१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

THE CONFLAGRATION
and peace in her liberated province.
The Ranee’s daily life at this period has been described as
follows :—" The Bai got up at five in the morning and
took a bath with fragrant attar. After dressing—and she
generally wore a Chanderi Saree of faultless white—she
would sit for her daily prayers. First, she dropped the
necessary water as a prayaschitta for keeping hair on her
head after her husband’s death ; then, she used to worship
the Tulsi in the Tulsi grove. Then began the Parthiva
Puja at which the Durbar musicians would sing in choir.
Puraniks would then start reading the Puran. Then,
Sirdars and dependants came and she returned their usual
salutes. Being very keen of memory, even if a single man
among the seven hundred and fifty who paid their res-
pects to her in the morning was not present, the very next
day, the Bai would not fail to inquire why he did not
come the previous day. After the worship of God began
the dinner. After dinner, she would take an hour’s siesta
unless there was urgent work to do. Then she would order
the presents of the morning to be brought before her,
which was done on silver trays covered over with silk
cloths. Those things that she liked, she accepted ; the
others were given over to the Kothiwalla (minister of the
presents department) for distribution amongst her ser-
vants. At three she went to the Durbar, when she
usually put on male attire. She wore a pyjama, a coat of
dark blue, a cap on the head, and a beautiful turban on
the top of it, a dupeta of embroidered cloth round the
slender waist, and the sword decked with gems by her
side. Attired in this wise, this fair woman looked like
Gauri herself. Sometimes, she wore the female dress.
After her husband’s death, she never wore nath
or similar ornaments. Her hands had round them bangles
of diamond ; she wore a small necklace of pearls round
her neck and a diamond ring on her little finger. These
were the only jewels worn by the Bai Sahib. Her hair
was gathered up together behind. She wore a white saree
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