviraj and an arrow from the bow of
his Amazon bride stretched him on the
floor.¹ Before the crowd recovered from the
panic, the three had reached the gate of
the town, where their exit was obstructed
¹ The following old couplet extant in Rajputana
sums up the popular view of the incident:—
भाग लल्ला प्रथिराज आयो
सिहं कै सांथरे स्वाल आयो ।
Run away, Lalla, Prithviraj has arrived. A jackal
has been born in a lion’s den (it cannot stay there).
27

Maharana Sāngā.
by an elephant. Tara Bai with her scimitar
divided his trunk, and the animal fleeing,
they joined their cavalcade, which was close
at hand.
“The Afghans were encountered, and
could not stand the attack. Those who did
not flee were cut to pieces ; and the gallant
Prithviraj inducted the father of his bride
into his inheritance.¹ A brother of the
Afghan, in his attempt to recover it, lost
his life.
“Nawab Malloo Khan, then holding
Ajmer, determined to oppose the Sesodia
prince in person ; who, resolved upon being
the assailant, advanced to Ajmer, encoun-
tered his foe in the camp at day-break, and
after great slaughter entered Garh Beetli,
the citadel, with the fugitives. ‘By these
acts,’ says the chronicle, ‘his fame in-
creased in Rajwara : one thousand Rajputs,
animated by the same love of glory and
devotion, gathered round the nakarras of
¹ द्रड चढे प्राथिमल्ल भाजे टोडो
लल्ला तणैं घर घारे लोह ।
Prithviraj arms himself against Lalla and heading
an army breaks Toda.
28

Maharana Sāngā.
Prithviraj. Their swords shone in the
heavens, and were dreaded on the earth;
but they aided the defenceless.' " ¹
Another instance of Prithviraj's high
spirit, energy and enterprise is, says Colonel
Tod, "recorded and confirmed by Muham-
madan writers as to the result, though they
are ignorant of the impulse which prompted
the act. Prithviraj on one occasion found the
Rana conversing familiarly with an ahdy" (a
military officer) of the Malwa King, and feel-
ing offended at the condescension, expressed
himself with warmth. The Rana ironically
replied: 'You are a mighty seizer of kings,
but for me I desire to retain my land.'
Prithviraj abruptly retired, collected his
band, made for Neemuch, where he soon
gathered five thousand horse, and reaching
Depalpur, plundered it, and slew the
governor. The King of Malwa on hearing
of the irruption, left Mandu at the head of
what troops he could collect. The Rajput
prince, instead of retreating, rapidly ad-
vanced and attacked the camp while
¹ Tod's Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 674.
29

Maharana Sāngā.
refreshing after the march. Singling out the
royal tent occupied by eunuchs and females,
Prithviraj made Mahmud captive, and plac-
ing him on an express camel beside himself
he warned the pursuers to follow peaceably
or he would put his Majesty to death, adding
that he intended him no harm, but that
after having made him ‘touch his father’s
feet,’ he would restore him to liberty. Hav-
ing carried him direct to Chitor and to his
father’s presence, he turned to him saying,
‘Send for your friend the ahdy,’ and ‘ask
him who this is.’ The Malwa king was
detained a month within the walls of Chitor,
and having paid his ransom in horses, was
set at liberty with every demonstration of
honour. Prithviraj returned to Kumbhal-
garh, his residence, and passed his life in
exploits like these from the age of fourteen
till death, the admiration of the country and
the theme of the bard.” ¹
The amazing rapidity with which
Prithviraj moved from one place to
another and the lightning-like speed with
¹ Tod’s Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 675.
30

Maharana Sāngā.
which he marched and fell on his enemy
earned for him the title of Udnā Prithvi-
raj, the “winged Prithviraj.” ¹
One of the earliest exploits of Prithvi-
raj, which made him famous in Rajputana,
was his daring raid on Girnār in the heart
of Gujrat. Maharana Rai Mal's sister—
Maharana Kumbha's daughter—Ramā Bai,
had been married to Raja Mandlik
Jādava (Yadava) of Surashtra (Girnār).²
¹ Mehta Nainsi says that Prithviraj attacked
Toda and Jalor—two places separated by 200 miles
from each other—on one and the same day, and that
thenceforth he was called “Udnā Prithviraj.”
² Mehta Nainsi in his Chronicles says that King
Mandlik was a powerful ruler and commanded an army
of twenty thousand Rajputs, and used to construct new
tanks every year. He used to bathe every day with
Ganges water and drink no water but that of the Ganges.
The reason of his fall, according to Nainsi, was his
uncontrolled passion for the wife of a Charan. Akho,
son of Surtan, was a Charan attached to the principal
gate of his fortress. His wife Nagdevi, was possessed
of supernatural powers. Nagdevi's son had married a
Padmini, whose son, Nagarjuna, went to Sultan Mahmud
Begara and won his favour and obtained from him two
mares named Labah and Lakshmi. From them,
Nagarjuna had two horses, Uchasaro and Amolak, which
became famous. Raja Mandlik hearing of their fame
sent for them. The Charan refusing to give them up, the
Raja himself went to Nagarjuna for them, but was no
more successful than his men. After some time, a barber
of the Raja happened to go to Nagdevi, who asked him
31

Maharana Sāngā.
Owing to some disagreement between the
husband and the wife, Mandlik began to
illtreat his Queen. Prithviraj heard of
this, and with a chosen band of his
veterans started to punish King Mandlik.
Traversing the long distance by rapid
marches, Prithviraj surprised Mandlik
in his palace. In his helplessness, he
appealed to Prithviraj's clemency. Prith-
viraj spared his life, but as a mark of
punishment cut a little piece off his right
ear and returned with his aunt Ramā Bai, to
to pare the nails of her daughter-in-law, the Padmini.
Struck by her surpassing beauty, he repaired to Mandlik
and spoke to him about her. Mandlik resolved to go and
see her. His queen, Ramā Bai, expostulated with him
and tried her best to dissuade him. Mandlik persisted
in his nefarious design and went to the village where
Nagdevi lived. Nagdevi supplied the entire following
of the Raja with provisions from a small kotri (cell)
of hers. Surprised at this supernatural feat, the king's
attendants told him that she was a goddess and nothing
should be done to displease her. The king, mad with
desire, did not listen to them. The bar tree under
which he sat began to shoot jets of blood, but the king
did not take the warning. He asked Nagdevi to
show him the Padmini. The Devi brought her out
properly decked, but her feet did not touch the ground.
Mandlik thrust forward his hand to catch hold of her.
She, however, assumed the form of a goddess and pro-
nounced a curse upon him, that he would lose his fortress,
32

Maharana Sāngā.
Mewar. The Maharana gave the parganah
of Jāwar for maintenance to Ramā Bai, who,
with her savings, built the temple of Rama-
swami and the lake Ramkund at Jāwar
(Yogini Pattan), the inauguration ceremony
of which took place on Chaitra Sukla 7th
(Sunday) S. 1554¹ (A. D. 1497). She also
built the Damodar temple to Vishnu at
Kumbhalgarh and a tank to the south
of Kundeshwar.
become insane, throw dust on his head and become a
slave of the Turks (Mussalmans.) Mandlik returned
home and Padmini went to Kedar in the Himalayas,
and like the Pandavas gave herself up to the eternal
snows. Nagdevi repaired to Sultan Mahmud Begara
and told him that she had bestowed Girnār on
him. The Sultan, who had not been able to take the
stronghold of Girnār owing to its great strength, asked
for some sign of assurance of his success. The Devi said
that on waking up the next morning he would find
coloured rice in his turban. Finding the prophecy come
true, the Sultan started to attack Girnār and laid siege to
the fortress. Mandlik became mad and came and
handed over the keys of the fort to the Sultan and
embraced Islam. The fortress was not taken, however,
till a thousand Rajputs who defended it bravely were all
slain. This story shows that Mandlik by his misconduct
displeased a Charan, with whose assistance, Mahmud
Begara took Girnār, and that Ramā Bai left Girnār
when she found that Mandlik was not behaving himself.
¹ Inscription on Ramkund at Jawar of Chaitra
Sud 7th, S. 1554. Jawar is situated 5 miles from Tidi,
in the Magra Zillah of Mewar.
33

Maharana Sāngā.
Soon after Jai Mal's death, Maharana
Rai Mal conferred the parganah of Bhains-
ror of the annual rental of Rs. 50,000 on
Rawat Suraj Mal (Rana Mokal's grand-
son) as jagir. When the news of this grant
reached Prithviraj in Godwar, he recol-
lected the prophecy of the Charanidevi
and the duel he had with Suraj Mal, and
sent a letter to the Maharana protesting
against the grant. The Maharana replied
that he on his part had made the grant and
that Prithviraj was at liberty to take it
back if he could. As soon as this reply
reached Prithviraj, he started to attack
Bhainsror with two thousand horsemen.
Putting Suraj Mal and Sarangdeva, a
grandson of Rana Lakha, to flight, he took
possession of the castle and turned the
families of the two chieftains out of the fort.
Suraj Mal, whose vaunting ambition
had persuaded him that the crown was
his destiny, plunged deep into treason to
obtain it. Winning over Sarangdeva to his
cause, they both repaired to Sultan
Nāsiruddin Khilji of Malwa. The Sultan
34

Maharana Sāṅgā.
welcomed the opportunity these internal
dissensions in Mewar gave him to inflict a
blow on Chitor, and thus avenge the defeats
the successive Maharanas had inflicted on
his ancestors. He sent a large army
against Mewar. Thus aided, the two trai-
tors assailed the southern frontier of their
fatherland and rapidly possessed themselves
of Sadri, Batarda and a wide tract extending
from Nye to Neemuch, attempting even
Chitor. With the few troops that were in
the fort, the Maharana started to punish the
rebels, who met the attack on the river
Gambhiri. The Maharana, fighting like a
common soldier, had received two and
twenty wounds and was nearly falling
through faintness when Prithviraj, who
had heard of the invasion, with lightning
speed arrived with one thousand fresh horse
from Kumbhalgarh and averted a disaster.
Looking out for his uncle Suraj Mal, he
soon sighted him. Cutting his way up to
him, he covered him with wounds. Both
sides lost many brave men but neither would
yield. When night fell they retired from the
field and bivouacked in sight of each other.
35

Maharana Sāngā.
Soon after nightfall, Prithviraj paid a
visit to his uncle Suraj Mal, and the meet-
ing between the rival uncle and the nephew
is described by Colonel Tod as “unique in
the details of strife, perhaps since the origin
of man.” Prithviraj found his uncle in a small
tent reclining on a pallet, having just had
the barber (surgeon) to sew up his wounds.
He rose and met his nephew and heir to
the throne of Mewar with the customary
respect, as if nothing unusual had occurred ;
but the exertion caused some of the wounds
to open afresh, when the following dia-
logue ensued :—
“ PRITHVIRAJ. ‘ Well, uncle, how are
your wounds ? ’
SURAJ MAL. ‘ Quite healed, my child,
since I have the pleasure of seeing you.’
PRITHVIRAJ. ‘ But, uncle (kaka), I have
not yet seen the Dewanji.¹ I first ran
to see you, and I am very hungry ; have you
anything to eat ? ’ ”
¹ The Maharana is called Diwanji, owing to his
being the chief priest of the famous temple of Eklingji.
36