Chapter 10 — Annals of Mewar

Of the seventeen sons of Partap, Amra, who succeeded him, was the eldest. From the early age of eight he had been his father's constant companion, and the partner of his toils and dangers. Instructed in every act of mountain strife, and familiar with its perils, he entered on his career in the very flower of manhood, already attended by sons able to maintain whatever his sword might recover of his patrimony. Akbar survived Partap nearly eight years. The vast field in which he had now to exert the resources of his mind necessarily withdrew him from a scene where even success ill repaid the sacrifices made to attain it, and Amra was left in complete repose during the remainder of this monarch's life. An extended reign of more than half a century enabled the Mogul to consolidate the vast empire he had erected, while the form of government which he established affords incontestible proof both of his genius and his natural benevolence. It is a proud tribute to the memory of Akbar that his name is united with that of his rival Partap in numerous traditionary couplets honourable to both ; and if the Rajput bard naturally emblazons first on his page the virtues of his own hero, he admits that none other but Akbar can stand comparison with him ; thereby confirming the eulogy of the imperial historian who observes, in summing up his master's character, that ' ' if he sometimes did things beneath the dignity of a great king, he never did anything unworthy of a good man." Amra remodelled the institutions of his country, made a new assessment of the lands and distribution of the fiefs, established the gradation of ranks as it now exists, and regulated the sumptuary laws even to the tie of a turban. Many of these laws are to be seen engraved on pillars of stone in various parts of the country. But the repose he enjoyed was not without its dangers, and at one time seemed likely to bring about the realisation of his father's prophetic fears. Amra constructed for himself a palace on the banks of the lake, named after himself the " abode of immortality," remarkable for its Gothic contrast to the splendid marble edifice erected by his predecessors, and now the abode of the princes of Mewar, yet a residence by no means devoid of stately luxury, and one ill calculated to foster the memory of his father's admonitions. Jahangir having been four years on the throne, and, having overcome all internal dissensions, resolved to signalise his reign by the subjugation of the only prince who had disdained to acknowledge the paramount power of the Moguls. Amra, between the love of ease and reputation, wavered as to the course he should adopt; nor were sycophants wanting who Counselled ignoble ease and peaceful sloth, Not peace: and dared to prompt his following the universal contagion by accepting the imperial firman. In such a state of mind the chiefs found him when they went to his new abode to warn him to prepare for the emergency. The gallant Chondawats, recalling the dying behest of their late prince, demanded its fulfilment; and urged every argument their patriotism could devise to rouse their apathetic leader to action. A magnificent mirror of European manufacture adorned the embryo palace. Animated with a noble resentment at the inefficacy of his appeal to the better feelings of his prince, the chieftain of Salumbra hurled the " slave of the carpet " * against the splendid bauble, and, starting up, seized his sovereign by the arm and moved him from his throne. " To horse, chiefs!" he exclaimed, "and preserve from infamy the son of Partap." A burst of anger followed the seeming indignity, and the patriot was branded with the harsh name of traitor; but with his sacred duty in view, and supported by every vassal of note, he calmly disregarded the insult. Compelled to mount his horse, and surrounded by the veterans of all the chivalry of Mewar, Amra's passion vented itself in tears of indignation. In such a mood the cavalcade descended the ridge, and had reached the spot where the temple of Jaggarnath now stands, when the prince recovered from his fit of passion — the tears ceased to flow, and, making a courteous salutation, he entreated forgiveness for his omission of respect ; and more especially expressing his gratitude to Salumbra, he said: " Lead on, nor shall you ever have to regret your late sovereign." Elevated with every sentiment of generosity and valour, they passed on to Dewier, where they encountered the royal army, led by the brother of the Khankhanan, as it entered the pass, and, after a long and sanguinary combat, gained a complete victory. The honours of the day are chiefly attributed to the brave Kana, uncle of the Rana, and ancestor of the numerous clan called after him the Kanawats. A truce followed this battle, but it was of short duration, for another and yet more murderous conflict took place in the spring of 1606, in the pass of Rampur, where the imperial army, under its leader Abdulla, was almost exterminated, though with the loss of the best and bravest of the Sesodia chiefs. A feverish exultation was the fruit of this victory, which shed a hectic flush of glory over the declining days of Mewar, when the crimson banner once more floated throughout the province of Godwar. Alarmed at these successive defeats, Jahangir, preparatory to equipping a fresh army, determined to establish a new Rana, and to instal him in the ancient seat of power, Chitor, hoping thus to withdraw from the standard of Amra many of his adherents. The experiment evinced at least a knowledge of their prejudices; but, to the honour of Rajput fidelity, it failed. Sugra, who abandoned Partap and went over to Akbar, was selected; the sword of sovereignty was girded on him by the emperor's own hands; and, under the escort of a Mogul force, he took possession of his ruined capital. For seven years Sugra had a spurious homage paid to him. But it is gratifying to record that not even by this recreant son of Chitor could the impressions formed in contemplating the scenes around him be resisted ; and Sugra, though flinty as the rock to a brother and a nephew, was unable to support the silent rebuke of the altars of the heroes of his race, and, at length, sending for Amra, he handed over to him Chitor, and himself retired to Rinthambur. Some time after, upon going to court, and being upbraided by Jahangir, he drew his dagger and slew himself in the emperor's presence — an end worthy of such a traitor. Amra took possession of the seat of his ancestors ; but wanting the means to put it in defence, the acquisition did little more than increase the temporary exultation. With Chi'tor the Rana acquired, by surrender or assault, possession of no less than eighty of the chief towns and fortresses of Mewar, amongst them being Ontala, the siege of which is famous for one of the most extraordinary exhibitions of Rajput courage recorded in the annals of Rajasthan. The right to lead the herole (vanguard), which had for generations belonged to the Chondawats, was on this occasion disputed by the Suktawats, whose well-known valour went far to justify their claim. The sword would have decided the matter, but for the tact of the prince. u The herole to the clan which first enters Ontala " was his decision, which was readily accepted by the Suktawats, while their rivals could no longer plead their right when such a gauntlet was thrown down for its maintenance. Ontala is about eighteen miles east of Udaipur, commanding the road leading to the ancient capital. It is situated on rising ground, with a stream flowing beneath its walls, which are of solid masonry, lofty, and with round towers at intervals. In the centre was the Governor's house, also fortified. The stronghold could be entered but by a single gateway. The clans moved off at the same time, some hours before dawn — Ontala the goal, the herole the reward. The Suktawats made directly for the gateway, which they reached as the day broke. The foe were taken by surprise, but the walls were soon manned and the action commenced. The Chondawats, less skilled in topography, had traversed a swamp which retarded them, but through which they dashed, fortunately meeting a guide in a shepherd of Ontala. With more foresight than their rivals, they had brought ladders. The chief led the escalade, but a ball rolled him back amidst his vassals. The next in rank and kin took the command. He was one of those arrogant, reckless Rajputs, who signalised themselves wherever there was danger, and his common appellation was the " Benda Thakur," or the " mad chief" of Deogarh. When his leader fell, he rolled the body in his scarf; then, tying it on his back, scaled the wall, and having cleared the way before him with his lance, he threw it over the parapet of Ontala, shouting, " The vanguard to the Chondawat ! we are first in ! " Meanwhile, the Suktawat, depending on the elephant he rode, was trying to force the gate, but its projecting spikes deterred the animal from applying his strength. His men were falling thick around him, and a shout from the other party made him dread their success. He descended from his seat, placed his body on the spikes, and commanded the driver, on pain of instant death, to propel the elephant against him. The gates gave way, and over the body of their chief, his clan rushed into the fortress with the victorious cry of the Chondawats ringing in their ears. The Mogul garrison was overpowered and put to the sword ; the standard of Mewar waved over the castle ; but the leading of the vanguard remained with the descendants of Chonda. It will not be unfitting if we here give some account of the rise of the Suktawats, with whom is materially connected the future history of Mewar. Sukta was the second of the twenty -four sons of Udai Singh. When only five years of age, he discovered that fearless temperament which marked his manhood. The armourer having brought a new dagger to try its edge by the usual proof on thinlyspread cotton, the child asked the Rana " if it was not meant to cut flesh and bones," and seizing it tried it on his own little hand. The blood gushed on the carpet, but he betrayed no symptom of pain or surprise. His father, recalling, perhaps, the prediction of the astrologers, who, in casting Sukta's horoscope, had announced that he was to be the " bane of Mewar," forthwith commanded that he should be put to death. The child was carried off for the purpose, but was saved, by the Salumbra chief, who arrested the fiat, sped to the Rana, and begged his life as a boon, promising, having no heirs, to educate him as the future head of the Chondawats. The chief had children in his old age, and while he was wavering between the child of his adoption and his own issue, the young Sukta was sent for to court by his brother Partap. For some time the two brothers lived together on the most amicable footing ; but one day whilst hunting a dispute arose which grew so bitter that Partap suggested that they should decide it by single combat. Sukta was nothing loth ; but as they took their ground and were about to charge together, the purohit rushed between them, and implored them not to bring ruin on their house. His appeal being in vain, the priest saw but one way to prevent the unnatural strife. He drew his dagger, and, plunging it into his breast, fell a lifeless corpse between the combatants. Appalled at the horrid deed, "the blood of a priest on their heads," they desisted from their infatuated aim. Partap, waving his hand, commanded Sukta to quit his dominions ; and the latter, his pride unsubdued, carried his resentment to Akbar. Partap performed with the obsequies of his faithful servant many expiatory rites, and made an irrevocable grant of Salaira to his son, which is still enjoyed by his descendants, while a small column yet identifies the spot of sacrifice to fidelity. Sukta and Partap never saw each other again until their romantic meeting after the battle of Haldighat. Sukta had seventeen sons, all of whom, excepting the heir of Bhainsror,1 attended his obsequies. On their return from this rite, they found the gates barred against them by Bhanji, now chief of the Suktawats, who told them there were "too many mouths in Bhainsror " and that they must push their fortunes elsewhere ; so, demanding their arms and their horses, they departed to seek a new home. After many wanderings and vicissitudes, they were summoned to the assistance of Amra at Ontala, where their brother joined them, and where they won undying fame for their clan in the manner already described. Bhanji soon afterwards performed a service which obtained for him the entire favour of his prince. The latter was insulted by the Rahtors of Bhindir, whereupon Bhanji marched against their town, and took it by assault. Amra added it to his fief, and Bhindir instead of Bhainsror became the abode of the clan. Ten chiefs followed in regular succession, and a few generations after Sukta the clan could muster 10,000 men. Jahangir, being by this time thoroughly alarmed, determined to equip an overwhelming force to crush the Rana. To this end he raised the imperial standard at Ajmir, and assembled the expedition under his own immediate inspection. He appointed his son Parvez commander, with instructions on departure "that if the Rana or his eldest son Kurran should repair to him, to receive them with becoming attention, and to offer no molestation to the country." But the Sesodia prince little thought of submission : on the contrary, flushed with success, he met the royal army at a spot oft moistened with blood, the pass of Khamnor, leading into the heart of the hills. The imperialists were disgracefully defeated, and fled, pursued with great slaughter to Ajmir. The Mogul historian admits it to have been a glorious day for Mewar. He describes Parvez entangled in the passes, dissensions in his camp, and his supplies cut off ; and refers to "his precipitate flight and pursuit, in which the royal army lost vast numbers of men." But Jahangir, in his diary, slurs over the affair, and simply remarks : "I recalled Parvez to rejoin me at Lahore, and directed his son with some chiefs to be left to watch the Rana." This son, tutored by the great Muhabbat Khan, fared no better than Parvez ; he was routed and slain. But the Hydra was indestructible ; and every victory, while it cost the best blood of Mewar, only multiplied the number of her foes. Seventeen pitched battles had the illustrious Rajput fought since the death of his father; but the loss of his experienced veterans withered the laurels of victory, nor had he sufficient repose either to husband his forces, or to rear his young heroes to replace their dead sires. Another and yet mightier army was assembled under Prince Khuram, the ablest of the sons of Jahangir, and better known in history as the emperor Shah Jahan. Again, did the Rana with his son Kurran collect the might of the hills; but a handful of warriors was all their muster to meet the host of Delhi, and the "crimson banner" which for more than eight hundred years had waved in proud independence over the heads of the Gehlotes, was now to be abased to the son of Jahangir. The emperor's own pen shall narrate the termination of this strife." "The eighth year of my reign, I determined to move to Ajmir, and to send my fortunate son Khuram before me; and having fixed the moment of departure I despatched him with magnificent khilats, an elephant, horse, sword, shield, and dagger, and besides his usual force, I added 12,000 horse under Azi'm Khan, and presented to all the officers of his army suitable gratifications." "In the ninth year of my reign, while seated on my throne, in an auspicious moment, the elephant Alam Goman, with seventeen others, male and female, captured from the Rana, were sent by my son and presented to me. The next day I went abroad mounted on Alam Goman, to my great satisfaction, and distributed gold in great quantity." "Pleasing intelligence arrived of the intention of Rana Amra Singh to repair and make his obeisance to me. My fortunate son had established my authority and garrisons in divers strongholds of the Rana's country, which, owing to the malign influence of the water and the air, its barrenness and inaccessibility, it was deemed impossible to bring under subjection; yet from the perpetual overrunning of the country by my armies, without regard to the heat or the rains, and the capture and imprisonment of the wives and children of many of the men of rank of the country, the Rana was at length reduced to acknowledge the despair to which he was driven, and that a further continuance of such distress would be attended with utter ruin, with the choice of captivity, or of being forced to abandon his country. He, therefore, determined to make his submission, and sent two of his chiefs, Supkuran and Heridas, to my son Khuram, to represent that if he would forgive, and take him by the hand, he would pay his respects to him, and would send his eldest son Kurran to attend and serve the emperor, as did other Hindu princes ; but that on account of his years, he would hold himself excused from attending in person." "I was greatly rejoiced at this event happening under my own reign, and I commanded that these, the ancient possessors of the country, should not be driven from it. The fact is that the Rana Amra Singh and his ancestors were proud, and confident in the strength and inaccessibility of their mountainous country and its strongholds; and had never beheld a king of Hindustan, nor made obeisance to one. I was desirous, in my own fortunate time, that the opportunity should not slip my hands ; instantly, therefore, on the representation of my son, I forgave the Rana, and sent a friendly firman that he might rest assured of my protection and care, and imprinted thereon, as a solemn testimony of my sincerity, my five fingers; I also wrote to my son that, by any means by which it could be brought about, to treat this illustrious one according to his own heart's wishes. My son despatched the firman by the chiefs Supkuran and Heridas, with assurances to the Rana that he might rely on my generosity and esteem; and it was agreed that on the 28th of the month he should repair to my son." "Having gone to Ajmir to hunt, Mahmud Beg, a servant of my son Khuram, arrived and presented a letter from him, and stated to me verbally that the Rana had met my son. On receiving this news, I presented Mahmud Beg with an elephant, horse, and dagger, and gave him the title of Zulfikar Khan." "The Rana, with due attention to etiquette, as other vassals of the empire, paid his respects to my son, and presented him with a celebrated ruby, and various arms inlaid with gold, seven elephants of great price, which had remained after those previously captured, and nine horses. My son received him with princely generosity and courtesy, and the Rana, taking him by the knee, requested to be forgiven. My son raised him, and gave him every assurance of countenance and protection, and presented him with suitable khilats, an elephant, horses, and a sword. Though he had not one hundred persons in his train worthy to be dignified with khilatS) yet 120 khilats, 50 horses, and 12 jewelled aigrettes were bestowed upon them. The custom, however, of these princes being that the heir and the father never visit together, he observed this usage, and Kurran, his declared successor, did not accompany the Rana. Sultan Khuram, the same day, gave Amra Singh his leave, and forthwith the son arrived; whereupon Sultan Khuram repaired with him to me." "In my interview with Sultan Khuram on his arrival at Ajmir, he represented that if it was my pleasure, he would present the prince Kurran to me, whom I accordingly desired him to bring. He arrived and paid his respects, and his rank was commanded to be, at the request of my son, immediately on my right hand. As Kurran, owing to the rude life he had led in his natives hills, was extremely shy, and unused to the pageantry and experience of a court, in order to reconcile him and give him confidence, I daily gave him some testimony of my regard and protection, and on the second day of his service, I gave him a jewelled dagger, and on the third a choice steed of Irak with rich caparison ; and on the same day I took him with me to the queen's court, when the queen, Nur Jahan, presented him with a splendid khilat, elephant and horse caparisoned, sword, etc. I gave him three royal hawks, and three falcons trained to the hand, a coat of mail, chain and plate armour, and two rings of value; and on the last day of the month, carpets, state cushions, perfumes, vessels of gold, and a pair of the bullocks of Gujarat." "In the tenth year of my reign, I gave prince Kurran leave to depart; when I bestowed upon him an elephant, a horse, a pearl necklace valued at 50,000 rupees (^6250). From the day of his repairing to my court to that of his departure, the value of the gifts I presented to him exceeded 10 lakhs of rupees (^125,000), exclusive of no horses, 5 elephants, and the gifts of my son Khuram. I sent Mubarak Khan along with him, who carried for me various confidential messages to the Rana. In the same year of my reign, Jaggat Singh, son of Kurran, aged twelve years, arrived at my court, and paid his respects, and presented the arzis (petitions) of his father and grandfather. His countenance carried the impression of his illustrious extraction, and I delighted his heart with presents and kindness. At his departure, I presented him with 20,000 rupees, a horse, elephant, and khilat; and to Heridas, his preceptor, 5,000 rupees, a horse, and khilat." "In the eleventh year of my reign, statues of the Rana and Kurran were sculptured in white marble, and I commanded that they should be placed in the gardens at Agra. The same year I received intimation that Sultan Khuram had entered the territory of the Rana, and had exchanged visits with him and his son ; and that from the tribute, consisting of seven elephants, twenty -seven saddle horses, trays of jewels, and ornaments of gold, my son took three horses, and returned all the rest, and engaged that prince Kurran and 1500 Rajput horse should remain with him in the wars." "In the thirteenth year of my reign, prince Kurran repaired to my court at Sindla, to congratulate me on my victories and the conquest of the Dekhan, and presented 100 gold mohurs, 1000 rupees, and gold ornaments and jewels to the value of 21,000 rupees." "In the fourteenth year of my reign, I received intelligence of the death of Rana Amra Singh. To Bhim Singh his son, and Jaggat Singh his grandson, who were in attendance on me, I gave khilats; and I despatched Raja Kishore Das with a firman conferring benefits and the dignity of Rana on prince Kurran, the khilat being accompanied by the robe of investiture, choice horses, and a letter of condolence suitable to the occasion. In the firman, I expressed to Rana Kurran my desire that his son, with his contingent, should attend me." To have generalised the details of the royal historian would have been to lessen the interest of this important period in the annals of Mewar. Jahangir merits to have his exultation described by his own pen. With his self-gratulation, he bears full testimony to the gallant and long - protracted resistance of the Rajput ; and while he impartially, though rather erroneously, estimates their motives and means of opposition, he does Amra ample justice in the declaration that he did not yield until he had but the alternative of captivity or exile ; and with a magnanimity above all praise, he records the Rajput prince's salvo for his dignity, " that he would hold himself excused from attending the emperor in person." The simple and naive declaration of his joy, his " going abroad " on Alam Goman on hearing of the Rana's submission, is far more effective than the most pompous description of public rejoicing. But there is a heart-stirring philanthropy in the conduct of the Mogul which does him immortal honour ; and in commanding his son " to treat the illustrious one according to his heart's wishes," though he had so long and so signally foiled the royal armies, he proved himself worthy of the good fortune he acknowledges, and well shows his sense of the superiority of the chief of all the Rajputs by placing the heir of Mewar even above the princes of his own house, immediately "on his right hand." Whether attempting to relieve the shyness of Kurran, or to set forth the princely appearance of Jaggat Singh, we see the same amiable feeling operating to lighten the chains of the conquered. But the shyness of Kurran deserves a nobler term ; he felt the degradation which neither the statues raised to them, the right hand of the monarch, the dignity of a "commander of five thousand," nor even the restoration of the long -alienated territory, could neutralise, when the kingdom to which he was heir was called a fief, and himself, the descendant of a hundred kings, the vassal of the empire, under whose banner, which his ancestors had so courageously opposed, he was now to follow with a contingent of 1500 Rajput horse. Seldom has subjugated authority met with such consideration ; yet, to a lofty mind like Amra's, this conscious condescension but increased the severity of endurance. In the bitterness of his heart, he cursed the magnanimity of Khuram, whose Rajput descent and sympathies, more than the force of arms, had induced him to surrender ; for Khuram asked but the friendship of the Rajput as the price of peace, and agreed to withdraw every Muhammadan from Mewar if the Rana would consent to receive the emperor's firman outside the walls of his capital. This his proud soul rejected, and though he visited Prince Khuram as a friend, he spurned the proposition of acknowledging a superior, or receiving the rank and titles awaiting such an admission. The noble Amra, who took the resolution to abdicate the throne he could no longer hold but at the will of another. Assembling his chiefs, and disclosing his determination, he made the tika on his son's forehead, and, observing that the honour of Mewar was now in his hands, forthwith left the capital, and secluded himself in the Nauchoki, nor did he from that hour cross its threshold but to have his ashes deposited with those of his fathers. All comment is superfluous on such a character as that of Rana Amra. He was worthy of Partap and his race. He possessed the physical as well as the mental qualities of a hero, and was the tallest and strongest of all the princes of Mewar. He was not so fair as others of his race, and he had a reserve bordering on gloominess, doubtless occasioned by his reverses, for it was not natural to him or to his family. He was beloved by his chiefs for the qualities they most esteemed, generosity and valour, and by his subjects for his justice and charity, of which we can judge from his edicts, many of which yet live on the column or the rock.

Chapter 10 — Rana Amra Singh