Razia Sultan : The momentaneous reign of a mighty princess

Razia Sultan belonged to the Slave dynasty of the Delhi sultanate and ruled over Delhi from 1236 to 1240. Brave and bold, she was a woman who believed in her own abilities and refused to be called 'Sultana' which meant 'wife or mistress of a sultan'. One might wonder how she got so much confidence and the answer might be found lurking in her solid and secure upbringing. Iltumish, her father doted on her since birth and had always considered her much superior to his sons. He felt if anyone is fit to rule over the kingdom, it is she and not her brothers.  She was trained in horse riding and archery since childhood, both of which she gained proficiency in.

                                                       ( picture courtesy : delhi.gov.in)


In many ways, I believe she had all the qualities of an empowered woman of today- fearless, strong and independent, she did not care for the societal mores. One could gauge her power by remembering that she was the first female ruler in Muslim or Turkish history. She was not the kind who thought herself to be a special woman but she believed she was capable and must be given her due.

Unfortunately for her, her 'don't-give-a-damn-to-what-the-people-say' attitude finally brought her fall too. She would not wear the veil in public as well as openly showed affection for an Abyssinian slave- both of which angered other courtiers against her. This led to a conspiracy against her leading to her eventual murder.

Thus came the end of the reign of this wonderfully strong and fearless woman. She might have had a short stint as a ruler but for her powerful personality, she is makes quite a subject in the Indian history. She very well deserves it too.

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A question?

Why is it called the slave dynasty?

Answer :  Because it was founded by Qutub-ud-din Aibak, who was the slave of Mahmud Ghori and took over the reign due to the latter's untimely demise.

Prithviraj Chauhan : A highly charismatic man & his 3 "mistakes"

One of the greatest warrior kings of India, Prithviraj Chouhan was what every woman wants in her man- brave, chivalrous, romantic and a King in every sense.  


His boldness in running away with Sanyogita, his lover and daughter of Jaichandra, a king jealous of Prithviraj was one of the highlights of the stories of Prithviraj. And to add thrill to the tale, Prithviraj did this during Sanyogita's swayamvar (groom selection ceremony), in front of her father and many other accomplished kings. This really incited Jaichandra so much and eventually led to the downfall of Prithviraj when Jaichandra supported Mahmud Ghori against Prithviraj. Though this was darn romantic, but I would call this, his first mistake.

                                               Statue of Prithviraj Chauhan at Ajmer
                                                           (Courtesy: Wikipedia)


Prithviraj defeated Mahmud Ghori, an ambitious Afgani ruler who made way towards the Northern India, in the First Battle of Tarain (1191). But interestingly, when Mahmud Ghori was brought in front of Prithviraj in chains, Mahmud Ghori started begging for mercy. Prithviraj being the noble kind, forgave him and set him free. He believed that one should never harm an unarmed person. His decision was against the advise of his courtiers who asked him to finish off Ghori. But Prithviraj stayed strong on his ideals. What Prithviraj did here surely earns our respect but I would call this, his second mistake.


Because just the next year,i.e. in 1192, Mahmud Ghori came back. This time with a bigger and stronger army than before and he used all the guile he could muster to defeat Prithviraj. Prithviraj was chained and brought to Ghori when Ghori asked him to lower his eyes. Prithviraj defiantly refused saying his eyes would lower only at his death. (Such an attractively rebellious person, Prithviraj but this was your third mistake.) Ghori on hearing this became so angry that he  ordered Prithviraj's eyes to be burnt with red hot iron rods.


After this, the blind Prithviraj was brought regularly to the court of Ghori to be taunted and teased. His biographer, Chand Bardai devised a plan with him to avenge Prithviraj. There was a game of archery being held and on the advice of Chand Bardai, Prithviraj participated in it. Ghori and his courtiers made fun fo him saying when he couldn't even see then how could he shoot but Prithviraj told Ghori to just order him to shoot and he would reach his target.


On the said day, Ghori sat on his royal enclosure while Prithiviraj was brought to the archery grounds in the chains. On Ghori's ordering Prithviraj to shoot, Prthiviraj turned in the direction from where he heard Ghori speak and struck Ghori dead with his arrow. 
This event is described by Chand Bardai in the couplet, "Dus kadam aggey, bees kadam daey, baitha hai Sultan. Ab mat chuko Chouhan, chala do apna baan." (Ten feet ahead of you and twenty feet to your right, is seated the Sultan, do not now miss him Chouhan, release your baan - arrow).

The stories of Prithviraj are told with a lot of interest even today. He made mistakes which brought his downfall and made him miserable in his time but today, he's loved and remembered for those same "mistakes". Mistakes aren't so bad after all- they make us human. They make us real. And in case of Prithviraj, his mistakes gave him a persona that is larger than life itself.

Tipu Sultan- A forgotten history of the tiger of Mysore

Tipu Sultan, the de facto ruler of Mysore, is possibly one of the most extraordinary rulers of India. For starters, those of us who have read, Wings of Fire, by Dr. A.P. J Abdul Kalam, probably got the first stroke of our knowledge about the genius of the man whose picture hangs in NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Reason? He is supposed to be the man who has pioneered the technology of War rockets.

He was from a humble background yet his father, Hyder Ali educated him well while also training him in all sorts of combat arts. Tipu Sultan could speak Arabic, French, Kannada, Persian and English fluently. His royal library contained 40,000 books.

Tipu was a devout muslim yet he was kind and considerate towards his hindu subjects. On the request of the French, he also constructed the first church in Mysore. Tipu donated generously to the Hindu temples and gave alms to the brahmins. A linga donated by him to the Nanjagud temple is worshipped till today.

If you have been to Bangalore, you've probably visited Lalbagh. Both Tipu and his dad were ardent nature lovers. Lal Bagh was made by Hyder Ali by procuring several plants from Delhi, Multan and Lahore. Tipu further extended it by planting specimens from France, Turkey and China. Three mango trees planted by him bear fruit even today.

Tipu Sultan died in the battle field while defending Sriangapatna, in the fourth Anglo Mysore war in 1799. He was himself quite capable of defeating the British, but by making use of the policy of divde and rule, the British took the support of the Hyderabad Nizams, the Marathas and the rulers of Travancore and Coorg, against Tipu. It's true when two monkeys fight, the cat benefits. The British, wallowed in cream, by turning the Indian rulers against each other. After his death, his capital was razed to the ground and his relics destroyed. His war rockets were seized by the British and were renamed Congreve, after William Congreve, a subaltern who had fought Tipu in 1799.

That is how the legacy of this great man died with his death. It is sad that we and our government have not given this man honor and recognition like he deserved. The circle which faces the main gate of the Srirangapatna fort is named after a former minister. Very close to it, is the Masjid-e.Ala, where Tipu moved and commanded his soldiers to do-or-die for the freedom of India.

Bahadur Shah II - What if

It is said, when destiny calls, you must answer. In the history of India, there was a man whom destiny literally screamed at, come and get me! Unfortunately, this man, Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor of India, did not listen to his destiny. And he died an unhappy man.


During the Revolt of 1857, Indian soldiers charged to Delhi, rallied around Bahadur Shah and proclaimed him the Shahenshah-i-Hindustan. Even the other Kings of India wanted Bahadur Shah to become the emperor of India and liberate them from the British. Every rebel leader raised the banner of revolt in his name.


Obviously, this made Bahadur Shah an eyesore for the British who launched a military attack against him. Bahadur Shah prepared his counter attacks under the able guidance of Subedar Bakht Khan who defeated the British in successive attacks. Bahadur Shah also asked help from the Sikhs, but unfortunately the Sikhs were so poisoned against him by Sir John Lawrence, the Chief Commissioner of Punjab, that they instead sided with the British.


At one stage in the ongoing onslaughts against the British, Bakht Khan asked Bahadur Shah to come along with him for a new kind of a strategic attack on the British. Unfortunately, Bahadur Shah, who listened to Elahi Baksh, a man bought by the British, refused. By refusing to go with Bakht Khan, the Emperor sealed his fate and also the fate of the country. Elahi Baksh further helped the British in capturing Bahadur Shah who tried him and sentenced him to life imprisonment. They humiliated him by making him live in poverty at Red Fort and making him a peep show for the European Visitors. They finally exiled him to Rangoon in October 1858 where he died in 1862.

Bahadur Shah being taken as a prisoner by the British
(Picture courtesy : Wikipedia)

As a father, he lived to experience the death of his sons and grandsons, in animal like fashion by the British. Also, Captain Hudson who caught hold of the three royal princes after capture of Bahadur Shah, stripped them and shot them dead. He also beheaded and presented their severed heads to the emperor with the remark, "Here is the company's Nazar (tribute) to you which had not been presented for years."

Bahadur Shah, during his life imprisonment. 
(Picture courtesy : Wikipedia)

In exile at Rangoon, Bahadur Shah longed to be back home and wrote poetry which has kept his memories alive even today. Zafar was his adopted poetic sobriquet.


It would not be wrong to state that he died, eventually of a heart break.


This is his poem written on his epitaph- it beautifully expresses the pain of the man.


My heart is not happy in this despoiled land.
Who has ever felt fulfilled in this transient world.
Tell these emotions to go dwell elsewhere.
Where is there space for them in this besmirched heart?
The nightingale laments neither to the gardener nor to the hunter.
Imprisonment was written in fate in the season of spring.
I had requested for a long life, a life of four days.
Two passed by in pining, and two in waiting.
How unlucky is Zafar! For burial
Even two yards of land were not to be had, in the land (of the) beloved.