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

THE CHAIN OF CAUSES
stables, elephants—after forcibly pulling down the Ranees
riding on them—were taken to the bazaars for sale, and
silver and gold ornaments were removed from the palace
and were sold by public auction in every street. The
necklace that adorned a queen was lying in the dust of
the bazaars. Elephants were sold for 100 Rupees ! After
this you will hardly be surprised to learn that horses, fed
on richer food than Dalhousie had for his own dinners,
were sold for 20 Rupees and that a pair of horses, on
which the Raja himself used to ride, was sold for 5
Rupees ! Elephants with the howdas on them and horses
with caparisons were sold, but the Ranees still remained
with their jewels. Why not sell the jewels ? So, the
jewels also went the way of other things, and no Ranee
had a single jewel left on her person. But even here the
“friendship” of the English could not stop. So, they
began to dig the floor of the palace ! And, Heavens, in
the very bedroom of the Ranees the Feringhi pickaxe
began its desecrating work ! Reader, start not yet, nor
tremble, for the pickaxe has only started the work, and
will do further deeds, nay, is doing it. For, see you not
it has broken the bedstead of the Queen, and is digging
the very flooring underneath the bed ? And shall we say
it ? All the while the Maharanee Anna Poorna Bai was
on her death-bed, and was even then dying ! While the
Dowager Queen of the great family of the Bhonsles of
Nagpur was on her deathbed, groaning with agony and
for the insult to the throne and the family, in the neigh-
bouring room, in that bed of the Queen, the Feringhi’s
pickaxe was doing its work ! What a terrible accompani-
ment to the groans in the next room ! And why all this ?
Because Raghoji died before adopting a successor ! ⁵
Ranee Anna Poorna Bai died, groaning for the insuffer-
able insults flung at her ancient dynasty. But the hope
of Ranee Banka to get justice from England was not
5. Dalhousie’s Administration, pp. 165-168.
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