..::Doubts & Discussions about Historical facts::.. - Page 91

Hi All,

Posted a new article in this series of Chittor .

Title:

Mughal account of Jauhar, Saka & Massacre at Battle of Chittor, 1567-68

Link of this post: Click Here: >>>>

Mughal record of Jauhar of Rajput Women & Saka of Rajput Warriors at 3rd Siege of Chittor(1567-68) + Mughal Victory followed by Massacre of Rajput Civilians | Battle of Chittor Part-5 | With Portraits from Akbarnama & personal pictures of Chittor Fort

We have already gone through 4 articles in the Chittor Battle Series. In the last article, we read about the course of this fierce war that lasted almost six months.

Now that the detailed background of this war is clear, let's discuss the details of the ultimate battle. The moment of ultimate 'annihilation'. This post also contains MANY pictures of Chittor Fort taken from fine angles, not present on the Internet.

In this post, we are going to see the events following the fall of the commander of the Chittor garrison - Raja Jaimal Rathore and the consequent Jauhar and Saka conducted by the Rajput women and defenders of the Fort of Chittor, as recorded in Mughal accounts.

The next post will describe this war, as seen from Rajput & other accounts, so that a complete picture is presented to the readers for complete understanding.

Originally posted by: history_geek

31st May was the Birth Anniversary of a greatly honored and revered lady.

Story of an inspiring woman, a child widow & a young visionary queen who charted a new life for the people of her kingdom. The young 18th Century Queen Ahilya Bai Holkar spurred the tradition of Maheshwari saris, enabling people from her riyasat to make a living.

A little more than a thousand kilometres from the hustle and bustle of Varanasi, in the heart of Madhya Pradesh, lies another handloom hub - Maheshwar, just two hours' drive from Indore. Along the banks of the river Narmada, one can see crystal clean water. Wave after wave rising to greet the ghats (stone steps leading to the river) in a well-orchestrated symphony. Located along one side, rising majestically can be seen a row of temples. Hundreds of stone steps led to the monuments which rise like sentinels above the river bank. What strucks one most is the simplicity of the architecture. There is no gold, no silver, no tinsel. Miniature paintings, inlay work, Belgian mirrors, marble - the expensive ornaments adorning royal palaces and temples across the country are conspicuous by their absence. As far as one's eye can see, it is just grey stone.

And these stones are privy to the story of a woman, a young queen who charted a new life for the people of Maheshwar - Ahilya Bai Holkar.

Ahilyabai was a simple girl from a town called Beed in Maharashtra. During one of his tours, the ruler of the Holkar state, Maharaja Malharao, spotted her at a Teej festival. Something about her youthful bearing struck the sagacious ruler, and he chose her to be the bride of his young son, Khonde Rao. She came as a child bride to Maheshwar in 1753. Some years later, Khonde Rao Holkar suddenly died, and Ahilya prepared, as was the custom, to ascend her husband's funeral pyre and become sati. But Malharao stopped her. You must live, my child. Maheshwar needs you,' he said. Thus, Ahilyabai Holkar became regent for her young son, and ruled from 1765 to 1795.

Gradually, the young queen began to get acquainted with the life of her people. After her morning prayers she would sit on the ramparts of her palace so she could meet her praja (people) and listen to their problems. The more she heard, the more determined she became that no one in her riyasat (kingdom) would be denied a decent livelihood. But how was this to be achieved? What could she do to ensure that her people had a source of income not just for a season or for year but forever? At that time, 167 km from Maheshwar was a town called Burhanpur, known for its rich tradition of handloom weaving. It was from here, and from the town next door, Mandu, that Ahilya brought skilled weavers. She made them set up looms in her riyasat to teach the art of weaving to the women and men of Maheshwar. Her people acquired the skill fast enough but what they needed now were beautiful patterns that would win the hearts of consumers for all time to come. Ahilya mulled over this morning and evening as she watched the Narmada flow beneath her palace, blue and clear, creating thousands of patterns with its waves. Narmada or Rehwa, as the river is known locally, is regarded as the Mother' because its fertile banks feed people throughout the year. It was from Rehwa and from her own deep faith that Ahilya finally drew inspiration.

The patterns created by the boisterous waves of the Rehwa were first etched on the stone steps and on the walls of her palace. Then Ahilya began to construct temples along the banks of the river. And on their pillars, walls, chhatris (domed pavilions), doors and jharokhas (overhanging balconies) were engraved stone flowers, animals, birds, waves (the Narmada lehar) and many other intricate designs. ... Till today, one has only to pick up a Maheshwari sari and the designs woven on the pallu or the border can be found etched on some stone slab partially immersed in the mighty Narmada, narrating the story of this visionary queen.

This was the story of an inspiring woman, a child widow & a young visionary queen who charted a new life for the people of her kingdom.

Read this somewhere, hence decided to share here.