Padmavati aka Padmini was the legendary queen of Chittor who was married to Rajput king Rawal Ratan Singh Also known as Ratan Sen. The queen was said to be exceptionally beautiful. Although her existence and legend are not true according to some historians, she is still worshiped by the people of Rajasthan.
Biography/Wiki
Padmavati is the famous Queen of Chittor (13th-14th century), who is famous throughout India for her beauty. There are many scriptures and manuscripts that define her beauty and wisdom. Her beauty led her future husband, King Chittor Rawal Ratan Singh, across the seven seas and many obstacles to marry her. Her beauty is said to have led Alauddin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi, to invade Chittor Fort (1303). Although many historians dismiss such legends.
The venerable Queen of Chittor is worshiped in Rajasthan for her sacrifices made in memory of Chittor. She is a historical figure and a symbol of patriotism for the Indian people.
family, caste and husband
Rani Padmini was born to King Gandharvsen and Queen Champavati of the Kingdom of Singhal (now Sri Lanka) in the late 13th century (according to Malik Muhammad Jaya (According to Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s “Padmavat”). Born into a Hindu Kshatriya family, she was also proficient in martial arts and knowledgeable about the Vedas. She was married to Rawal Ratan Singh, also known as Ratan Sen, the Rajput king of Chittor (Rajasthan). In the various plays describing her legend, there is no mention of her having any children. Before marrying her, her husband was married to Queen Nagmati.
The legend of Rani Padmavati
Although historical records of the time do not say much about Rani Padmavati; many scriptures and texts written in the 16th century mention her beauty and bravery. A poem written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540 AD, which mentions the beauty of Rani Padmini, is one of the earliest. There are also several scriptures and manuscripts, including Persian and Urdu adaptations of Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s Padmavat, the Rajput folk song Gora Badal Padmini Chaupai, James Tod’s Chronicles and Antiquities of Rajas Khan and various oral traditions and literary accounts. Detailed reference about the existence of Rani Padmavati.
Overall, all the mentioned manuscripts and others speak of her astonishing beauty. According to the epic poem of Malik Muhammad Jayasi, Rani Padmavati was born in the island kingdom of Singhal in the late 13th century to King Gandharvsen , whose mother is Queen Champavati. She was popular among neighboring countries for her outstanding beauty.
Rani Padmavati kept a parrot named Hiraman as her pet. The parrot could talk and often studied the Vedas with Padmavati. Her father, King Gandalfsson, could not stand his daughter’s close relationship with the parrot, so he ordered his soldiers to kill the parrot. The parrot escaped from the kingdom of Singhal and reached Chittoor anyway. In Chittor, he described the beauty of Padmavati to Rawal Ratan Singh, the king of Chittor, who decided to marry her and left for Singhal with 16,000 followers . After going through some challenges, he managed to win the heart of Princess Padmavati and marry her.
According to sources, a Brahmin musician named ‘Raghav Chetan’ from Rawal Ratan’s court was expelled for fraud. A resentful Raghav Chetan reached Delhi and managed to enter the court of Alauddin Khilji (then Sultan of Delhi; the second ruler of the Khilji dynasty). He became Khilji’s trusted person and told him about the sublime beauty of Rani Padmavati. Alauddin Khilji was a cruel and energetic man, and his description of Padmavati is impressive. He surrounded Chittor with armed troops to capture her. King Rawal Ratan Singh agreed to fulfill any of his wishes except giving Rani Padmavati to Khilji. Khilji was also unable to capture the Chittoor fort and proposed a peace treaty to King Ratan Sen, but this was all a conspiracy by him to capture the king.
Aladdin Khilji
Alauddin Khilji brought Rawal Ratan Singh to Delhi and imprisoned him. He asked the Rajputs to hand over Rani Padmavati in exchange for their king. The Rajputs were not ready to accept the deal, so they devised a plan to march towards Delhi with 800 soldiers disguised as Padmavati and her female companions. Among them, the Rajput commander Go Ra and Badar succeeded in freeing their king. However, Gora died along with many other Rajput soldiers.
Frustrated by the incident, Alauddin attacked Chittor. At the same time, another Rajput king Devpal of Kumharna also attacked the fort as he also wanted to get Rani Padmavati. The two kings fought one on one and both died. Meanwhile, Alauddin succeeded in conquering the fort, but when the two queens of Rawal Ratan Singh learned of her husband’s death, both of them, along with other Rajput women of Chittoor, set themselves on fire collectively ( Jauhar). All the Rajputs died fighting Aladdin’s army. Just like that, Aladdin didn’t even get a glimpse of her beauty. Since then, the people of Rajasthan have been worshiping Rani Padmavati as a goddess.
Other legends also speak of her beauty and the aforementioned battles, but vary. Some historians discard the fact of this event, some favor it.
cause of death
According to manuscripts and poems written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi, Rani Padmavati died in a mass self-immolation (Jauhar) after her husband was killed in battle. The mass self-immolations also targeted the first wife of King Rawal Ratan Singh and all the women of Chittoor. Rani Padmavati had no choice but to commit suicide to escape the evil intentions of Alauddin Khilji.
fact
- The earliest mention of Rani Padmavati is found in the epic Padmavat written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in Awadhi language in 1540 AD. The poem was translated into Urdu and Persian between the 16th and 19th centuries.
- After hearing about the enchanting beauty of King Rani Padmavati of Chittor, Rawal Ratan Singh abandoned his kingdom and traveled to Singhal to marry Princess Singhal. He followed the parrot, who told him about Padmavati, and was accompanied by 16,000 soldiers.
- After marrying Padmavati, King Rawal Ratan Singh returned to his kingdom and assumed the status of king again.
- There was competition between the king’s two wives as the king was already married to Queen Nagmati.
- According to Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s poem, one of the courtiers, Raghav Chetan, was exiled for fraud; however, some other texts say that he was caught watching the queen and king Have sex.
- A resentful Raghav Chetan wanted to take revenge on the king, so he took refuge in the court of Alauddin Khilji and described the magnificence of Padmavati Beautiful view.
- Sultan Alauddin of Delhi wanted to see the beauty of Padmavati. So, to capture her, he besieged Chittor.
- Although the court poet and hymnist Amir Khussau described the siege of Chittor in 1303 AD in his Khaza’in ul-Futuh, there is no mention of “Padmavati” in it. It describes that Aladdin was acquiring all the neighboring Hindu kingdoms, Chittoor being one of them.
- Amir Khusrau mentioned accompanying Alauddin into the fort after winning the battle of Chittor, but there is no reason why he entered the fort after winning the battle.
- Rani Padmavati is a historical figure in local legend and has been worshiped since then.
- During the Indian independence movement, Rani Padmavati was a symbol of Indian patriotism in the 19th century Swadeshi movement.
- Rani Padmavati and Khilji are also mentioned in the works of famous modern Indian writers. Rabindranath Tagore’s Rajkashini, Jawaharlal Nehru’s The Discovery of India (1946), Yagneshwar Bandipadiya’s Mewar” (1884) both describe the attack on Chittoor by Johar and Khilji of Padmavati. However, their description may have been inspired by the poem.
- The history of Rani Padmini varies according to different texts in different versions. In some scriptures, she is the daughter of King Ratan Singh, while in others she is the wife of the Rajput warrior Bhim Sinha and the uncle of Lakshman Sinha, the ruler of Chittoor. But every scripture defines her as the most beautiful lady of her time.
- Rani Padmini is a historical figure about whom many texts and plays have been written based on her life story.
- Kshirode Prasad Vidyavinode composed and performed a play called Padmini (1906).
- The first film based on the life of Rani Padmavati was a silent film released in 1930 called “Kamonar Agun” (Fire of Flesh). Later, in 1963, famous actress Vyjayanthimala played the role of Rani Padmini in the Tamil film Chittoor Rani Padmini, directed by Chitrapu Narayana Rao and starring Sivaji Ganesan.
- In 2009, the TV series “Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur” was aired on Sony TV based on the story of Rani Padmini.
- In 2017, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali released the film Padmavati, later renamed Padmavat, starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor Starring Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. The film sparked controversy when Rajasthan’s Karni Sena came out to protest against the film. According to them, they worship Rani Padmavati as a goddess and the film hurt their sentiments.
- The life story of Rani Padmavati is meaningful based on ancient Hindu, Sufi and Jain manuscripts. Chittoor fort represents the human body, King Chittor represents the human spirit, Kingdom of Singhal represents the human heart, Rani Padmavati represents the human mind, Sultan Alauddin represents the worldly illusions while The parrot is the guide.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education