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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

History of JaiMal and Patta : HEROes of the 3rd Siege | Battle of Chittor - With Portraits




The Annals of Mewar remember the heroic deeds of Rawat Patta Sisodia and Jaimal Rathore, during the 3rd and final Siege of the Fort of Chittor, 1567-68 in following words ---



" 
There were many chiefs who defended Chittor in it's history.......But the names which shine brightest in this gloomy page of the annals of Mewar, the names immortalised by Akbar's own pen, are those of Jaimal of Bednor and Patta of Kailwa, both from the sixteen superior vassals of Chittor.......The first was a Rathore of the Merta house, the bravest of the brave clans of Marwar; the other was head of the Jugawats, another grand shoot from Chunda. The names, "Jaimal and Patta," always inseparable, are as household words in Mewar, and will be honoured while the Rajput retains a shred of his inheritance or a spark of his ancient recollections. When Sahidas fell at SurajPol , the command devolved on Patta of Kailwa. He was only sixteen. His father had fallen in the last siege, and his mother had survived but to rear this the sole heir of her house. Like the Spartan mother of old, she commanded him to put on the saffron robe (kesariya), and to die for Chittor; but, surpassing the Grecian dame, she illustrated her precept by example; and, lest thoughts for one dearer than herself might dim the lustre of Kailwa, she armed his young bride with a lance, and the defenders of Chittor saw the fair princess descend the rock and fall fighting by the side of her brave mother(in-law).

When their wives and daughters performed such deeds, the Rajputs became reckless of life. Seeing there was no hope of salvation, he resolved to signalise the end of his career. The fatal johur was commanded, while 8000 Rajputs ate the last 'bira' together, and put on their saffron robes
(kesariya). The gates were thrown open, the work of destruction commenced, and few survived to "stain the yellow mantle" by inglorious surrender(means victory of Akbar).  
"

----- The Annals of Mewar




Folks,

This post is an attempt to recount the brave and heroic deeds of two well-known vassals of Mewar - JaiMal and Patta, their names have become inseparable from each other. In this post, i have tried to sum up the important details related to them.



Rawat Patta Sisodia

He was a direct descendant of Mewar Prince Rawat Chunda Sisodia, the founder of Chundavat offshoot of Mewar ; the eldest son of Rana Lakha of Mewar, Prince Chunda renounced the throne in favor of his younger brother and continued serving Mewar as an administrator for the King. Patta was the grand-son of Rawat Siha Ji, who was in turn the grandson of Rawat Chunda Sisodia. 

The sequence of rulers is : 
Rana Lakha(Mewar) -> Rawat Chunda Sisodia(Mewar) -> Rawat Kandal Ji -> Rawat Siha Ji -> Rawat Jaga -> Rawat Patta Sisodia(Kailwa).

There are many similarities among these legends of those times, which i am going to list here...

a. Rawat Siha Ji was a companion of Rana Sanga of Mewar. 
b. Similarly, their grand-sons, Patta and Maharana Pratap were also companions.


c. Rawat Siha Ji died fighting from the side of Rana Sanga, against Mughal Emperor Babur in the Battle of Khanua in 1527.
d. Similarly, his grandson Patta also died fighting from the side of Rana Sanga's grandson Maharana Pratap, against the grandson of Babur - Mughal Emperor Akbar.

Another interesting observation is that::
Rawat Chundavat, a close confident of Rana Udai Singh II of Mewar, was REAL nephew of Patta's grandfather Rawat Siha Ji. Hence, Patta was also a nephew of Rawat Chundavat.

Note:
Sisodia is a Rajput Dynasty. Chundavat is an offshoot of Sisodias.

 Patta took the reins of his estate of Kailwa at a young age in 1555, after the death of his father in a battle fought near Udaipur. Gradually, he became a prominent Sardar of Mewar. Hence, Rana Udai Singh II, appointed him an "Adhi pati" of Mewar in 1567, when Mughal Emperor Akbar laid a siege to the Fort of Chittor. In this battle, he fought bravely till his last breath, finally being trampled under an elephant. He died in the Rann Junjher (The LAST fight in battle - Saka) against Mughal Emperor Akbar in this 3rd Siege of Chittor in 1568.

It is said that single handed he cut a trail of destruction through the Mughal ranks till an elephant was sent charging against him. Struck by the charge he was killed, while his mother and a wife had been slain earlier.

Patta was one of the last chiefs who fell in the Saka. At dawn, on the morning after the Jauhar, Akbar rode into the fortress, mounted on an elephant, attended by many other elephants and several thousand men.

Akbarnama records Patta's end as follows, when Akbar entered the Fort in the morning of Saka : "His Majesty related that he had come near the temple of Gobind Shyam when an elephant-driver trampled a man under his elephant. The driver said that he did not know the man's name but that he appeared to be one of the leaders, and that a large number of men had fought around him with sacrifice of their lives. At last it came out that it was Patta who had been trampled to death. At the time he was produced, there was a breath of life in him, but he shortly afterwards died. "


Rawat Patta Sisodia



Wives:
They committed Jauhar / some perished in the skirmish.
1. Rani Jiwa Bai Solanki
2. Rani Madalasha Bai Shekhawat
3. Rani Sarda Bai Rathore
4. Rani Bhagwati Bai Chauhan
5. Rani Padmavati Bai Jhalia
6. Rani Ratan Bai Rathore

7. Rani Balesha Bai Chauhan
8. Rani Bagdi Bai Chauhan
9. Rani Asha Bai Parmar

Daughers:
5 young daughters. 

Finally, all the daughters did Jauhar along with all of his wives, or perished in the skirmish.

Sons:
6 sons. His 2 sons perished, they were minors, they were with their mothers during the Jauhar. 4 of his sons survived this war.
Eldest among these 4 sons was -> Rawat Kala Chundavat, who succeeded his father, Patta. He fought battles against Mughal forces from the side of Maharana Pratap, like the Battle near Jhunjhunu. Finally, he died in the Battle of Haldighati fighting along with Maharana Pratap on 18th June 1576.

Mother:
Rani Sajjan Bai Songara Chauhan. She committed herself to the flames / perished on the battle-field during the 3rd Siege of Chittor. 


Note :
Songara is an offshoot of Agnivanshi Chauhan Rajputs. Interestingly, there is yet another similarity here. Maharana Pratap's mother Jaiwanta Bai Songara Chauhan, was also from the same Chauhan Agnivanshi Rajputs. They trace their lineage from the house of Prithviraj Chauhan(died 1192), ruler of Ajmer/Delhi.



Father::
Rawat Jaga. He had a great role to play in many battles he fought for Mewar. He died in 1555 while fighting in a battle on the river Som, near Udaipur.

Uncle::
Rawat Naga was the uncle of Patta. Like his younger brother - Rawat Jaga, he also took part in many battles fought by Mewar like -
a. In a battle at Suraj Pol, Chittor
b. In the 2nd Siege of Chittor after the death of Rana Sanga, he took the charge of army against Bahadur Shah of Gujarat in 1535. He died in the Saka in this battle, after the Jauher of ladies.

Grand Father of Patta::
Rawat Siha Ji, second son of Rawat Kandalji and his wife Rani Bar Kanwar Sankli ; and grandson of Rao Chunda of Mewar. He was granted the estate of Modva* initially, later Rana Sanga exchanged this for the new estate of Kothariya* in 1509; 


* Modva and Kothariya are towns in present day Rajsamand district of Rajasthan.

He fought many battles :
a. Fought against Kunwar Udai Singh I , 
near 1470. This Udai Singh is different from father of Maharana Pratap - Rana Udai Singh II.
b. Lead a wing of army of Mewar in the Battle of Samecha (year unknown).
c. Along with Kunwar Prithviraj Sisodia (brother of Rana Sanga ) of Mewar, against Lala Khan Pathan of Toda, in early 1500's.
d. Along with his friend Rana Sanga of Mewar, against Ibrahim Lodhi of Delhi in the Battle of Bankhrol in 1510's.
e. He died fighting against Mughal Emperor Babur in the Battle of Khanua on 17th March 1527, fighting along with his ally Rana Sanga of Mewar.

Did you notice, not only Patta Sisodia gave his life in the Saka at the 3rd Siege of Chittor, but also his Father, Uncle, Grand-Father, and even his own son, all of them gave their lives fighting for Mewar, on the battle-field. With Patta's name is associated all the glory a warrior can desire. Dying in the battle-field was a moment every warrior cherished, and the house of Patta had this unique distinction in abundance. Even, today the name of Patta(and Jaimal) are remembered with a sense of pride in Rajasthan.





Jaimal Vikram Rathore


He was a direct descendant of Rao Jodha(1415-1489), the king who founded of the city of Jodhpur in 1459. Rao Jodha had a son named Rao Dudha(1440-1515) from his queen, Rani Champa Bai Songara Chauhan. Rao Dudha was given the estate of Merta, and hence, he established the Merta offshoot of Rathores here.  

Born on 17th September 1507, Jaimal was a grandson of Rao Dudha. He was granted the estate of Bednor by Rana Udai Singh in 1554, in recognition of his exceptional services. Before Chittor siege, Jaimal had earlier, fought a pitched battle against Mughal Subedar Sharf-ud-din, brother-in-law of Mughal Emperor Akbar, in the Battle of Merta in 1562-63. This was also a siege of several months. Finally, being outnumbered, Merta was lost to Mughals, after carrying out the Jauhar and Saka. Later, JaiMal shifted to his other estate of Bednor.
 
The sequence of rulers is : 
Rao Jodha(Jodhpur) -> Rao Dudha(Merta) -> Rao Vikram(Merta) -> Rao JaiMal(Bednor).

Along with Patta, he took the reins of Chittor in 1567, when Mughal Emperor Akbar laid a siege to the Fort of Chittor. He is said to have died from a bullet fired from the match-lock - Sangram, of Mughal Emperor Akbar. 

But, Rajputana sources give a slightly different account. According to them, Jaimal was wounded, not died. According to one of the sources - " Udaipur Ka Itihaas " , which i read, says, Jaimal died between the place called "Hanuman Pol and Bhairav Pol" while fighting a soldier's death. Jaimal was indeed wounded during the attempt to fill a breach created by the Mughal mining. Due to this wound he was unable to mount a horse. Hence, when the Mughal soldiers started pouring in the morning after Jauher, he sat on the shoulders of a soldier and wielding swords in both his hands fought bravely like a normal soldier, not like a battle general, before he finally fell fighting near the SurajPol.


Jaimal Vikram Rathore


Akbarnama records Jaimal's end as follows:

On Tuesday, February 23, 1568, Akbar noticed at the breach a personage wearing a chief's cuirass who was busy directing the defence. Without knowing who the chief might be, Akbar aimed at him with his well-tried musket Sangram. When the man did not come back, the besiegers concluded that he must have been killed. Less than an hour later reports were brought in that the defences were deserted and that fire had broken out in several places in the fort. Raja Bhagwan Das, being familiar with the customs of his country, knew the meaning of the fire, and explained that it must be the jauhar performed at Chittor.

Early in the morning the facts were ascertained. The fortress, chief whom Akbar's shot had killed proved to be Jaimal Rathor of Bednor, who had taken command of the fortress.  As usual in India the fall of the commander decided the fate of the garrison. Shortly before Jaimal was killed a gallant deed was performed by the ladies of the young chieftain Patta, whose name is always linked by tradition with that of Jaimal.



Sons:
I know the details of 2 of his sons. 

-> His eldest son Rao Mukund Rathore perished in the Battle at Kumbhalgarh Fort, during the Siege of Chittor in 1568. As we know, this battle was fought not only for Chittor, but also for the supremacy of other fortresses of Mewar. At other fronts also the battle was continuing.
-> His younger son Rao Ram Rathore perished in the Battle of Haldighati, 18th June 1576, fighting against forces of Mughal Emperor Akbar, alongside Maharana Pratap.

Mother:

His mother is said to be Rani Gorajia Kanwar, Chief Queen of his father. It is not 100% sure to me if she was his biological mother. She was the daughter of Rana Raimal of Mewar(died 1508) and sister of Rana Sanga(died 1527). Hence, JaiMal was also related to Mewar just like Patta.


Father::
 His father was (the son of above mentoned Rao Dudha) - Rao Vikram Rathore, the ruler of Merta till his death in 1544.


Brothers: 
About his siblings, i know of one. His elder brother was Pratap Rathore, who also gave his life in the Saka at Chittor in 1568. He was the ruler of the strategically important estate of Ghanerau, in present day Pali district of Rajasthan. Present on outskirts of Udaipur.

His son Gopal Rathore, actively served Mewar till his death in 1626, and constructed a beautiful castle here in 1606.


View of GhaneRau Castle


Conclusion:

The bitter victory document issued by Mughal Emperor Akbar after the victory at Chittor bears testimony to the fact - the havoc wrecked across the Mughal ranks by the 2 Chiefs - Jaimal and Patta.

Though bitter, but still, the victory document of Mughal Emperor Akbar recognizes the bravery of these two 'enemies' in following words - "Jaimal and Patta who are renowned for their valor among the infidels.......are singly considered to be equal to a thousand horsemen in intrepidity and prowess......."

The names of Jaimal and Patta have become synonymous with the House of Mewar and the Fort of Chittor. Whenever, one talks about Chittor, names of Jaimal and Patta surely come to one's mind. Their deeds evoke a sense of deep respect and a pride to be cherished by the posterity. 

There are lesser known heroes who have earned a place even in the Mughal records for their valor, especially the name of Isar Das Chauhan - who fought an elephant with a bare knife, when it was sent to spread rampage and destruction in the battle-field. First, 50 and then 300 elephants were let loose after arming their trunks with swords in the battle-field. Among them was a favorite elephant of Akbar named Madukar, and Abu'l Fazl records, Isar Das took hold of it's tusk and stabbed it with a dagger and asked him to "convey his(Isar Das's) regards to His Master(Akbar)" in the following words - "Be good enough to convey my respects to your world adorning appreciator of merit".

Every one loves his/her land. In a war, there are two sides. For one side, the other side is an enemy. Same was the case here. Akbar wanted to capture Chittor. These people wanted to defend it. The war was different because this is one war, where one gets the written evidence of involvement of women-folk fighting alongside men for their beloved motherland. This post is a homage to those warriors who staked their all in fight for their principles.


Note:
Rawat Chundavat also gave his life in the Saka at the Battle of Chittor on 24th February 1568. Along with him, his ONLY son Kunwar Amar also died on the same day in the Saka at the Fort of Chittor.

{
Click here to Read about Saka and Jauhar : 
Jauhar and Saka - Ethos of Rajputana 

About Chittor Siege, i have the followung articles which give an in-depth analysis of the Chittor Battle....

7. Fatehnama-i-Chittor, Comparison & Pictures of Mughal-Rajput Weapons, Assessment of Akbar and Maharana Pratap, Old Portraits of Udaipur & Path for the Future Struggle of Mughals - Mewar | LONG Detailed Concluding Assessment..Last Post on Battle of Chittor Part 7

6. DETAILED Rajput Record of Jauhar, Saka & Massacre of Rajputs at 3rd Siege of Chittor(1567-68) | Description of Rajput Warriors & OLD pictures of Chittor Fort | Battle of Chittor Part-6

5. Mughal Record of Jauhar of Rajput Women & Saka of Rajput Warriors at 3rd Siege of Chittor(1567-68) + Mughal Victory Followed by Massacre of Rajput Civilians | Battle of Chittor Part-5 | With Portraits from Akbarnama & personal pictures of Chittor Fort

4. ACTUAL Struggle between Mughal & Rajput Forces - Course of War BEFORE Jauhar and Saka| Battle of Chittor Part-4 | With explained Portraits from Akbarnama

3. Battles BEFORE the Battle of Chittor - At Kumbhalgarh, Rampur, Udaipur, Mandalgarh | Part - III

2. Preparation of Rajputs - Battle of Chittor | Part - II

1. Why did Akbar attack Chittor | Part - I 
}

More:
Remembering Maharana Pratap


More articles to be added in coming days.
This article has been posted under the Rajputs section of history_geek's BLOG.



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25 comments:

  1. Awesome tribute to two of the greatest warriors in Indian history!


    I really salute the spirit of indomitable courage and sacrifice they showed in fighting for Mewar till the end of their lives. Such great souls become immortal in history.


    Patta's entire family dedicated itself to the service of Mewar and has been blessed with everlasting reverence. It is an example for us to follow - to dedicate ourselves to the nation, at the cost of personal sacrifice.


    I am esp touched by the valour shown by Patta's mother and young wife in fighting gallantly beside him in the war and sacrificing their lives like true soldiers of the land. These ladies along with those who performed the extremely brave act of jauhar will always inspire women to fight for their self-respect and pride.


    Abhay, thank you so much for another masterpiece in this Chittor series. :)

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  2. Welcome Radhika..
    Jaimal and Patta evoke similar emotions as the legend of Gora and Badal.!!
    I completely agree with your assessment about the women-folk as well. :)

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  3. Thank you Abhay, for sharing interesting facts about the two brave Rajvanshi soldiers Jaimal Vikram Rathore and Rawat Patta Sisodia.


    The very fact that Akbar himself recognized the valor of the two brave hearts, speaks volumes about their heroism, indomitable spirit, love and respect towards the Rajput honor and their fearless zest to safeguard it from the Mughals. The womenfolk of yore fighting alongside men, to safeguard their motherland leaves me with a sense of immense pride.


    Thanks again :)

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  4. Welcome Charu. Jaimal and Patta are counted amongst the notable warriors in Rajputana. It is a thing to note that even women participated in this battle for their motherland.

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  5. History-geek,
    Thank u very much fr this great post,a homage to these warriors whose names hv found place even in enemies heart. Ur post.made me emotional, tearful,.Also thanks fr the lesser known tale of Isar Das.;) My salutes not only to these warriors, but also to their mothers, who gave them birth, to fathers, who taught them this kind of valor, also to their motherland, fr whose gaurav, they laid their lives.
    Thank u fr making me realise vanity of issues other than Motherland.:)

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  6. History-geek, I don't remember to hv seen the character of Jaimaal in the serial. Is he yet to come?

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  7. Geeta


    Jaimal was shown in the Chittor track in JA. We may see him again in the Chittor track in MP. :)

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  8. Abhay


    I agree. I don't know how I missed Isar Das' story when I read the post. But it's an awe-inspiring story! Thanks for sharing tales of valor such as these. :)

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  9. emotional nostalgic post abhay. salute those ppl. i still shiver thinking how can women jump into fire alive. m completely full of respect 4 des ppl. #homage
    'tis post made me almost cry.

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  10. Abhay today i read this post. When we read these posts, people who sacrificed their life for Mother -Land, Feels comes, No words, remains, because what they did,
    They deserve, HONOUR from all of us.


    Rajputana famous for his warriorness,or time to time they proved, this post also a Great -honour, for them. If man fought bravely, Femals or child, not became their weakness, they also showed Bravery, & sacrificed their life. Only words comes
    Salute to them.


    I heard Jaimal name when i watched MP, Our Mother land is full of, such warriors, this post is tribute to them.


    Our soldiers sacrifice their life, this time also, Why everyone can't live this earth,
    Peaceful manner.? Not understands, which gets those who everytime plans, to disturb, Peacefullness, of a country.


    Generations changed, Time changed, 16 cen maybee 21 cen, some problems warriors, or citizens, or their family members, facing same. Hope things will be more smooth +peaceful, this cen.or warriors, or citizens, will also enjoy, Life, which is Their Right.

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  11. Thank You Abhay for this post, it indeed is a great tribute to these great warriors. I felt very emotional reading this...

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  12. nice research abhay from the serial only i know about pattha and jaimal from u r post , about MP also very few information( what ever i have read in our school time from the history book )and a lot about him from ur blog.thanks for that. for me u r blog and discussion is a treasure trove so many information ,opinion ,etc,etc, more over it is quiet interesting to read .i usually read u r post the momment i see it in FB this time i took long time to finish ur pervious post that post is also toooo good


    thank u and god bless u, once again for u r effort and hard work

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  13. Abhay and friends,


    On a recent visit to Agra Fort (Red Fort), we noticed the main gate was known as Amar Singh Gate. I was very intrigued that the main gate of a Mughal fort should carry a Rajput name. Our guide, as is the case with most guides, was clueless as to who this Amar Singh was.


    I also forgot about it soon till I read this article. I wanted to read a bit more about Jaimal Rathor and my reading threw up Amar Singh Rathor's name. This was the same king after whom the Agra Fort gate is named. And his story was extremely interesting - so I am sharing it with you all.


    Please excuse me if most of you know this story but it was new to me and I feel there may still be some like me who don't know about this great Rajput king.


    Amar Singh Rathor was the son of Raja Gaj Singh of Marwar. Marwar was then under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. For reasons still unknown to me, Amar Singh was disinherited and exiled by his father from Marwar. Later he became a courtier in Shah Jahan's court. He impressed Shah Jahan with his gallantry on the battle field and soon became the subedar of Nagaur, which was directly ruled by Shah Jahan.


    Once however, Amar Singh was absent from court without informing the Emperor. Some say he went on a hunting trip. Shah Jahan was angry and asked Salabat Khan to collect a fine from him. Amar Singh retorted, "My sword is my only property; collect all tax from it who dare to do so."


    He killed Salabat Khan with his sword in front of the Emperor and escaped from the place by jumping over the walls of Agra Fort on his horse, Bahadur. The horse died later. This spot is marked by the statue of the warrior king on his horse.


    Our guide told us that this was Shivaji Maharaj on his horse but it appears the horse and the warrior are actually Bahadur and Amar Singh.


    Shah Jahan wanted him to be captured. This work was done by Arjun Gaud, Amar Singh's brother-in-law. He tricked Amar Singh and killed him by treachery.


    Some Rajputs under Ballu Champavat bravely attacked the fort and were able to take Amar Singh's body with them.


    In a tribute to the bravery and might of Amar Singh, the southern gate of Agra Fort, which was initially known as Akbar Gate (this gate was built by Akbar) was renamed as Amar Singh Gate. Some accounts say it was renamed by Shah Jahan himself while some say that it was the British who renamed the gate.


    In any case, the gate from which you enter Agra Fort is the same gate from which Akbar used to enter the fort and it's the same gate which is today known as Amar Singh Gate. This gate is a tribute to 2 great men in history, the Mughal Emperor Akbar and the Rajput King Amar Singh Rathor, who will always be remembered for their courage and indomitable spirit. Please do pause at the gate and pay homage to them before proceeding in. :)

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  14. Amar Singh Gate, Agra Fort

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  15. Thanks for sharing interesting facts about how Amar Singh gate received its name Radhika. You have also refreshed dormant memories. I am trying to locate all the pictures from my visit to the Agra Fort. What a magnificent structure. It stands tall and silent yet speaks volumes about a few greats that once lived in and interacted within its premises.

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  16. Thanks a lot Radhika, fr this tale. please do share whatever u come to know, not only because our memory is short, but also because,when u tell a story, it gets all new perspective :).
    All gates of Agra fort r not built by Akbar?

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  17. history-geek,

    Which king of Marwar surrendered to Mughal ultimately? Marwar was also a Rajputana stronghold na?

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  18. Geeta,
    The gates were built by Akbar but the naming is done after Amar Singh Rathore now, due to this incident. :)

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  19. Geeta,
    For some time, Marwar was ruled through Mughal governors. Later, Mota Raja Udai Singh became a friend of Akbar. Yes, Marwar was a stronghold.

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  20. Abhay,
    Can u please give us intro of this hero Rana singh in the serial? Thankfully, because of this blog we hv come to know abt so many Veerputras.who otherwise were quietly buried under history. I also don't know anything abt Gora n Badal :( :(

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  21. Geeta,
    I do not have information about Rana Singh. Is he the same messenger who was sent to MP to give the message of Rana Udai Singh ?
    Gora and Badal are also two warriors like Patta and Jaimal. Gora and Badal were from the Songara Chauhan Rajput principality of Jalore. They died fighting with the forces of Alaudin Khilji. Their name is associated with Rani Padmini of Chittor.

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  22. Yes he is the brave messenger selected by Rawat to send the message to MP. Seems he will die.:( Remains to be seen how he will protect the secret.
    Thanks fr the info on Gora n Badal.

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  23. Geeta


    I also didn't remember Gora and Badal but re-read about them after Abhay mentioned them in his posts. :)


    Here is an interesting story about them.


    When Ala-ud-din Khilji couldn't get Rani Padmini, he captured her husband Rawal Ratan Singh by deceit.


    The war council decided to trick Khilji and bring back Ratan Singh. It informed Khilji that Rani Padmini would be sent to him the next day and he should pull back his troops. The next day, 150 palanquins left the fort and entered the enemy camp. But like the Trojan horse, these palanquins didn't carry Rani Padmini and her entourage of servants. They carried the best Rajput warriors, including the uncle-nephew pair of Gora-Badal.


    These warriors made short shrift of Khilji's soldiers. Badal rescued Ratan Singh and took him back to the castle. Gora was killed in the skirmish with Khilji's army.


    Incidentally, 2 dome shaped houses have been constructed south of Padmini Mahal (Rani Padmini's palace) to commemorate these 2 warriors. They are together known as Gora Badal palace. (See image.)


    Their story is depicted in a wall painting in the Eklingji temple in Udaipur.

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  24. Geeta


    Agra Fort had 4 gates on 4 sides.


    There was a Khizri or Water Gate opening on to the river front. The Delhi Gate (built 1568) on the west of the fort was the grandest of all the gates. But now it is under the control of the Indian military and cannot be used by the public.


    The Lahore Gate / Akbar Gate / Amar Singh Gate is towards the south-eastern side of the fort. This is used by the public now to enter the fort.

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  25. Radhika, Thank u so much fr this outstanding story of Gora n Badal. I hv read Rani Padmini only in school. i wonder, how many more tales of heros r there in the annals of history ! I bow down to Rajputana land fr producing so many hero's. I can't stop thanking this blog n it's initiator fr all this knowledge.:)

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