Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 59
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications
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DECEMBER, 1930 ]
CHITOR AND ITS SIEGES
235
CHITOR AND ITS SIEGES.
By R. R. HALDER.
(Continued from page 166.) “Bhimsi was the uncle of the young prince, and protector during his minority. He had espoused the daughter of Hamir Sank (Chauhan) of Ceylon, the cause of woes unnum bered to the Sesodias. Her name was Padmini, a title bestowed only on the superlatively fair ..... The Hindu bard recognizes the fair, in preference to fame and love of conquest, as the motive for the attack of Alau'd-din, who limited his demand to the possession of Padmini ; though this was after a long and fruitless siege. At length he restricted his desire to a mere sight of this extraordinary beauty, and acceded to the proposal of beholding her through the medium of mirrors. Relying on the faith of the Rajput, he entered Chitor slightly guarded, and having gratified his wish, returned. The Rajput unwilling to be outdone in confidence, accompanied the king to the foot of the fortress; amidst many complimentary excuses from his guest at the trouble he thus occasioned. It was for this that Ala risked his own safety, relying on the superior faith of the Hindu. Here he had an ambush ; Bhimsi was made prisoner, hurried away to the Tatar camp and his liberty made dependent on the surrender of Pádmini."
The artifice by which Padmini contrived to rescue Bhîmsi and save her own honour, by sending to 'Alau'd-dîn's camp, instead of herself and her handmaids, as pretended, 700 covered litters containing picked warriors, each borne by six armed soldiers disguised as litterporters; how Bhimsi escaped on a fleet horse and was pursued to the fort ; how the Muhammadans were foiled in their assault ; how 'Alau'd-dîn, having recruited his strength, returned to the attack later on, and ultimately captured the fortress; and how the heroic women sacrificed themselves one and all by the awful rite of jauhar, "to find security from dishonour in the devouring element"; all this is vividly and eloquently told in the glowing pages of Tod in a famous chapter, which need not be quoted at length here."'43
The account given in Briggs' Ferishta is as follows:
"Alla-ood-Deen about this time sent an army by the way of Bengal to reduce the fort of Wurungole in Tulingana, while he himself marched towards Chittoor, a place never before attacked by the troops of the Mahomedans. After a siege of six months, Chitor was reduced in the year 703, and the government of it conferred on the king's eldest son, the Prince Khizr Khan, after whom it was called Khizrabad... " 44
Among the events of the next year, Firishta further says :
"At this time, however, Ray Ruttun Sein, the Raja of Chittoor, who had been prisoner since the king had taken the fort, made his escape 46 in an extraordinary manner.
“Alla-ood-Deen, having received an extravagant account of the beauty and accomplishments of one of the Raja's daughters, told him, that if he would deliver her over to him, he should be released. The Raja, who was very ill-treated during his confinement, consented and sent for his daughter, with a manifest design to prostitute her to the king. "The Raja's family, however, hearing of this dishonourable proposal, concerted measures for poisoning the princess, to save the reputation of the house. But the Raja's daughter contrived a stratagem by which she proposed to procure her father's release, and preserve her own honour. She accordingly wrote to her father to let it be known that she was coming with all her attendants, and would be at Dehly on a certain day, acquainting him with the part she intended to act. Her contrivance was this. Having selected a number of the dependents of the family, who, in complete armour, concealed themselves in litters (such as are used by women), she proceeded with such a retinue of horse and foot, as is customary to guard ladies of rank. Through her father's means, she received the king's passport, and the cavalcade proceeding by slow 43 Tod's Rajasthan, vol. I, pp. 307-11.
4 Briggs' Ferishta, vol. I, pp. 353-54. 45 The escape of Ratansingha is also mentioned in Elphinstone's History of India, P. 386, and Duff's Chronology, p. 211.
