Chapter 5 — Annals of Mewar

Though lacking the refinements of the more cultured nations of the west, there was one respect in which the Rajput could vie with the most civilised men of any age or clime, namely, in his devotion to the fair sex. Like the ancient German or Scandinavian, he consulted his wife in every transaction; from her ordinary actions he drew the omen of success, and he appended to her name the epithet devi> or godlike. In spite of her incarceration, the influence of the Rajputni in public as well as domestic affairs was often far more powerful than that of her husband. Cest aux homines ct faire des grandes choses, Jest aux femmes ales inspirer, is a maxim to which no Rajput cavalier would have refused to subscribe. He knew there was no retreat into which the report of a gallant exploit would not penetrate and set fair hearts in motion to be the object of his search; and he was ready to engage in the most desperate enterprise to protect the honour, or win the regard of the lady of his choice. Nothing fired his resentment more speedily than an offence against female delicacy, and there are many instances in the history of Rajasthan when a ribald jest was sufficient to cause a feud which generations of bloodshed could not extinguish. But however, exalted the respect of the Rajput for the fair sex, he nevertheless held that and inattention to domestic duties was a crime not to be overlooked. On one occasion, during the most tempestuous period of the history of Mewar, the Rana had bestowed a daughter on a foreign chieftain, to whom he had made a grant of the district of Sadri; and the royal bride showed a disposition to resent the control of her less exalted lord and master. To the courteous request, M Ranawatji, fill me a cup of water," he received a contemptuous refusal, with the remark that the daughter of a hundred kings would not become cupbearer to the chieftain of Sadri. "Very well," replied the plain soldier, " you may return to your father's house, if you can be of no use in mine." A messenger was instantly sent to the court, and the incident, with every aggravation, was reported. The princess followed on the heels of her messenger, and a summons soon arrived for the Sadri chief to attend his sovereign at the capital. He obeyed; and arrived in time to give his explanation just as the Rana was proceeding to hold a full court. As usual, the Sadri chief was placed on his sovereign's right hand, and when the court broke up, the heir-apparent of Mewar, at a preconcerted sign, stood at the edge of the carpet, performing the menial office of holding the slippers of the chief. Shocked at such a mark of extreme respect, he stammered forth some words of homage, his un worthiness, etc., to which the Rana replied, "As my son-in-law, no distinction too great can be conferred: take home your wife, she will never again refuse you a cup of water." To illustrate the respect and deference to which the Rajputni was accustomed we will give another short anecdote. The celebrated Raja Jai Singh of Ambar had espoused a princess of Haravati, whose manners and garb, accordant with the simplicity of that provincial capital, subjected her to the badinage of the more advanced court of Ambar, whose ladies had exchanged their national dress for that of the imperial court at Delhi. One day, when alone with his bride, the prince began playfully to contrast the sweeping jupe of Kotah with the more scanty robe of the belles of his own capital, and, taking up a pair of scissors, said he would reduce it to an equality with the latter. Offended at such levity, she seized his sword, and, assuming a threatening attitude, said that in the house to which she had the honour to belong, they were not habituated to jests of such a nature ; that mutual respect was the guardian, not only of happiness but of virtue ; and she assured him, that if he ever again so insulted her, he would find that the daughter of Kotah could use a sword more effectively than the prince of Ambar the scissors, adding, that she would prevent any further scion of her house from being subjected to similar disrespect, by declaring such intermarriages tilac, or forbidden, which interdict yet exists. It was a jest of an equally harmless description which robbed Chonda, the eldest son of Lakha, of his throne, and which, in its consequences, proved more disastrous to the fortunes of Mewar than the armies of the Moguls. Lakha Rana was advanced in years, his sons and grandsons established in suitable domains, when "the cocoa-nut came" from Rinmal, prince of Mandor, to affiance his daughter with the heir of Mewar. When the embassy was announced, Chonda was absent, and the old chief was seated in his chair of state, surrounded by his court. He received the messenger of Hymen courteously, and observed that Chonda would soon return and take the gage; " for," added he, drawing his fingers over his mustachios, " I don't suppose you send such playthings to an old greybeard like me." This little sally was, of course, applauded and repeated, and Chonda, offended at delicacy being sacrificed to wit, declined to accept the symbol which his father had, even in jest, supposed might be intended for himself. The old Rana was greatly incensed at his son's obstinacy, and, as the cocoa-nut could not be returned without gross insult to Rinmal, he decided to accept it himself. He made Chonda swear that, in the event of his having a son, he would renounce his birthright, and be to the child but "the first of his Rajputs"; and Chonda swore by Eklinga, the presiding deity of the Sesodias, to fulfil his father's wishes. Within a year of his marriage, a son, Mokul, was born, and, to ensure his peaceful succession, the Rana, before setting out on his crusade to Gya, caused the ceremony of his installation to be performed. Chonda was the first to do homage and swear fidelity to the future sovereign, only reserving for himself, as the recompense for his renunciation, the first place in the councils, and stipulating that in all grants to the vassals of the crown his own symbol, the lance, should be superadded to the signature of the chief, a practice which obtains to the present day. The sacrifice of Chonda to offended delicacy was great; for besides being brave, frank, and a skilled soldier, he possessed all the qualities requisite for a ruler; and after his father's departure and death, he conducted the public affairs of the state with ability and success. But the queen-mother, the natural guardian of her infant's rights, felt umbrage and discontent at her loss of power, forgetting that, but for Chonda, she would never have been mother to the Rana of Mewar. She watched with a jealous eye all his proceedings, and made no attempt to conceal her suspicions that he was aiming at absolute sovereignty, and that if he did not assume the title of Rana, he would reduce it to an empty name. Chonda, knowing the purity of his own motives, for some time made allowances for maternal solicitude; but his position soon became unendurable, and he threw up the reins of government in disgust. Bidding his successor look well to the rights of the Sesodias, he retired to the court of Mandu, where he was received with distinction, and the district of Hallar was assigned to him by the prince. His departure was the signal for an influx of the kindred of the queen, amongst whom were her brother Joda (who afterwards gave his name to Jodhpur), and her father, the old Rao Rinmal. It was soon seen that Chonda's parting words were no idle warning, and the queen-mother found that, instead of safe guarding her own position and her son's interests, she had jeopardised both. With his grandson on his knee, the old Rao would sit on the throne of Mewar, and when the boy quitted him for play, the royal ensigns continued to wave over his head. This was more than the Sesodia nurse could bear, and one day, bursting with indignation, she demanded of the queen if her kin was to defraud her own child of his inheritance. Thoroughly alarmed, the queen addressed a remonstrance to her father, the only reply to which was a hint threatening the life of her offspring. Her fears were soon increased by the assassination of Raghudeva, Chonda's brother, a prince beloved by the Sesodias for his virtues and manly courage. In this extremity, the queen-mother turned her thoughts to Chonda, and she contrived to apprise him of the danger which threatened his race. The latter, on his departure from Chitor, had been accompanied by 200 huntsmen, whose ancestors had served the chiefs of Mewar from ancient times. On the pretext of visiting their families, whom they had left behind, these men gained admission to the city, and succeeded in getting themselves enrolled among the keepers of the gates. The queen-mother was counselled to cause the young prince to descend daily with a numerous retinue to give feasts to the surrounding villages, and not to fail, on the " festival of lamps," to hold the feast at Gosunda. The instructions were carefully attended to. The day arrived ; the feast was held at Gosunda ; but night began to close in, and no Chonda appeared. With heavy hearts the nurse, the purohit, or family priest, and others in the secret, moved homeward. They had reached the eminence known as Chitori, when forty horsemen passed them at a gallop, and at their head Chonda in disguise, who by a secret sign paid homage as he passed to his younger brother and sovereign. The band reached the upper gate unchecked, and when challenged said that they were neighbouring chieftains who, hearing of the feast at Gosunda, had the honour to escort the young prince home. The story obtained credit ; but the main body, of which this was but the advance, presently coming up, the treachery was apparent. Chonda unsheathed his sword, and, at his wellknown shout, his hunters were speedily in action. The gates were flung open, the guards cut to pieces, and in a few moments every Rahtor had been killed or hunted out of the city. The end of Rao Rinmal was more ludicrous than tragical. When the gates were rushed, he was in his palace, half intoxicated with wine, and dallying with a Sesodia maiden whom force had compelled to his side. The drunken old chief was no match for the lithe Rajputni, who, hearing the tumult without, dexterously bound him to his bed with his own Marwari turban ; and, before his dazed senses could realise what was taking place, the messengers of fate were at the door of his apartment. Wild with rage, he struggled to extricate himself, and by some tortuosity of movement got upon his legs, his pallet at his back like a shell. With no arms but a brass vessel of ablution, he levelled to the ground more than one of his assailants, before a ball from a matchlock extended him on the floor of his palace. But Chonda's revenge was not yet satisfied. He pursued Rao Joda who, though he managed to make good his escape, was obliged to leave Mandor to its fate. This city Chonda entered by surprise and captured without difficulty. It was held by his two sons, whom he left in possession, for a period of twelve years, at the end of which time, Joda, with the assistance of the chieftains of Mewoh and Pabuji, succeeded in recovering his capital. The elder son of Chonda with many adherents was slain ; and the younger, deserted by the subjects of Mandor, trusted to the swiftness of his horse to escape, but was overtaken, and killed on the borders of God war. Thus Joda, in his turn, was avenged; but " the fued was not balanced." Two sons of Chftor had fallen for one chief of Mandor. But wisely reflecting on the original aggression, and on the superior power of Mewar, Joda sued for peace, and to quench the feud, agreed that the spot where Chonda's younger son fell should be the future barrier of the two states. The entire province of Godwar was comprehended in this cession, and remained in the possession of the Ranas for more than three centuries. Chonda's name is one of the most famous in the annals of Mewar, and he was the founder of the famous clan called after him the Chondawats, who played so prominent a part in the later history of the state. Mokul, who obtained the throne by Chonda's surrender of his birthright, succeeded in 1398, and reigned not unworthily for twenty years. He took possession of Sambur and its salt lakes, and otherwise strengthened and extended his territories, which the distracted state of the country, consequent on Timur's invasion, rendered a matter of little difficulty. He was murdered by his uncles, the natural brothers of his father, who considered themselves affronted by a supposed allusion, on the part of the prince, to the irregularity of their origin. He was followed by his son Khumbho in 1419, under whom Mewar reached the zenith of her prosperity. A hundred years had elapsed since Allah-ud-din had trampled on the glories of Chitor. The city had recovered the sack, and new defenders had sprung up to replace those who had sacrificed themselves for her preservation. All that was wanting to augment her resources against the storms that were collecting on the Caucasus and the banks of the Oxus, was effected by Khumbho, who, with Hamfr's energy, Lakha's taste for the arts, and a genius comprehensive as either and more fortunate, succeeded in all his undertakings, and once more raised the ''crimson banner" of Mewar upon the banks of the Caggar. Of the eighty-four fortresses for the defence of the state, thirty-two were erected by Khumbho ; and the famous Komulmfr, or fortress of Khumbho, is an imperishable example of his stupendous labours. This stronghold occupies the top of a lofty and precipitous hill, rising to a height of more than 3,000 feet above the sea. A massive wall, with numerous towers and pierced battlements encloses a space some miles in extent below. The ascent is very narrow, and four gateways have to be passed before the entrance to the fortress can be reached. The battlements rise, tier upon tier, to the summit of the hill, which is crowned with the Badal Mahal, or " cloud-capped palace " of the Ranas. He also built a citadel on the peak of Abu, where he often resided. Its magazine and alarm-tower still bear his name; and in a rude temple the bronze effigies of Khumbho and his father receive divine honours. Besides these monuments of his genius, two consecrated to religion still survive ; that of " Khumbho Shaim " on Mount Abu, which, though worthy to attract notice elsewhere, is here eclipsed by a crowd of more interesting objects ; and the other a temple erected in the Sadri pass, and one of the largest buildings existing. It is said to have cost upwards of a million pounds to build. It consists of three stories, and is supported by granite columns 40 feet in height. The interior is inlaid with mosaics of cornelian and agate. Khumbho also attained some fame as an author, his principal work being a commentary on the Gita Govinda, or u Divine Melodies." His wife, Mira Bai, a Rahtor princess, famed for her beauty and piety, was a writer of poetry, and many of her odes and hymns to the deity are yet preserved and admired. Khumbho's military achievements were many; but the most famous of them was his defeat of the combined armies of Malwa and Gujarat. It was towards the close of the Khilji dynasty that the satraps of Delhi began to shake off the imperial yoke, and to establish themselves as independent rulers. Five distinct kingdoms were created: Bijapur and Golconda in the Dekhan, and Jaunpur, Malwa, and Gujarat in Hindustan proper. The two latter had attained considerable power when Khumbho ascended the throne, and in the year 1440 they formed a league against him and invaded his kingdom. The Rana met them on the plains of Malwa bordering on his own state, at the head of 100,000 horse and foot and 14,000 elephants. The invaders were entirely defeated, and Mahmud, the Khilji sovereign of Malwa, was carried captive to Chitor. Abul Fazil, the famous chronicler, relates this victory, and dilates on Khumbho's greatness of soul in setting his enemy at liberty without ransom or gifts. The annals of Mewar, however, state that Mahmud was confined six months in Chitor ; and, that the trophies of conquest were retained, we have evidence from Babar, who mentions recovering from the son of Rana Sanga the crown of the Malwa king. A column, the building of which occupied ten years, commemorates this victory, and the prowess of Khumbho who saved his country when " shaking the earth, the lords of Gujur-khand and Malwa, with armies overwhelming as the ocean, invaded Medpat." Khumbho occupied the throne for half a century, and his reign was the most glorious in the history of Mewar. But the year which should have been a jubilee was marked by the foulest crime recorded in the annals. His life, which nature must soon have closed, was terminated by the poniard of an assassin — that assassin, his son!

Chapter 5 — Chonda and Khiimbho