Chapter 7 — Annals of Mewar

Though Ratna occupied the throne for only five years, he had the satisfaction of seeing the ex-king of Ferghana, the founder of the Mogul dynasty of India, leave the scene before him, and without the diminution of an acre of land to Mewar since the fatal day of Biana. He was succeeded by his brother, Bikramajft. This prince had all the turbulence of his race, without the redeeming qualities which had endeared his brother to his subjects. He was insolent, passionate, vindictive, and utterly regardless of the respect due to his proud nobles. Instead of appearing at their head, he passed his time amongst wrestlers and prize-fighters, on whom, and a multitude of paiks, or foot - soldiers, he lavished those gifts and favours to which the aristocratic Rajputs, the equestrian order of Rajasthan, arrogated exclusive right. In this innovation he probably imitated his foes, who had learnt the value of infantry. The use of artillery was now becoming general, and the Moslems had perceived the necessity of foot for its protection. But, except in sieges, the Rajput despised the new arm, preferring to fall with dignity from his steed, rather than to descend to an equality with his mercenary antagonist. An open rupture was the consequence of such an innovation, and, to use the figurative expression for misrule, Poppa Bai kd raj1 was triumphant. The police were despised ; the cattle carried off by free - hooters from under the walls of Chitor ; and when his cavaliers were ordered in pursuit, the Rana was tauntingly told to send his paiks. Bahadur, Sultan of Gujarat, determined to take advantage of the Rajput divisions, and to revenge the disgrace of his predecessor's defeat. Reinforced by the troops of Mandu, he marched against the Rana, then encamped in the Biindi territory. Though the force was overwhelming, yet, with the high courage belonging to his house, Bikramajit did not hesitate to give battle ; but his mercenary bands were unable to withstand the Tartar onset, while his vassals and kin marched off in a body to defend Chitor and the posthumous son of Sanga Rana, still an infant. There is a sanctity in the very name of Chitor, which from the earliest times never failed to secure her defenders. And now, when threatened again by the " barbarian," the bitterest feuds were forgotten, and every chieftain who could claim kinship with the house of Mewar came to pour out his blood in defence of the abode of his fathers. " The son of Biindi " came with a brave band of 500 Haras ; the heir of Surajmal (son of the parricide Uda, who had made a kingdom for himself at Deola) brought a strong force of auxiliaries, as did also the chiefs of Sonigura and Deora, the Raos of Jhalawar and Abu, and many others from all parts of Rajasthan. This was the most powerful effort hitherto made against the state of Mewar by the sultans of Central India. European artillerists are recorded in the annals as brought to the subjugation of Chitor. The engineer is styled Labri Khan of Frengan, and to his skill Bahadur was indebted for the successful storm which ensued. He sprung a mine at the Bika Rock, which blew up forty-five cubits of the ramparts, together with the bastion where the brave Haras were posted. The breach was bravely defended, and many assaults were repelled. To set an example of courageous devotion, the queen-mother, Jawahi Bai, clad in armour, headed a sally, in which she was slain. Still the besiegers gained ground, and the last council convened was to concert means to save the infant son of Sanga from his imminent peril. But Chitor could only be defended by royalty, and again recourse was had to the expedient of crowning a king, as a sacrifice to the dignity of the presiding deity. The prince of Deola courted the insignia of destruction : the banner of Mewar floated over him, and the golden sun on its sable field never shone more refulgent than when the changi1 was raised, amid the shouts of the defenders, over the head of the son of Surajmal. The infant Udai Singh was placed in safety with the prince of Bundi, and, while materials for the johur were preparing, the garrison put on their saffron robes. There was little time for the pyre. The bravest had fallen in defending the breach, now completely exposed. Combustibles were quickly heaped in reservoirs and magazines excavated in the rock, under which gunpowder was strewed. Kurnavati, mother of the prince, led the procession of willing victims to their doom, and 13,000 females were thus swept, in a moment, from the record of life. The gates were thrown open, and the Deola chief, at the head of the survivors, with a blind and impotent despair, rushed on his fate. Bahadur must have been appalled at the horrid spectacle which the interior of the fortress presented. To use the emphatic words of the annalist, "the last day of Chftor had arrived." Every clan lost its chief, and the choicest of its warriors. During the siege and in the storm 32,000 Rajputs were slain. This was the second saca of Chi'tor. Bahadur had remained but a fortnight in Chftor when the advance of Humayun, who had received the gift of the bracelet from Queen Kurnavati, and was therefore pledged to champion her cause, warned him to retire. The custom here alluded to played, on more than one occasion, an important part in the history of Rajasthan, and merits more than a passing reference. The festival of the rakhi (bracelet) takes place in the spring, and, whatever its origin, it is one of the few when an intercourse of gallantry of the most delicate nature is established between the fair sex and the cavaliers of Rajasthan. At this season the Rajput dame sends a bracelet, either by her handmaid or the family priest, to the knight of her choice. With the rakhi she confers the title of adopted brother ; and, while its acceptance secures to her all the protection of a cavalier servant, scandal itself never suggests any other tie to his devotion. He may hazard his life in her cause, and yet never receive a smile in reward, for he cannot even see the fair object who has constituted him her defender. But there is a charm in the mystery of such connection, and no honour is more highly esteemed than that of being the rakhiband bhai, or " bracelet-bound brother," of a princess. The intrinsic value of the pledge is never looked to, nor is it necessary that the gift should be costly, though it varies with the means and rank of the donor, and may be of flock silk and spangles, or of gold chains and gems. The acceptance of the pledge and its return is by the katchli, or corset, of simple silk or satin, or of gold brocade and pearls. A whole province has often accompanied the katchli. The courteous delicacy of this custom appealed to the chivalrous nature of Humayun, and he was so pleased at receiving the bracelet from the princess Kurnavati, which invested him with the title of her brother, and protector to her infant Udai Singh, that he pledged himself to her service, " even if the demand were the castle of Rinthambur." It was not until her Amazonian sister, the Rahtor queen, was slain, that Kurnavati demanded the fulfilment of the pledge. Humayun proved himself a true knight, and even abandoned his conquests in Bengal to succour Chitor. He expelled the troops of Bahadur from the city, took Mandu by assault, and, as a punishment for the part her chief had played in allying himself with the king of Gujarat, he sent for the Rana Bikramajit whom, following their own notions of investiture, he girt with a sword in the captured citadel of his foe. Bikramajit, though restored to his capital, had gained nothing by adversity ; or, to employ the words of the annalist, " experience had brought no wisdom." He renewed all his former insolence to his nobles, and so entirely threw aside his own dignity as to strike in open court Karamchand of Ajmir, the protector of his father, Sanga, in his misfortunes. The assembly rose with one accord at this indignity to their order and repaired straightway to Banbir, the natural son of Sanga's brother Prithvi Raj, and offered to seat him on the throne of Chitor. Banbir had the virtue, or the cunning, to resist the solicitation, and it was only when the nobles painted the dangers which threatened their country if their chief at such a period had not their confidence, that he gave his consent. A few hours of sovereignty, however, sufficed to check those " compunctuous visitings " which assailed Banbir ere he assumed its trappings, with which he found himself so little encumbered that he was content to wear them for life. Whether this was the intention of the nobles who set aside the unworthy son of Sanga, there is abundant reason to doubt ; and as Banbir is subsequently branded with the epithet of " usurper," it was probably limited to investing him with the executive authority during the minority of Udai Singh. Banbir, however, only awaited the approach of night to remove with his own hands the obstacle to his ambition. Udai Singh was not yet six years of age. He had gone to sleep after his rice and milk, when his nurse was alarmed by screams from the rdwula, or seraglio, and the bdri (barber), coming in to remove the remains of the dinner, informed her of the cause, the assassination of the Rana. Aware that one murder was the precursor of another, the faithful nurse put her charge into a fruit basket, and, covering it with leaves, delivered it to the Bdri, enjoining him to escape with it from the fort. Scarcely had she had time to substitute her own son in the room of the prince, when Banbi'r, entering, enquired for him. Her lips refused their office. She pointed to the bed, and beheld the murderous steel buried in the heart of her child. The little victim to fidelity was burnt amidst the tears of the household, who supposed that their grief was given to the last pledge of the illustrious Sanga. The nurse, a Rajputni of the Khichi tribe, having consecrated with her tears the ashes of her child, hastened after that she had preserved. But well had it been for Mewar had the poniard fulfilled its intention, and had the annals never recorded the name of Udai Singh in the catalogue of her princes. The faithful barber was awaiting the nurse in the bed of the Beris river, some miles west of Chftor, and fortunately the child had remained asleep until he had descended from the city. They set out for Deola, and sought refuge with Singh Rao, the successor of Bagh-ji, who fell for Chi'tor. But the prince, dreading the consequences of detection, refused the fugitives an asylum. They proceeded to Dongarpur which, like Deola, was ruled by a prince closely allied to the house of Chitor. Here, too, they met with disappointment, the prince pleading the danger which threatened himself and the child in so feeble a sanctuary. Pursuing a circuitous route through the intricate valleys of the Aravalli, and aided by the protection of the wild but hospitable Bhils, they gained Komulmir. The resolution which the nurse had formed was as bold as it was judicious. She demanded an interview with the Governor, Assa Sah, and, this being granted, she placed the child in his lap, and bade him "guard the life of his sovereign." Assa Sah was perplexed and alarmed ; but his mother, who was present, upbraided him for his scruples. "Fidelity," she said, "never looks at dangers and difficulties. He is your master, the son of vSanga, and by God's blessing the result will be glorious." So Udai Singh found a refuge at Komulmir, where he was given out to be the nephew of Assa. The fact of Udai Singh's existence remained hidden for seven years ; and the secret was eventually betrayed by his aristocratic appearance and bearing. On the occasion of the visit of the Sonigurra chief, Udai Singh was sent to receive him, and the dignified manner in which he performed the duty convinced the chief that "he was no nephew to the Sah." Rumour spread the tale, and brought not only the nobles of Mewar, but many adjacent chiefs, to hail the son of Rana Sanga. All doubt was finally removed by the testimony of the nurse, and her coadjutor the barber. A court was formed, and the faithful Assa resigned his trust, and placed the prince in the lap of the Kotario Chohan, as the "great ancient" among the nobles of Mewar, who had throughout been acquainted with the secret, and who, to dissipate any doubts that might yet remain, "ate off the same plate with him." Udai received the tika of Chitor in the castle of Khumbho, and the homage of nearly all the chiefs of Mewar. Meanwhile, things had been progressing but indifferently well with Banbir. He had not borne himself meekly since his advancement. Having seized on the dignity of the legitimate monarchs oi Chitor, he wished to ape all their customs ; and even had the effrontery to punish as an insult the refusal of one of the proud sons of Chonda to take the dunah from his bastard hand. The dunah is a portion of the dish of which the prince partakes, sent by his own hand to whomsoever he honours at the banquet. At the rassora, or refectory, the chiefs who are admitted to dine in the presence of their sovereign are seated according to their rank. The repast is one of those occasions when an easy familiarity is permitted, which though unrestrained, never exceeds the bounds of etiquette, and the habitual reverence due to their father and prince. When he sends, by the steward of the kitchen, a portion of the dish before him, or a little from his own khansa, or plate, all eyes are guided to the favoured mortal, whose good fortune is the subject of subsequent conversation. To such an extent is the privilege yet carried, and such importance is attached to the personal character of the princes of Mewar, that the test of regal legitimacy in Rajasthan is admission to eat from the same plate with the Rana ; and to the refusal of this honour to the great Man Singh of Ambar, may be indirectly ascribed the ruin of the state. It may, therefore, be conceived with what contempt the haughty nobility of Chi'tor received the mockery of honour from the hand of this "fifth son of Mewar"; and the Chondawat chief had the boldness to add to his refusal that "an honour from the hand of a true son of Bappa Rawul becomes a disgrace when proffered by the offspring of the handmaid, Situlsini." The defection soon became general, and all repaired to the valley of Komulmi'r to hail the legitimate son of Mewar. A caravan of 500 horses and 10,000 oxen, laden with merchandise from Kutch, the dower of Banbir's daughter, guarded by 1,000 horsemen, was plundered in the passes; a signal intimation of the decay of the chief's authority, and affording a welcome supply for the celebration of the nuptials of Udai Singh with the daughter of the Rao of Jhalawar. Deserted by all, Banbir held out in the capital; but his minister admitted, under the garb of a reinforcement with supplies, a thousand resolute adherents of the prince. The keepers of the gates were surprised and slain, and the reign of Udai Singh was proclaimed. Banbir was permitted to retire with his family and his wealth. He sought refuge in the Dekhan, and the Bhonsla's of Nagpur are said to derive their origin from this spurious branch of Chitor.

Chapter 7 — Second Sack of Chitor & Accession of Udai Singh