History of Rani Durgavati with Pictures and her Portraits

A must read post for everyone. We need to remember that there existed such a fascinating lady once upon a time. It is difficult to even think of someone like her today.

Post Title:
The Warrior Queen - Rani Durgwati - "It is better to die with glory, than to live with ignominy...Either i will die or i will conquer.." Won all the 51 battles she fought in her lifetime.

Link :
http://mariam-uz-zamani.blogspot.in/2015/08/rani-durgawati-gondwana.html

Married at 18.
A mother at 19.
A widow at 24.
A glorious death at 40.

In her magnificent rule of 16 years, Rani Durgawati achieved all that a woman could desire in that medieval age and reached the zenith of her popularity, which continues to this day. Her rule in Gondwana became synonymous with justice, tolerance, beneficence and patriotism. She was an extremely beautiful woman, a heroic Rajputni, a benevolent queen, and an able administrator.

She led her armies personally, and was equally adept at riding a horse or an elephant as her war vehicle. The forces of Gondwana always emerged spectacularly victorious against the superior forces of the Surs of Delhi, Baz Bahadur of Malwa, the Afghans of Bengal, and several adversaries of the Deccan.

She did not lose even 1 of the 51 wars she fought in her reign of 16 years, and she treated the defeated enemy with generosity, at times bestowing upon them rich gifts and rewards - keeping with the tradition of Rajputs. Everyone of their 70,000 inhabited villages was at once a bastion of defence and a cog in a hard-hitting war machine. In her prime, she had at her beck and call an army of nearly 70,000 men and 2,500 elephants.

Her last battle was against "a team of 7 generals" of Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1564. Her battle cry against the Mughal forces underscores her indomitable courage and her willingness to even sacrifice her life for the sake of the independence and self-respect of her homeland : "..Better to die with glory, than live with ignominy.. "

This post contains around 25 pictures related to Rani Durgawati. And also, there are 4 portraits from Akbarnama, depicting her fighting in the battle field in full fledged warrior armour.


A brief summary of the headings of the post are present here:

1.
Description of Homage to Rani Durgawati , By Sir Williams, December 1835
Major General, British Bengal Army Regiment, Honored 'Knight of the Order of the Bath' by the British Crown

2.
Her Personality:
An Accomplished Warrior - An Able & Tolerant Administrator - Patron of Arts

She made it a point to personally look into the grievances of her subjects and give redress, where possible, on the spot. The old and the young virtually worshipped her as a goddess of justice.

3.
Early Life, Lineage and Marriage:

4.
A folkLore about Rani Durgawati and her husband Raja Dalpat Rai. People believed theirs was a combination, which matched Lord Ram and his consort Sita, thereby bringing immense prosperity to the kingdom of Gondwana.

5.
Her Qualities and Prowess Impress Akbar:

The stories of Durgawati's heroism and dauntless courage, especially in her wars against Baz Bahadur, aroused Akbar's curiosity. Not only did she repeatedly defeat Baz Bahadur in the west, but she was also able to inflict crushing defeats on the dreaded Afghans of Bengal in the east. It should be noted that even the famous and experienced general of Akbar, Munim Khan, and a team of 12 generals were not able to subjugate the Afghans in 1575. Later, Akbar had to personally march along with re-inforcements.

6.
Durgawati's Refusal to Accept Mughal Suzerainty Infuriates Akbar. He ordered one of his foremost & favorite generals, Asaf Khan, to mount an invasion on Gondwana and bring the Rani, alive rather than dead, to his court.

7.
Account of Rani Durgawati from Akbarnama. Unprovoked Mughal Attack on Rani Durgawati. To Fight 1 Rani, 7 Mughal Generals are sent, including the favorite Asaf Khan:

8.
Badayuni's Twist to the Tale..
A Different Reason for the Attack on Rani Durgawati ??

9.
A Chauvinist Asaf Khan Resolves to Humiliate Rani Durgawati.
Account of Gondwana's Plunder by Asaf Khan from the Akbarnama:

10.
Account of initial combat of Rani Durgwati and Mughal Forces

11.
Abu'l Fazl's account, though full of high praise for the Mughal army, does provide a glimpse of the Rani's understanding of military tactics. Death of Arjun Das and Entry of Rani Durgawati in the War

12.
Rani Durgawati last resolve : "Either I Would Conquer or I Would Fall."

13.
On Rani Durgawati's Call, Gondwana Rises as One Man Against the Mughals :

14.
Her commander Arjun Das fell fighting with a much larger force of Nasir Muhammad and Aq Muhammed. Now, the battle began between the Rani and Asaf Khan. The first day of the battle belonged completely to the Rani. Asaf Khan was routed despite his much larger army.

15.
The Rani Enters the Battle. Abu'l Fazl's account of the initial engagement of the rival forces (near Jabalpur), from the Akbarnama, makes for a very interesting reading, present in the post.

16.
A 'Himalayan Tactical Blunder'* Jeopardizes the Future of Gondwana

17.
Rani Durgawati taking care of the wounded soldiers and the orphaned kids at night of the war reflects a lot about her magnanimous personality, from Akbarnama.

18.
The son of Rani - Raja Bir Narayan Faces the Mughals Gallantly but is wounded..When the Rani heard of this, she ordered trusty men to remove him from the battlefield to a place of safety. They obeyed the command and carried him off to a retired place. On this account, a great many left the field of battle, and the Rani's troops were much discomfited. Not more than 300 men remained with her. But there was no weakening of the Rani's resolution, and she continued to wage hot war alongside of her own gallant followers.

19.
Shams Khan Miana was an old enemy of Rani Durgawati, whom she had defeated along with Baz Bahadur earlier. This time he joined hands with the Mughals to eliminate the Rani.

20.
The First Arrow Hits the Rani. An arrow from the bow of fate struck her right temple*, and she courageously drew it out and flung it from her. The point remained in the wound, and would not come out.

21.
The Second Arrow Leaves Her Unconscious. Just then another arrow struck her neck. That, too, she drew out with the hand of courage, but the excessive pain made her swoon. When gradually she recovered her senses, she addressed Adhar, who was of the Bakhila caste and was distinguished for courage and devotion and who was riding in front of her on the elephant.

22.
The wounded Rani asks her servant to kill her because she does not want to fall into the hands of the enemy. The servant offers to rescue her from the battle field. Hearing the thought of "leaving" the battle field, the Rani gets angry and stabs herself.

23.
Account of the Battle by Badayuni. Badayuni writes in his usual orthodox manner:

24.
Scans of account of the Battle from Tabaqat-i-Akbari:

25.
Thus died Rani Durgawati " brave, fearless, and faithful to the end to the norms of chastity set by her dynasty. Her example spurred her followers to perform deeds of incredible valour. One of them carried her body beyond Asaf Khan's reach despite a virtual wall of steel that surrounded the remnants of the defeated army. Fire reduced her to ashes before the Mughals knew where she was.

26.
Aftermath of Death of Rani Durgawati...Jauhar and Saka in Chauragarh...The wounded son of Rani dies fighting..

27.
Dazzled by the Rani's Treasure, Asaf Khan Rebels Against Akbar

28.
According to Abul Fazl, a 1000 elephants and a lot of other booty fell into the hands of the imperial forces. The wealth of gold and precious stones in the castle dazzled Asaf Khan's eyes.

29.
Legacy of Rani Durgawati:
She will always be immortal as an epitome of sacrifice and the undying spirit of a woman.

30.
List of honors by Government of India on Rani Durgawati

31.
Epilogue:
A. Balancing Rocks of Jabalpur
B. Some interesting details about Chandel Rajputs:

This was only the summary .. Entire Post can be read here..
Link :
http://mariam-uz-zamani.blogspot.in/2015/08/rani-durgawati-gondwana.html


List of Pictures Used in the Blog Post:

1.
Statue of Rani Durgawati with bow and arrow, at her Samadhi

2.
Ruins of the Madan Mahal Fort at Jabalpur...Used as a Watch Tower by Rani Durgawati. The fort is an excellent piece of architecture. Judicious use of natural rocks and basaltic stones renders strength to the structure. This portrait is from India(1884) - Earth and Inhabitants.

3.
Statue of Bir Narayan, son of Rani Durgawati

4.
Madan Mahal, the palace of Rani Durgawati in Jabalpur. The architecturally well-designed rooms in front of the main structure probably lodged the military troops of the rulers who stayed here. The maintenance and protection of this historic monument has been undertaken by Archaeological Survey of India. This is an 1865 photograph by G.W. Laurie.

5.
Ruins of the Madan Mahal Fort at Jabalpur

6.
The picture shows Rani Durgavati. She holds a flower in her left hand. An inscription is written at the top of the painting. The picture is present in the Government Museum, Chennai.

7.
This painting from Akbarnama shows Asaf Khan leading the Mughal forces in 1564 against Rani Durgavati, the ruler of the Gond Kingdom of Middle India. The female ruler of Gondwana fell to the Mughal forces after a fiercely contested battle, leading even her enemies to admire her extraordinary bravery.

8.
Ruins of Singauragarh. It was here that the initial battle was fought between the Mughal forces and the general of Rani Durgawati - Arjun Das.

9.
Statue of Rani Durgawati in Traditional War Armour with Sword and Shield, Madya Pradesh

10.
Statue of Rani Durgawati on her favourite elephant - Sarman, with her trusted servant - Adhar Bakhila

11.
Statue of Rani Durgawati with her Son Bir Narayan, at Mandla

12.
Portrait from Akbarnama : Death of Rani Durgavati showing arrows in her neck and other parts of body, and a dagger stabbing herself to escape dishonor.

13.
Ruins of Rani Durgawati's Fort - Madan Mahal

14.
Ruins of the Madan Mahal Fort. Picture shows the underground chambers, which served as a safe barrack for the soldiers and a storehouse of ammunition and other precious articles.

15.
Interior of the above-mentioned chambers in the Fort of Rani Durgawati

16.
Rani Durgawati Memorial at the Battlefield

17.
A close view of the slab depicting the place where Rani Durgawati laid down her life for her motherland / matrabhumi .

18.
Samadhi of Rani Durgawati

19.
Portrait from Akbarnama : Asaf Khan rebels against Akbar

20.
Postal Stamp by Government of India, 1988 - Rani Durgawati

21.
The famous balancing Rocks of Jabalpur near the tomb of Rani Durgawati

22.
Kandariya Mahadeo Temple - Khajuraho Group of Monuments : A UNESCO World Heritage Site

23.
Ceiling of Kandariya Mahadeo Temple

24.
Architecture of the Khajuraho Temples

25.
Statue of the favorite elephant of Rani Durgawati - Sarman - near her samadhi

26.
Extent of Rani Durgawati's kingdom of Gondwana .. Scan from Akbarnama

27.
Rani Durgawati's administration...Scan from Akbarnama

28.
Abu'l Fazl's Praise of Rani Durgawati in Akbarnama: Abu'l Fazl writes in the Akbarnama -

29.
Account of Rani Durgawati from Akbarnama

Link :
http://mariam-uz-zamani.blogspot.in/2015/08/rani-durgawati-gondwana.html

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