Jauhar
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Jauhar and Saka were originally the voluntary death of the royal Rajput men and women in order to avoid capture and dishonour at the hands of enemies.
Jauhar (sometimes spelt jowhar) was originally the voluntary death on a funeral pyre of the queens and royal womenfolk of defeated Rajput castes. The term is extended to describe the occasional practice of mass suicide carried out in medieval times by Rajput women and men. Mass self-immolation by women was called Jauhar, and riding out and fighting to death by men was called saka.
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[edit] Practice
Jauhar is often described in terms of the women and children alone, but should correctly be understood as including the death of the men on the battlefield. As generally described, Jauhar and saka involved:
- A defending Rajput army being besieged inside a fortification by an invading enemy army;
- The realization by the defenders that defeat was imminent or unavoidable and no options were left.
- The realization by the defenders that the enemy army would capture and dishonour women.
- The immolation, en masse, of women and young children to avoid molestation by the victorious invading army;
- The riding out, into open battle and certain death, of the menfolk, there to die on the field of war.
The Jauhar in itself could not be performed without the "Saka" part of Jauhar and Saka. When defeat became certain in a war, it was considered proper to fight to the last breath, but to avoid capture and dishonour of royal women, Jauhar was committed.
On the final day of battle, the womenfolk dressed in wedding finery and sacrificed before the fire god and men bearing a Kesariya Bana(saffron coloured dress), attacked the enemy. It was estimated prior to this that the enemy was so powerful that death was almost certain. There were few options, and Rajput men chose to fight and die. Jauhar was the only precaution against their women being molested and dishonoured at the hands of the enemy. Jauhar and Saka were always performed together.
Despite occasional confusion, this practice is not at all related with "Sati". While both practices have been most common historically in the territory of modern Rajasthan, Sati was a custom performed by widowed women only, while Jauhar and Saka were committed while both the partners were living and only at a time of war.
[edit] Occurrence
Jauhar and Saka were limited to the Hindu Kshatriya caste named Rajputs, who formed the upper and ruling classes and castes of Rajasthan and northern India, and were the warrior caste in these areas.
There is extensive glorification of the practice in the local ballads and folk-histories of Rajasthan; however, the accuracy of these accounts has probably degraded due to over-romanticization. Accounts of the invaders finding a deserted city with no living residents are not historically accurate; Brahmins, Charans, servants and slaves and other communities also lived with Rajputs. They lived to tell the story. The cases of Rajputs running from battle at the time of "Saka" have not been established. In fact, Rajputs considered it disgraceful to run from battlefield.
There are many instances of Jauhar (and saka), but these are not properly recorded. At the fort of Bayana King Vijaipal's wife committed Jauhar based on misleading information from "Timan Garh" (Timan Garh is famous for old sculpture). It is now in the Karauli district of Rajasthan). The women-folk of the family of Silhadi the military power-broker committed Jauhar.
There are a number of other instances of jauhar, especially in the Khilji and Tughlaq times. During the Tughlaq campaign against the state of Kampili in the Raichur Doab and the siege of Annegondi - later to be famous as Vijayanagar - a Jauhar was committed. Searching for other instances of Jauhar will indicate whether Jauhar was a Rajput prerogative or was practiced by other military peoples as well. It is quite possible that the Jauhar at Annegondi was committed by a Rajput contingent in the fort, as it is clear that after its reduction the besiegers took many prisoners from amongst the ruling and fighting classes and sent them to Delhi.
The best known cases of Jauhar are the three occurrences at the fort of Chittaur (Chittaurgarh, Chittorgarh), in Rajasthan, in 1303, in 1535, and 1568. Jaisalmer has witnessed two occurrences of Jauhar. Another occurrence was in Chanderi.
[edit] First Jauhar
In 1303 AD, Ala-ud-din Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi besieged Chittor fort, which was under the control of Rana Rawal Ratan Singh. Ultimately he agreed to have a glimpse of Rani Padmini in a mirror, which the Rana agreed to. After this was done, Rana accompanied him due to courtesy to gates of fort. The Rana was dishonestly arrested and kept as hostage for Padmini. As per Padmini's plan, misleading information was sent to Alluddin that Padmini had decided to come to Ala-ud-din, but as her status demanded, she was to come with 700 women. Allauddin agreed to this. The Rajputs were thus able to infiltrate about 2000 men into Allauddin's camp. Each Palaqi Palanquin) contained two Rajput soldiers and four men to lift it. Gora and Badal were leading this team. Ala ud din was told that Padmini desired a last interview with her husband and he agreed. The Rajputs were thus able to transport Ratan Singh to safety and make a fool out of the Khilji king. Beaten, Ala ud din returned to Delhi to come back better equipped early the next year. This time the Rajputs were out of luck and perished on the battlefield while their womenfolk, led by Maharani Padmini, performed Jauhar. In particular, the siege of Chittor, its brave defence by the Guhilas, the saga of Rani Padmini and the Jauhar she led are the legendary. This incident has had a defining impact upon the Rajput character and is detailed in a succeeding section.
[edit] Second Jauhar
Rana Sanga died in 1528 AD after the Battle of Khanua. Shortly afterwards, Mewar and Chittor came under the regency of his widow, Rani Karmavati. The kingdom was menaced by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, who besieged Chittorgarh. Without relief from other forces and facing defeat, The Rani committed Jauhar with other women on March 8, 1535 AD, while the Rajput Army sallied out to meet the besieging Muslim army and committed saka.
According to one romantic legend of dubious veracity, Karmavati importuned the assistance of Humayun the son of Babur, her late husband's foe, by sending him a Rakhi and a request for his help as a brother. The help arrived too late. This is the occasion for the second of the three Jauhars performed at Chittor.
[edit] Third Jauhar
Emperor Akbar besieged the fort of Chittor in September 1567 AD. Changing the strategy, Rana Udai Singh II, his sons and royal women left Chittor soon after this incident by a hidden way.The fort was left in charge of Jaimal Rathore and Patta Sisodiya. One morning Akbar found Jaimal inspecting repair works of the fort which was damaged by mines. He shot him with his gun. The bullet hit Jaimal in the leg and wounded him seriously. The same day Rajputs found defeat was certain, their women committed Jauhar in the night of February 22,1568 AD. In the next morning, Rajput men committed saka. (Abul Faz'l has given a true account of the event as seen by Akbar in his biography in 1568 AD.)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- persian.packhum.org - The Akbarnama, part II, chapter 65, H.M.'s Siege of the Fortress of Citũr
